Wild gardens are a controversial subject among gardening enthusiasts these days. Here, Garfield Taylor assumes the mantle of the wild garden itself, to extol its charms. His poem comes from his nature-focused collection, White Horses, published by the Book Guild in 2016 at £12.99. There is a freshness and an affection about the litany of flowering plants, official or not.
LESLEY DUNCAN
THE WILD GARDEN
I knew a garden, wild and free,
Where wild flowers shared their pedigree;
With Marguerite and Columbine,
Where Crocus grew with Celandine,
And room was made for all that came,
For I knew every one by name.
The grass grew tall and sent up sprays
Of seed that swayed in the passing wind;
Blue Californian Hyacinths,
Nasturtia winding round a plinth
Of Roman rocks set in a wall;
Orange trumpets free-for-all.
In borders edged with London Pride,
Foxglove and Lupin stood side by side;
Sweet William, Mint and pale Harebell,
Ladybird and Tortoiseshell;
And in a secret place I found
Bindweed and Honeysuckle intertwined.
From my slopes I sent down seed
That found good ground and was not weed:
Willow Herb and Thistledown,
Yellow Ragwort and Dandelion.
In amongst the flowers they fell;
Where they were I could not tell.
The wind and rain were friends to me,
Like the garden, they were wild and free.
I drank the rain whenever it fell,
And the wind drew whispers through my hair
Which turned to gold as the days grew long,
And I was there for everyone.
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