I hoed and trenched and weeded
Thursday, June 15, 2017
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| Rosa 'A Shropshire Lad' June 14 2017 |
A Shropshire Lad
Brother Cadfael
Mary Webb
A Shropshire Lad Revisited
In our previous large garden on Athlone Street in Kerrisdale, Vancouver we had 85 roses. Most of them were Old Roses such as Gallicas and Albas. We also had many English Roses.
Our garden had encroaching shade from neighbouring trees.
Many of our roses were languishing in too much shade. One of them the English
Rose Rosa ‘A Shropshire Lad’ which was and is shade tolerant simply had too
much shade. When we left our garden to move into our small Kitsilano one I left
it behind. I regretted it.
Fortunately a member of the Vancouver Rose Society informed
us that she wanted to get rid of some of her roses. One of them was Shropshire
Lad! I documented the bringing of the
very large rose from North Vancouver to our laneway garden.
Some years ago I went on a tour of Shropshire so
everything Shropshire is dear to me including A.E. Houseman’s poem.
A. E. Housman (1859–1936). A Shropshire Lad. 1896.
LXIII. I hoed and trenched and weeded
I HOED and trenched and weeded,
And took the
flowers to fair:
I brought them home unheeded;
The hue was not
the wear.
So up and down I sow them
For lads like me
to find,
When I shall lie below them,
A dead man out of
mind.
Some seed the birds devour,
And some the
season mars,
But here and there will flower
The solitary
stars,
And fields will yearly bear them
As light-leaved
spring comes on,
And luckless lads will wear them
When I am dead and
gone.
I have at my age of almost 75 a preference for the above
last poem.
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| Rosa 'A Shropshire Lad' on left followed by Souvenir du Docteur Jamain, Chapeau de Napoléon and William Lob |
