Customer of the Month – Trudi Harrison

Jul 27th

“That is how I would like to dress,” a friend whispered to me as Trudi and her entourage of husband and daughters walked towards my stall at Ford car boot, “but I’d never have the courage.” Trudi is a champion of vintage style and always looks impeccable – even in the rain!

Trudi in her garden in the rain

Trudi is a crafter – at the moment, she is into felting – and is also a gardener. She’s appeared on Gardener’s World (episode 6, 2015) and opens her garden under the National Garden Scheme. And so it was that yesterday the GOM (grumpy old man) and I visited Trudi and her garden in East Wittering. Sadly the weather was not kind, but even in the rain her garden looked glorious. Trudi shared her knowledge of coastal gardening: create buffer zones; dig the clay over the first year but thereafter do a layer of sand/grit and a layer of compost; plant intensively. She informed us about the Paulownia tree with its huge rhubarb-like leaves: she grew it from seed, lets only a single stem grow and then cuts this down every year and uses the stem as a clothes-prop!

Trudi’s Paulownia tree

Trudi enchanted the small children there by telling them about the hag stones – pebbles with a hole going right through them – hanging from a tree. It is said that Oberon, king of the fairies, will grant a wish for each hag stone.

Spot the hag stones in the tree

In fact, everywhere you look there is something for you to marvel at, or smile:

Love the sunglasses!

And the pegs!

I could go on and on. It’s amazing what Trudi has managed to do in such a small space, not to mention the added challenges of wind and salt that come with living so close to the sea.

Trudi is an inspiring lady. Go on, my friend, have courage!

For more information about the NGS, see: http://www.ngs.org.uk

For more information about Trudi’s garden see:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/dec/09/gardens4

Update:

I visited Trudi’s garden again this year (2016) and the sun was shining!