Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
20th June 2020
New Green Fingers
A few years ago, the Royal Horticultural Society invested huge amounts of money and time trying to encourage young people into horticulture. It didn’t go well.
They reported that the school leavers considered it to be too hard work and they didn’t want to be outdoors in all weathers.
However the good news is that after being confined to their own garden during the lock down period, many youngsters are now showing more interest in pursuing gardening as a career.
Every cloud …
From the Art
I have witnessed another silver lining of the ‘covid cloud’ too. A friend’s husband was furloughed from his paint-spraying job at the end of March, but then laid off altogether at the end of April. His mental health started to crumble as he was anxious about finding new work amid the covid crisis. His wonderful wife suggested that he took the opportunity to pursue his love of art.
Noel took a deep breath and set up his own business offering bespoke artwork, with pet portraits as his speciality. As most of you will know – you were so supportive – my brother lost his four-legged best friend, Diesel, earlier this year. So with Father’s Day on the horizon, I commissioned Noel to draw a black and white portrait of Diesel as a present for my brother for tomorrow.
As you can see, the result is absolutely stunning. Noel also sent several photos of his artwork as it progressed and it was just like watching Diesel reappear. It was incredibly moving. These thoughtful updates meant the journey was such a special part of having the final portrait to treasure. Obviously I’ll be able to forward those to my brother once he has seen the portrait.
Not surprisingly, I sent Noel a photo of my own ‘wing-dog’, Yogi for him to sketch too. And as you can see, Noel has captured her perfectly. I have seen lots of lovely pet portraits but I have never seen ones that capture a personality so emotively.
Noel was endearingly open and honest about his own journey as he told me, “I do have a mental health condition (depression) and when I draw it’s the only time my mind stops and just focuses on what’s in front of me. Being able to use art to manage my condition has been priceless, knowing I have this for life but also knowing I have a way to get some control of it makes the future seem less daunting.”
And what a ‘rosy’ future that looks to be, after a gentle nudge by a pandemic and a proud wife.
Noel also recreates the most amazing Super Heroes and human portraits – and can cleverly combine the two. Now there’s an original idea for Father’s Day!
View more of Noel’s work, and contact him at www.noelhodsonart.co.uk or on Facebook at @NoelHodsonArt
If Only Heaven Had Visiting Hours
Happy Fathers Day to my dad, Bob, who went on to landscape that big garden in the sky twenty four years ago – on the day before Father’s Day. Yes, I still have the card, which he never got to open. Bob instilled the love of gardening in me – and my brother – and, more importantly, a strong work ethic to go with it.
It has become a bit of a joke amongst those who know us well, but if we had nothing to do as kids, he would make us dig a hole and fill it in again. Both my brother and I can dig ‘mean holes’ now with sides spirit-level straight.
And as I always remind people, don’t knock it – digging a hole is the only job where you start at the top!
Roses Grow on You
I love planting, and gifting, roses to honour special occasions. A great gift for any occasion, the rose is also the official flower of Father’s Day and not surprisingly some rose bushes have been named with the day in mind.
Choose from ‘Father’s Day’, an orangey-red patio rose ideal for growing in containers; ‘My Dad’, a beautiful hybrid tea with bright red blooms; ‘Special Dad’, another hybrid tea, with scented red flowers; ‘Simply the Best’, with coppery-orange spicy scented blooms; ‘Best Dad’, a hybrid T with beautiful bright red blooms on long stems which flower in repeat waves from mid June to late autumn and lightly scented or ‘Absolutely Fabulous’, with yellow, highly perfumed blooms.
Usually most of these would be available at your local garden centre but this year you may want to order online from www.giftaplant.co.uk or www.styleroses.co.uk
Years ago, sons and daughters also wore a rose to honour Father’s Day – a red one if their father was still alive, and a white one if he had passed away.
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