Sue's Garden

The garden, oh, the garden: two landscaped acres plus,

From London window box to this would take complete devotion.

Self-taught and learning-on-the-job, Sue’s budding talent thus

Was seeded, grew and blossomed: pure poetry in motion.

Fuchsia, pansies, alyssum, geraniums in pots:

A symphony of coloured blooms in every bed and border.

Lobelias cascading, delicate forget-me-nots,

Hyacinth and climbing rose gave perfume to reward her.

In navy quilted gilet, wellies like a second skin,

Old marigolds her uniform, ideal to pluck the weeds.

Her jumper’s sleeve the perfect place to tuck a hanky in,

Leaving pockets free for garden twine, bulbs and Sutton’s Seeds.

In the Block’s arcadian partnership was rarely any friction,

Just one minutiae would wear Sue’s patience somewhat thinner:

The many formal hedges were my father’s jurisdiction,

And the hour guests were due was when he’d choose to start the trimmer!

The nurturing of splendid shrubs alone did not content her,

To home-grown fruit and vegetables her garden-craft would take her.

The veggie patch was literally at the garden’s centre,

Though can you call it “patch” when it covers half an acre?

One’s five a day were best that way, just a spade or knife to get ‘em

Calabrese and carrots, spuds to bake, boil or roast,

Salad leaves and cabbage, beans that squeaked when you ate ‘em,

So much lush asparagus, we dished it out by post!

The fruit cage in the autumn, with ripened fruit would groan.

Currants, berries, damsons, plums: such a splendid haul!

Sue would share them round the neighbours and it’s true that she was known

To turn up bearing sawn-off branch with redcurrants and all!

Tomatoes “hot off the bush”, rhubarb when in season,

Bramleys stewed with blackberry, onions by the box.

She only eschewed strawberries, she didn’t see the reason

For providing gourmet dining for every local fox.

Crab-apple jelly with the roast, gooseberry fool for afters,

What wasn’t eaten fresh was stored in freezer and in jar.

Marrows big as horses perched upon the garage rafters,

Which were sometimes known to putrefy and land upon the car!

A three-year compost turnaround, what wouldn’t rot was kindled

Into bonfires so substantial they were known to burn for days.

Shredded paper from Nic’s office fed the flame when it had dwindled,

And more than once Sue sacrificed an eyebrow in the blaze!

At dusk Sue set out hose in hand, her watering rounds to start.

Her peacefulness in nature clear to any who had seen it.

And as she moves through twilight so now we too must depart

With the lasting thought that Sue knew how to garden like you mean it.

#eulogy #garden #poem