As a regular columnist, I do try to include current and relevant topics in my articles, so with the country gearing up for the Olympic Games, I’m taking the opportunity to dedicate this column to …. Elvis. OK, it’s a tenuous link but if impersonating Elvis was an Olympic sport, then Abergavenny-based electrician, Keith Davies would take gold every time. I have heard all the accolades and read about the vast amounts of money Keith has raised for charity, and he has even helped us out with some outdoor lighting a few years ago, but last weekend was the first time I had watched him on stage. And I’m hooked. (or should that be ‘all shook up’?)
Playing in Crickhowell, after flying into Beaufort Airport from Memphis (honestly, he said so) he belted out some of The King’s finest tracks and kept the audience entertained with his charisma, backing Mafia and sense of humour.
I have even been inspired to research Elvis’s ‘green credentials’. Admittedly I can’t find any records of him winning any RHS Medals but the sweeping gardens and tree-lined avenues of Gracelands are testament to the King’s appreciation of Nature and the outdoors.
The Pin Oak (Quercus Palustris) has become known as the Elvis Tree, for two reasons. Firstly the majestic trees line the drive to the Graceland Mansion, which provided shade for the countless caddies that were parked beneath them and secondly, when funeral attendants carried Presley’s casket to his Graceland burial place, a large branch came crashing down, barely missing the procession. “We knew you’d be back,” Elvis’s longtime pal and pallbearer Lamar Fike wisecracked, “Just not this soon.”
The Pin Oak is a spectacular tree with stunning autumn colours which, just like Elvis, has a big presence, reaching over 20 m.
In 1965 Elvis sang about Petunia the Gardener’s daughter, followed by In the Garden (1966) and his mother, Gladys was obviously a keen gardener judging by the lyrics of Mama Liked the Roses.
I felt sure there must be an Elvis Rose but it seems it’s a bit of a grey, rather than green area. The Rosa Elvis seems to be available in France only and the Rosa Graceland is also now out of circulation. However, there is the Ammi majus ‘Graceland’, a hardy annual with the less graceful common name of Bishops Weed or Bullwort. Its elegant lacy flower-heads and long stems make a great cut flower and it’s also fabulous for attracting bees and butterflies into the garden. Ideally it should be sown before July but I am going to sow a few seeds now and see if I can get a late display. We haven’t had a summer yet, so it may all work out.
And at least one ‘bright spark’ is still spreading a little sunshine – keep up the good work Keith! Uh huh, uh huh. www.facebook.com/keith.davies.313
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