How To Prune An English Victorian Garden

My dear friends,

Won't you pour some tea, and let us have a visit. I have to tell you a short story. So, you know that I am married to a gardener, my beloved gardener. He's really a horticulturist/landscaper.


Jeffrey's been gardening since childhood. He comes from a long line of gardeners, as well. It's like the line from "My Cousin Vinny" when Marisa Tomei is on the stand and begins explaining her expertise to the defence attorney because of her long line of mechanics in her family. "My Father's a mechanic, my father's father is a mechanic, my mother's father on her father's side is a mechanic." Okay, you get it, right? I like to call him my {BG} Beloved Gardener because, to me, it's very endearing. Besides, I give everyone a nickname, I don't know, I just do, and always have. Ya want one? Huh, huh, do ya? Errr...

I have always told him that I absolutely love being married to a man that loves to grow food, flowers and the like. I wouldn't want him to have any other occupation. I remember for years, thinking to myself, I wish my love would enjoy the things I do. For instance, mowing the yard, digging in the dirt and planting a garden, with little animals running amuck. Well, I now know the universe was listening to me all of those times. I manifested a gardener. Who would've thought? Yay, for me!

Last month, I had to remind my BG to sharpen all of my tools, and I was carrying on about how much I have grown to despise my plastic handled pruning shears. They would stick, every time I spent the day in the garden clipping a large number of items.

You should've seen the chicken ladies trying to eat my roses. I kept saying, "ladies, please- this girl is trying to work."

*{I secretly love that my BG hand sharpens his tools, scissors and knives, by candlelight, using an old piece of leather strapping. That is so romantic to me.}

Well, a week later, he came home with a hand full of roses in one hand and a pair of BG pruning shears in the other. {BG stands for Belville Gardens} Professional Pruning Shears. He shows them to me and says, "baby, look it has my initials, BG for Beloved Gardener!"

Now, let me explain why these are the best pruning shears ever to grace my darling, wrinkled, freckled hands. They are made of steel! Yes, ALL STEEL! If you are used to working in the garden and are used to gardening tools that were made in the Victorian era, you know the Victorians made exceptional products. I like well-made tools of all sorts, especially, gardening tools. These BG shears have a strap that holds them together at the handle and comes in a little carrying case. I do not much care for the aesthetic appeal of the carrying case, so I switched it for my leather one. I will say I love that it has the initials BG on it, though. To me, it stands for my beloved gardener. {wink, wink}
These shears are for professionals: heavy-duty, ergonomic, razor-sharp, tree trimmers and they never stick. I swear by them. I won't use anything else, from here on out. I love that they are red in colour because I can't tell you how many times the ones that I had prior had green handles and I was losing them constantly. They became camouflaged, I'd them leave them out, and the rain would end up rusting them.

Do you have a particular gardening tool that you can't live without? I am now the same way with my paintbrushes. I used to think a product didn't matter, but, boy howdy was I wrong. Once I began using brushes that were non-shedding, I thought I had died and went to artist heaven. But, that's for another day and another post. I'm bringing back the bonnet. This was my attire today at Staffordshire Cottage while playing in the garden.

Most affably yours til my next swim, Raquelxxx