Weeding the Web

Presents for gardeners: a smock for all seasons

It struck me, as I set forth into the garden this weekend, that some things make themselves surprisingly indispensable.

At a Wisley craft fair in 2012 I bought, with a little scepticism, a gardening smock. It wasn't cheap, but producer Liz Wilkin of Cornishwear won me over. Based in (you've guessed it) Cornwall, and with the help of a team of outworkers, Liz produces modified Cornish fishing smocks. The gardening version has a couple of deep pockets and is made of extremely sturdy twill.

She's also designed them to be long enough "to keep the kidneys warm" and the thick twill shrugs off thorns, protects surprisingly well from drizzle and really, really keeps the wind out, which makes weeding quite cosy in miserable weather.

It's a little warm for high summer, but worth putting on, even then, for prickly areas. I now spend much less time unhitching woollies from the rose bushes, or saying 'ouch' to no one in particular as a thorn penetrates a forearm.

I also no longer have to hunt for secateurs and string (as these fit easily into the pockets). Best of all, I hang it from its loop on a hook by the back door, which means my best tops (invariably what I'm wearing when opportunity knocks) are protected at last.

The only thing I would say is that, if you find it difficult to pull clothes over your head, you'll find these (being of very sturdy, unstretchy material) a bit of a struggle. I've learned for the first time in my life to take a top off like a schoolboy - grab the back of the neck and haul upwards.  (Liz does do fleece versions, though, which would, no doubt, be more forgiving.)

When this one finally goes the way of all threads (which will be in some time to come, since it is so sturdy), I will be beetling back to Liz to get another.

What with this and proper gardening boots, I will finally start to emerge from the undergrowth looking like a grown-up, rather than a mud-encrusted hoyden.

 

 

Presents for Gardeners: the gift of garden quotation

 

A calligraphy teacher told me recently that she found it the most uncreative of pursuits - no room for variation.  Expert calligrapher Rosemary Grossman couldn't disagree more.

"I find it very creative," she said when, arrested by her lovely designs which include plants of all description, I spoke to her at Country Living's Christmas Fair this weekend.

Rosemary, who is 80, has, I think, reached that level of expertise where one lets go of analysis and follows one's instinct. She says when she lays out the page, she lets things go where they want. And, of course, white space is every bit as important as the words and decoration, so the design embodies a rhythm of light and dark.

Designs often include delicate renderings of flowers and plants (those in the picture above resulted from the commission for hedgerow plants seen at the time of the recipient's birthday), instantly recognisable to the gardener. 

 

I could have spent hours rifling through all the different quotations she's illustrated. Somehow Rosemary manages to imbue them with a calm spirituality that can make the most familiar quotation hit you anew.

Design and execution takes a minimum of five hours and, to mitigate the problem that every craftsman recognises - of finding it impossible to charge sufficiently for hours spent - each original commission is also made into prints, many of which cost around £20.

Rosemary has a huge range of quotations and sayings already completed, so you might find your favourite already exists. However, she takes commissions, so if you have a specific gardening poem or quote that you'd like on your wall, she could probably still get it completed for Christmas, if you're quick. 

She doesn't have a website, but you can contact her via her husband's email (norman dot grossman at auditel dot co dot uk) or phone 020 7274 4798.

(Sorry about the reflection on the picture above - photos weren't easy to take in the circumstances.)