For many years I’ve thought that gardens are wasted on gardeners. Not on all of us gardeners – but it is true that many gardeners visit gardens to look at plants (with a certain acquisitive eye…), have a chat with friends and family, nice day out.. and a piece of lemon drizzle..

But gardens have a lot to offer people with no interest in gardening or plants – beauty, escape, sometimes art,- as in the garden itself or sculpture within it, – and: peace.

This last is not true of every garden. I never seem to visit one of our large institutional gardens, as in the RHS or National Trust, without there will be a lawn mower or hedge trimmer at work. (I know – there are good reasons and it can be hard enough for us to organise) But we, like many personal gardens, I imagine, make sure that there is no noisy work at Veddw when we have garden visitors. We’re in the country and we are fortunate to have good neighbours who are not noisy, (we are probably the worst noise makers in our lane) so people often comment on the peace here.

And now there is a new initiative, by Liz Ware, celebrating and encouraging such silence in gardens: ‘Silent Space’. A brilliant idea and one for anyone who can to embrace? It seems to have interesting effects. Someone came to me last week to say that they had also found themselves wanting to be quiet in other parts of the garden, in the way that you feel like whispering in a church.

Spread the word…..