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| Knot garden and dovecote at Ford Green Hall |
I have been known to grumble about the size of my feet and, when I was younger and hadn't the funds to buy specialist clothes for tall women, have been known to wish my inside leg measurement slightly less, but I have never, ever minded being quite tall (5' 11" in 'old money'). From a gardening perspective, and many others besides, it is generally a blessing. Where another would require a step-ladder, I can often reach to trim a hedge or prune a tree just with a brief lift onto tip-toe.
Due care is necessary when selecting digging tools to suit the taller frame, especially the taller female frame which is generally longer from the waist down than that of a man of similar height - hence my wish that designers of train and plane seating should actively recruit tall gals to try out their designs as it is us who will most obviously notice inadequate leg-room. I guard my long-handled fork and spade with my life when working away from my own garden.
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| Before... |
Sadly, being tall proves to be a pain in the, er, lower back when the task in hand is pruning the box hedges of a 17th century-style knot garden. I have therefore tackled this in four stages, doing a quarter on each of four successive visits and stopping from time-to-time to do standing-up-properly jobs.
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| ...and after! |
There were weeds and the inevitable ash saplings dotted in amongst the box and around the rose bushes and I have managed to get most of those either out or cut to the ground, though the centre bed and two furthest from the house still need a final tidy and topping up with compost. We're also short of one rose bush, so I may see if I can make an appeal to one of the local garden centres for a charitable donation.
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| Current view from the top of the rampart around the site |
But when I stood up straight on Sunday afternoon, having finish trimming the knot, I was very pleased with the end result - then I noticed that there are two more small box-enclosed knots at the front of the house to do too!
Financial advice - buy shares in Radox, now!
