A Hymn for Gardeners

12 comments

Some Goyers will be familiar with Jack Drake’s Alpine Plant Nursery near Aviemore – it was once the most important nursery of its kind in Scotland if not the whole of Europe. Sadly its penultimat owner for fifty years, John Lawson, died on Saturday. I wanted to attach a copy of the cover of the order of service to this blog as it is quite beautiful, but as I had to scan it as a pdf, the site seems to think it is an invalid format.
However, John’s daughter thought that the following hymn might amuse his friends. I enjoyed reading it and add it for your enjoyment also. Unfortunately this was a Church of Scotland service and I think that the thought of the congregation actually singing this in the kirk was a step too far for the minister.

A HYMN FOR GARDENERS

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all.
But what He never mentions
Though gardeners know it’s true,
Is when he made the goodies
He made the baddies too!

All things spray and swattable
Diseases great and small,
All things paraquatable, the
Lord God made them all.

The greenfly on the roses,
The maggots on the peas,
Manure that fills our noses
He also gave us these.

All things spray and swattable……

The fungus on the goosegogs,
The clubroot on the greens,
The slugs that eat the lettuce
And chew the aubergines.

All things spray and swattable……

The drought that kills the fuchsias,
The frost that nips the buds,
The rain that drowns the seedlings,
The blight that hits the spuds.

All things spray and swattable…..

The midges and mosquitoes,
The nettles and the weeds,
The pigeons on the green stuff,
The sparrows in the seeds.

All things spray and swattable…..

The fly that gets the carrots,
The wasps that eat the plums,
How black the gardener’s outlook
Though green may be his thumbs.

All things spray and swattable….

But still we gardeners labour,
Midst vegetables and flowers,
And pray that what hits our neighbours
Will somehow pass by ours!

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

17 Nov, 2010
9 likes

Comments

Seaburngirl

oh that is wonderful BA. I havent seen this for years. brought a smile. sad loss of a great plantsman though.

17 Nov, 2010

Linda235

Love it. I found myself singing along bulbaholic.

17 Nov, 2010

Littlelegs

What a great send off. R.I.P. John Lawson.

17 Nov, 2010

Stroller

Love it BA, as Littlelegs says R.I.P.John Lawson., what a lovely sense of humour his daughter has, I would imagine that this also bought more of the sense of the man to his friends than anything else.

17 Nov, 2010

Shirley_tulip

Brilliant - I sang along too! Love the part "the fungus on the goosegogs" - just lovely.

17 Nov, 2010

Whistonlass

I do not know anything about John Lawson, being a "newbie" to all things gardening. But what a great sendoff with that hymn. I'm sure it will have made people feel a bit less sad given the humour of the words.

And yes, I was singing along in my head to the tune as well.
Thanks for putting the words up, BA. He must have been a well-loved and respected man as it seems he is remembered my many (as above names attest).

17 Nov, 2010

Andrewr

Brilliant - I haven't laughed so much for ages. May I use a copy of it in our Garden Club newsletter?

17 Nov, 2010

Bulbaholic

Andrew, I don't think that this is a 'new' hymn, I think I remember seeing it years ago, and I have no problem with anyone copying it. On another site I have already given the OK to a lady in New Zealand taking it to her AGS meeting tonight. I think that the poem is brilliant and should be broadcast widely within the gardening community.

17 Nov, 2010