gardening and horticulture

First there was a magazine article about Derek Jarmen's garden in Dungeness, UK published while he was alive. I wasn't aware of who he was except that I'd seen one beautiful music video directed by him in the film "ARIA".

Later someone told me of Derek Jarmen's emergence in the punk scene of 1970's London with his film "JUBILEE". And how at the time Derek lived in a big brick warehouse in the then abandoned (now gentrified) Southbank of the City near Tower Bridge, with a Victorian glass greenhouse for a bedroom set in the middle of the large loft space.

I remembered the article and wanted to see his garden. I remembered that soon after Derek Jarmen discovered he had HIV he bought the small cottage which is the subject of this book.

Seeing the garden was very revealing of Derek's mindset. To pronounce the name Dungeness correctly you must say the word "dungeon-ess". The few cottages there were built especially for those who were brought to this desolate area to work at the Dungeness Nuclear Power Plant. The Plant dominates the view because of the comparative height and size, and is obviously the most important "plant" in the garden. When you visit Derek's garden you will also be struck by how loud the humm of the nuclear plant is even though it is set a mile or so away, and the humm is constant -- it does not stop. The ground is covered with big 1- 2" diameter peebles. Nothing soft, nothing comfortable and with that constant humming that never stops.

The cottage itsself is a simple wooden structure that is stained black with windows painted a bright "Caution" yellow. Most buildings in Britain are made of brick or stone because of all the rain; wooden houses are extrememly rare and stand out as seeming impermanent and impractical because they do so easily mildew in that wet seaside climate.

This is a wonderful book about gardening and beauty, about set design and sculpture, and about the cyle of life.

Beautiful photography and memorable prose (from Derek Jarman) make this far more than a coffee table book. The garden itself is superb. Having visited the garden in Dungeness I can confirm that it is as splendid as the book suggests. I understand that Derek wanted to be buried in a glass-topped coffin in the garden. I can understand his attachment.