The video above is from my recent visit to Myddleton House and Gardens near Enfield North London.

I ventured upon this visit on a very wet Friday in August hoping to have a break in the downpours but alas the precipitation was relentless! Thankfully there are super glass houses both temperate and sub tropical to be found full of succulents, cacti and creepers to escape into.

The main house is not open to visitors as it is used by the Lea Valley conservation HQ.

The grounds contain a working fruit and vegetable garden with an honesty box enabling the visitor to purchase fresh fruit vegetables or plants of the day.

A wonderful ornamental pond takes centre stage adorned with pots of varigated varieties of plants and flowers.

An abundance of trees include a redwood cedar, one can appreciate why this garden is worth a visit and after a wander and exploration you can rest in the courtyard of the cafe and enjoy a cream tea.

Ok so what is this about? It’s a garden there are plenty of them around !

This garden is different it was born out of the mind of a visionary amateur horticulturist, E Bowles.

The remarkable history of this place includes the legacy of the Heugenots, a Protestant people from France who were persecuted and fled their native country in the 1600’s and settled in places all around Europe and America finding a new safe place to live. Wherever they ventured, the Heugenots had a capacity for innovation, vision and development.They prospered the places they lived in by setting up businesses and factories, they were a skilled people who worked with silk and traded exquisite goods.

Their connection with this beautiful garden developed when they set up the New River company which bought clean drinking water into The City of London. The New River once ran through this property but was diverted as changes were made on its course.

E Bowles married into a Heugenot family and his ancestors were also directors in the New River Company he then inherited this wonderful place and when his parents became ill gave up his studies at Cambridge University to care for them.

One would imagine that as he strolled around the grounds he developed a vision of what the garden and grounds could be. He wasn’t afraid of dreaming Big or impossible, he had means that weren’t vast and used them to import a redwood cedar tree and subtropical vines, even the market cross from Enfield is found in the wisteria and grapevine arbour.

Almost two centuries later the legacy of the vision can be seen enjoyed and learnt from.

It caused me to wonder …..do we realise what we may be sowing for the future?

If we reap what we sow then surely we should keep sowing until our end?

No retirment no sitting back no resting up !

Bowles could have resigned himself to losing his education at the most prestigious college in England, perhaps even feeling a failure, resentful to his parents who needed his care or as he did he looked for a new place a new vision a new project on his doorstep.

Are we overlooking our doorstep ? Do we just think the brave people who venture out somewhere are the real heroes or do we look for the little nuggets of hope ? The pearls for the journey that enhance our lives and the lives of others around us.

Do we sow upstream with love, words and deeds, vision, projects and ideas.

If we plant good seeds they will surely give us a good return, just as E Bowles set out his plans for his garden may we intentionally set out our plans, thoughts, hopes, dreams and visions and work towards them one day at a time, one kind word at a time, one RAK , random act of kindness at a time can change people, situations and futures.

May your pearl for today be to sow richly into your environment so that future generations may be able to benefit from your hard work.!

A note to all the millenials’….over twenty five years ago we were using so much paper in our country that we were told by the government to use plastic bags and wrappers because of the de-forestation taking place, little did we know that the increase in use of plastics would do the damage it has done. Perhaps we weren’t given the correct research information, perhaps there is an ulterior motive from those in charge, but where we have sown wrongly we are trying to correct that. Whilst many of you fly on short and long haul flights regularly increasing carbon emissions we the boomers tended to camp or caravan some of us never flying or very little! Maybe some boomers go on cruise ships too often now so no argument there ! …. so please let’s balance it all up not place blame, but work together for our future and sow good seeds for the next generations.

From one pearl to
another

Margaret Dexter-Lewis

20/8/19