Top Talk
The only Welshman to ever win Olympic gold in a track and field event, long jumper Lynn ‘The Leap’ Davies likens winning to developing a garden. “You have to have that end goal in sight, or a vision and then you continually work toward it. And whether its gardening or sport, it helps to have some expert advice and to be nurtured on that journey.” He explains.
“As a kid I was very competitive and athletic and was always jumping over rivers and climbing trees. Later, when I met up with Coach Ron Pickering, he was then able to channel and develop my talent and ambition which was a winning formula.”
“My wife, Meriel and I have created our own garden from nothing and in the early days, when I was teaching physical education, I wasn’t really interested in the garden but as the garden developed so did my interest and I enjoyed planting trees and laying lawns. I planted a row of trees just before leaving to compete in the Mexico Olympics. When we were there, Ron rang my wife and said ‘tell me something that will really anger Lynn so we can get him fired up for the competition.’ Meriel replied ‘tell him some of the trees died!’ It didn’t work though as that was the year Bob Beamon famously jumped 29.2 ft (8m 90) which was a World Record for 23 years. I couldn’t be angry enough to beat that.” (Lynn modestly omits to tell me he held the Welsh record for 34 years).
“I wish someone had told me how important regular pruning is.” He continues, “ I have trees now that have gone past their best because I didn’t manage them correctly. I hate seeing conifers that have been cut back to bare wood.”
“My own garden is a corner plot and is sort of divided into sections. I’ve got an area of gravel, boulders and low growing shrubs that resemble a Japanese garden. That’s the structured look that I love and it’s low maintenance. I first saw that style at the Tokyo Olympics; travelling the World inspires you. Even if you don’t realise it, I think you are always noticing different styles of garden. I love seeing what people do with their gardens and always enjoy watching the garden makeover programmes. They motivate you. My wife likes a lawn so I have to compromise. She’s an art teacher and the garden is full of little sculptures and figures that the students have created and don’t want. It’s like an art gallery. There’s a headless, topless woman with an arm missing just outside the back door,” he laughs.
Currently President of UK Athletics, Lynn returns to the similarities between gardening and sport. “It’s all about motivation and action. Focus on what you want and you’ll move toward it. Never underestimate the power of the mind. As Ron used to say ‘a good coach needs to give you roots so you can grow and wings so you can fly.’”
Turning Japanese
The wonderful philosophy associated with Japanese gardening is that one shouldn’t create anything that Nature wouldn’t, so no square ponds or fountains for example. The apparent ‘emptiness’ - a sharp contrast to our ‘busy’ and ‘full’ Western gardens - creates a feeling of ‘space’, promoting peace and stillness. Boulders are used to represent mountains, and raked gravel donates the continual flow of water. It is also important for the space to be enclosed as the garden is perceived as being a separate World that one can visit leaving behind their worries and concerns.
Winter Wonderland
Get Stoned
Rocks are the ‘bones’ of a Japanese garden. Try to include a tall vertical stone, a low vertical stone and a horizontal stone. Stones are best placed as a group of three but can be in two’s to represent male and female. There are also stones to avoid – the diseased stone, one with a misshapen or disfigured top; the dead stone, a stone with a horizontal grain that is propped upright, like a dead body and the pauper stone, which is a stone that bears no relation to any other stone in the garden.
Similarly, rockeries should be constructed with natural stone set well into the soil to resemble a natural outcrop. Avoid ‘the current bun’ – a rockery with stones placed on the soil surface and the ‘dog’s grave’ using single, isolated stones.
Oriental Delights
For a wide range of Oriental products including screening, statues, drilled stones and furniture for your Japanese style garden (and even a kimono to wear whilst gardening) visit http://www.japangardening.co.uk/ They also offer great advice on planning and constructing relevant projects.
Did You Know?
