Heart of the County

Gardening: A Poet’s Muse

The two profound pleasures of poetry and gardening combine just seven miles from Stamford at Helpston’s John Clare Cottage. The place was a muse for the poet from 1793 to 1832 and also offers displays by local artists and acoustic music sessions for visitors throughout the autumn… The link between gardens and poetry is intrinsic. ‘The Glory of the Garden,’  suggested Rudyard Kipling ‘lies in more than meets the eye.’ ‘How could such sweet and wholesome hours be reckon’d,’ asked Marvell, ‘but with herbs and flow’rs!’ And then there’s Clare. ‘Whoever looks round sees Eternity there,’ said the quintessential romantic poet of an autumn garden. Despite illiterate parents, despite being born into peasantry and despite being as mad as a...