Loveliest of trees

[Lyd12]

Thought you might enjoy this poem with a photo of our garden.

Its called "Loveliest of Trees" by A.E. Houseman.

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now of my threescore years and ten,

Twenty will not come again,

And take from seventy Springs a score

It only leaves me fifty more.

and since to look at things in bloom

fifty Springs are little room

About the woodland I will go

to see the cherry hung with snow.

Iris x

[huggs]

What a lovely garden you have Iris. It looks so peaceful, calming and relaxing. It must be beautiful to walk through and be in it. I enjoyed the poem too. Thanks for posting it.

Take care,

hugs from Huggs xxx

[Lyd12 in reply to huggs]

glad you liked it huggs. Oh, to have fifty Springs left to enjoy! And good health too, of course. Every Spring is precious, and we do love our garden.

iris x

[huggs in reply to Lyd12]

It would be great wouldn't it? Never mind it just makes us appreciate all the seasons even more. When you are younger you just take it all for granted, and that you will always have the health to enjoy it all.

Your garden must take a lot of work as its so well cared for.

Thanks again,

hugs from Huggs xxx

[Hidden]

Beautiful photo - oh, how I wish I had a garden like that! - and a lovely poem as well. Thank you - and yes, I,also wish I still 50 more to come 😊😊. Jan xx

[Lyd12 in reply to Hidden]

thanks Jan, at last Spring is here, and makes us all a bit brighter after the long winter, Iris x

[hufferpuffer]

Ahhhh so lovely! 😊 thank you for your lovely picture and poem I loved them both. We had a tree come down on top of my cherry blossom tree about a year ago and I do miss it at this time of year 😀🍒 huff 💜

[Lyd12 in reply to hufferpuffer]

so sad to lose a tree, they take a long time to grow. cherry blossom is short lived but something to look forward to each year. iris x

[Photogeek]

Hi Iris I always loved that Poem, and your garden wow, oh it's beautiful,

But I always feel sad that the cherry trees lose their blossoms so soon.

What a garden. Who is the gardener?

Hannah x

[Lyd12 in reply to Photogeek]

Hi Hannah

We both do what we can, husband is 85 Im 81 so its little and not very often Im afraid. Its not as tidy as we would like but would hate to leave it. sons do anything we ask but they have their own to do. iris x

[Softwabbit]

My goodness I thought first it was a pic of some lovely park, and now realising it is your private garden "WOW" I am jealous, it is a beauty xxx

[Lyd12 in reply to Softwabbit]

Yes, it is a lovely garden. Developers have their greedy eyes on any large plots around but will not build here in my lifetime. iris x

[redted]

Now that is a beautiful tree,and a lovely garden.

[Lyd12 in reply to redted]

thanks Redted, hope you are welland enjoying this Spring weather. Iris x

[redted in reply to Lyd12]

Thank you I am doing ok,much much better than many. Your garden must be a wonderful place to relax in.

[bulpit]

Morning Lyd12. Iris, what a delightful garden you have,cherry blossom is so pretty,such a pity it is so short lived. What a lovely time of year it is. Best wish, Bulpit

[Lyd12 in reply to bulpit]

HI Bulpit

I agree, its sad to see the blossom falling, but then attention turns to whats happening next, under the trees there are lots of lily of the valley just coming into bud. Hope life is being kind to you. Love Iris x

[Hidden]

What a lovely tree, ours is white and produces masses of fruit once the blossom has gone. The noise of the visiting birds is horrendous, no chance of hanging washing outdoors till the feasting is over. I get pleasure from it after planting it over 40 years ago.

[Lyd12 in reply to Hidden]

Your tree must be big now, planted so long ago. We planted two crab apples and two cherries when we moved here 16 years ago, and have enjoyed seeing them grow.

Hope you are in a good spell healthwise and can enjoy the Spring. Love Iris x

[Hidden in reply to Lyd12]

Ours is so big now and overhangs neighbouring gardens but no complaints. Afraid of pruning it in case the squirrels leave home. Health wise I pulled a muscle in my chest and felt like someone had kicked me in the heart. Just finished some antibiotics so feeling optimistic that I will soon start to feel better. X Joyce

[knitter in reply to Hidden]

Hi Joyce, I pulled a muscle in my chest last week....it hurt so much I thought I had broken a rib again...it's getting better and I hope yours is too

[Hidden in reply to knitter]

It sure hurts doesn't it. Painkillers only help but they knock me out. Feeling better today, hope you are too. Always try not to make sudden movements that can cause another episode. This time my elbow sliped off the back of the settee watching birds out of the window. Take care x Joyce

[Jolyn]

Absolutely beautiful and the poem too xxx

[Lyd12]

thanks Lyn, Sweetheart swans! Good picture. I must get around to putting up a face but it means using the laptop I believe and that is mostly my husbands domain!

Love Iris x

[Polly4acre]

How lovely to have such beautiful cherry trees. The photo shows them off very well, what a splendid show you have too. The weather changes so quickly, any windy spell with rain and your blossoms go over, so you have captured the best moments. Houseman wrote such staggering poetry and summed up the cherry tree season so descriptively. I love his poetry, " The Land Of Lost Content " often comes to mind when I regret the loss of my " happy highways" I have a great memory of the Botanical Gardens in Brooklyn, New York when we had a spell there. Cherry blossoms from late April through to May and sometimes beyond that.Hundreds of trees above you and carpets of fallen blossom beneath you. So many that you can't appreciate each individual one, so really great to see yours. Many more seasons to you, and a happy highway up your garden path. Polly x x

[Lyd12]

Read the poem you mentioned, Polly and felt I had heard it before, probably because it gets quoted. I recall a drama called "The Blue Remembered Hills". Lovely lines, poetry takes you into someones thoughts, such a privilege. One that impressed me was by Wordsworth, I think it was called "Intimations of Immortality" with a line about splendour in the grass. The gardens in Brooklyn sound wonderful. Love Iris x

[Hidden]

Absolutely beautiful.Thank you Lyd xx

[Polly4acre]

Lyd, you can see some of the Brooklyn cherry trees on Google, it will give some idea of the vastness of the gardens.

If I can remember the poem ,it goes;

Across my heart the wind that kills

from yon far countries blow

What are those blue remembered hills

Whose fields, whose farm are those?

It is the Land Of Lost Content

I see it shining, plain

The happy highways where I went

and cannot come again.

Such a short poem, so predictive!

[Lyd12]

You remembered it well Polly, I had read it on Google, what would we do without it?

I looked at the Brooklyn trees, fantastic, they then reminded me of pictures I had seen of the cherry trees in Japan, there are also some fantastic photos there, if you google cherry trees Japan.

We have a local wood that is full of bluebells just now, too far to walk and every year I think I must try and go, I have been once but years ago, it is truly beautiful. We hardly use the car now, I dont drive and Tony is waiting for a cataract operation, might have to see if son wants to take his old mum! Love Iris x

[Polly4acre]

Lyd, read the poem to your son and ask him to take you your" happy highways "

bluebells are so wonderful. it has been a long time since I saw a magical carpet of those. there is a lovely " woody smell " with them overlaced with a faint Hyacinth fragrance. love and love, Polly.