Our Newsletter is published in Spring and Autumn. Occasionally the editor provides articles or extracts for publication on our web site. Photos associated with the articles are also published here.
Helen Green was a new member of HPS Cumbria this year and is Head Gardener at Rydal Mount. Guest writer, Eric Worsley, fellow fell-walker, local tourist entrepeneur and gardener, put her into context with her work for us.
With her blonde hair, deep blue eyes and red sports car, Helen Green does not look like the typical head gardener of one of the most important and historic houses in England. But those fooled by her vivacious character and love of life are in for a big surprise. Helen is head gardener at Rydal Mount, the home of poet William Wordsworth and his family from 1813 until his death in 1850. She is the first woman to hold the position, and brings the full weight of her enthusiastic and bubbly character to the role.
Under her charge are 4 acres of informal woodland garden and herbaceous perennials that were originally designed by Wordsworth. The gardens are maintained in his style and open for the public to enjoy and admire. The ethos behind Wordsworth's design was that it should be "in harmony with nature." He obtained the plants for his garden from the hills around Rydal, as well as from friends and neighbours. Amongst those he collected were local favourites such as daffodils, daisies, primroses, marsh marigolds, wild pansies, foxgloves and his favourite flower, lesser celandines. However, alongside these traditional plants are a number of species that modern gardeners would consider to be weeds. Lichens, mosses and ferns were all given their place to grow and thrive.
Helen is enthusiastic and passionate about retaining the garden in it's original style by continuing to plant in interesting and different combinations instead of segregating plants into separate areas. "When walking on the fells I have yet to see neat rows of flowers, with none of the plants that we could consider to be weeds. That is how nature works and Wordsworth wanted his garden to be a mirror on nature, albeit in a controlled manner," she said. She uses the term "selective weeding" when describing her passion for retaining all those plants that Wordsworth wanted to keep, identifying "modern invaders" for removal.
Helen's passion for gardening began at the age of 9 when she helped her mother tend a large patch of calendula and roses. Her mother suffered from arthritis so Helen took over the duty of tending the plots at her family home. Cycling in the countryside was another childhood passion, and Helen always took a wild flower book, a Collins Mini Guide, to identify wild flowers that she saw.
She wanted to go to Hutton Agricultural College when she was 16 but her parents advised her that it was not a suitable job for a young lady and she went into banking instead. A career in the Lake District Tourism industry followed, but Helen never lost her love of the natural world. She is a keen fell walker, and was one of the first women to complete the gruelling 24 hour four peaks challenge in the Lake District. She has an extensive knowledge of the Lakeland fells, and also of the plants that populate them. To this day she carries a plant book with her in case she comes across something that she cannot identify, and can often be seen photographing flowers high up on the fells or beside a lonely tarn.
Ten years ago she finally achieved her aim of gaining a formal education in horticulture by enrolling on a degree level course and studying in her spare time. After spending her days running her busy Ambleside guesthouse, she would forego the normal domestic evening routine in favour of study. The combination of passion for the subject and hard work clearly paid dividends. But that is typical of Helen. She is a passionate individual who is never afraid to push the boundaries to get the most out of life.
Always keen to take on a new challenge, Helen admits to seeing her position at Rydal Mount as being one of the most demanding she has ever attempted. "Wordsworth was not only England's finest poet, but also passionate about his garden, and to be asked to take responsibility for it's upkeep was quite daunting," she said. "The fact that the garden is open to the public, and therefore under the scrutiny of gardeners and plant enthusiasts from all over the world, simply added to the pressure at first. But when I saw how supportive everyone at Rydal Mount was I realised that this was a challenge I could rise to. It can be very hard work at times, and there are days when a relaxing early evening bath and glass of wine are very welcome, but I have never been afraid of getting my hands dirty, and the results are very rewarding."
Helen takes the daily routine of running the Rydal Mount gardens in her stride. There are many hurdles to overcome, from the natural problems caused by the weather, to the more human difficulties, such as raising funding for replacing the infrastructure of the garden or carrying out new projects. "We cannot control the weather, " she said, "instead, it controls us, so we just have to put up with whatever is thrown at us and get on with it. None of the problems that I have are worse than those faced by Wordsworth. In his day the winters were both longer and colder, yet by harmonising with the natural world surrounding him he managed to produce a superb garden, with a design that has really stood the test of time. There is a simple lesson in life for all of us there, I think."
She is equally pragmatic when dealing with budget constraints. "We don't have a big budget, so we have to make sure that we use all the resources available to us, " she said. " It's all just common sense and good gardening practice really. We raise new plants from seed, and also take cuttings to propagate more of what we already have. In that respect we are probably no different from many gardeners around the country. But we do take things a step further. We consider weeds to be simply plants that are not where we want them to be. So very often self seeding plants are pulled up and replanted somewhere more appropriate."
Dividing clusters of successful plants and selective planting policies mean that Helen tends to get the best out of the resources she has. By planting more tender plants in south facing positions, or under the shelter of more hardy plants, she has managed to maintain a wide range of species and also create plenty of colour and texture in the garden at key points in the calendar, ensuring that visitors can enjoy a superb display whatever time of year they visit.
It is not only the beautiful floral displays that can create excitement amongst the visitors. Helen recalls an amusing incident with a group of Japanese Tourists. "I looked down across the lawn one day and saw a small group of Japanese people pointing at the lawn. I thought at first that there was something wrong but as I approached them to investigate I saw that they were laughing and taking photographs of a large slug. They were really happy to have seen it, and seemed to treasure it as much as the garden itself. "
Despite the problems caused by the elements and budget constraints Helen freely admits that she loves her job and the challenges it brings. "Every day is different, and brings with it new challenges, but when you step back and look at what you've done, and realise that you are helping to maintain the heritage of the region, you get a very rewarding feeling," she says.
"Providing a display that clearly brings a lot of people a great deal of pleasure is one of the high points of the job. When you see groups of people both young and old taking the time to admire your work it gives you quite a buzz. I particularly enjoy it if they come over to ask questions, as they did with Wordsworth all those years ago. The difference then was that not many people knew what he looked like, and he used to enjoy giving visitors the impression he was just the gardener. Many people left Rydal Mount having had a personal tour of the gardens but totally unaware that their guide had been none other than William Wordsworth. He loved his garden and wanted people to appreciate it and it is very fitting that we are still enjoying it over 150 years later."
Eric Worsley wrote this article on Helen Green for the HPS CUMBRIA GROUP's Autumn Newsletter. Eric lives and works in the Lake District National Park. He runs a web based tourist information business and also writes and publishes a series of walking books.