‘Lukesland’ - a poem about the garden written by Gail Langridge and read at her funeral in February 2025. Thank you to Gail’s family for allowing us to share this beautiful poem. It means a great deal to us that the garden touches people so profoundly.
Lukesland
From the lane, who would guess
That, hidden from view exists
A luxurious oasis in garden form?
In early spring, as if to whet the appetite,
A froth of shivering snowdrops,
Glimpsed from guarding gate,
Heralds the forthcoming season anew.
Clement weather and the lengthening days
Cajole exotic magnolia into flower.
Airily, they proclaim above the native trees,
Whose nakedness forms a fretwork,
Studded with sumptuous jewel-like blooms
Of rhododendrons in their myriad forms.
Comes the day, when summoned
By the expectation of sensory feast,
Feet, used to the incline of the winding lane,
Diverge upon another way.
Slipping surreptitiously into the ancient grove
(As once this verdant valley was known),
The inviting pathways entice
With promises as yet unseen
By Gail Langridge
