A Rose by Any Other Name: Mr Collins’ Garden

“In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love” – Alfred Lord Tennyson

It’s the middle of May. The sky is blue, the birds are singing, and rather than love, my fancy is lightly turning to thoughts of gardening. I have no particular talent for such an endeavour, and my vast horticultural knowledge extends to being able to tell a tree from a dandelion nine times out of ten. Still, there is something about the warming temperatures and the barren ground that make me ache to plant something.

Last summer we did a lot of structural work to the front of our house, and the stark lines of the new (and thankfully flood-proof) patio sent us to the garden centre at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning in search of interesting foliage and colourful petals.

Flowers, of course, immediately put me in mind of Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice, who enjoyed tending his own beds.

Mr. Collins invited them to take a stroll in the garden, which was large and well laid out, and to the cultivation of which he attended himself. To work in his garden was one of his most respectable pleasures; and Elizabeth admired the command of countenance with which Charlotte talked of the healthfulness of the exercise, and owned she encouraged it as much as possible. – Pride and Prejudice, chapter 28

What, exactly, the little voice in my head asked, might Mr Collins have been growing in his well-planned spot? Down the rabbit hole of research dove I, possibly with better results than my own attempt at gardening might provide.

While Jane Austen doesn’t paint Mr Collins’ garden in any detail, we might begin our own mental pictures with what she, herself, may have known. In his biography, A Memoir of Jane Austen, her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh described the gardens at the author’s house in Chawton thus:

…a high wooden fence and hornbeam hedge shut out the Winchester road, which skirted the whole length of the little domain. Trees were planted each side to form a shrubbery walk, carried round the enclosure, which gave sufficient space for ladies’ exercise. There was a pleasant irregular mixture of hedgerow, and gravel walk, and orchard, and long grass for mowing, arising from two or three little enclosures having been thrown together.

We can see, right away, that this is no postage-stamp of land, just big enough for a few pansies and a little window box.

Other cottage gardens from the early years of the 19^th century might have included a lovely display of flowers, as well as vegetables for the kitchen and a selection of herbs, which would be used both for cooking and for medicinal purposes.

It is hard to picture the rather stuffy Mr Collings kneeling in the soil to weed the sage and thyme. He would almost certainly have put a servant to work for that. But pruning his prized roses, to smirk over a stunning bush of blooms as Miss de Burgh drove by in her phaeton? Absolutely. Here is a short selection of what he might have grown.

Roses

Is there anything more English than a beautiful rose? Why, wars were fought over them. (Well, not really, but knowing that the Yorkists and Lancastrians selected different coloured roses as their symbols in the struggles of the 15^th century does underline the ubiquity of these lovely flowers in the English historical landscape.)

Roses are perennial woody shrubs of the genus Rosa, with thorny branches and characteristic flowers. The blooms are large and beautiful with a distinctive scent, and there are about a hundred species of this lovely plant. Different varieties are rose are cultivated and prized for their unique colours, shapes, and aromas.

Mr Collins, I’m sure, would have several types and colours of roses adorning his elegant garden.

Lavender

The Lavandula, commonly known as lavender, is a genus of over 40 species of flowering sage plants. It has been valued for its aesthetic and therapeutic qualities since the days of Ancient Greece.  In ancient Rome, lavender was sold for the same cost per pound as a farmer’s monthly wages.

Lavender, though a beautiful flower, is often renowned not for its lovely buds, but for its medicinal qualities. The medicinal qualities make it particularly coveted for those struggling with stress, anxiety, or trouble sleeping. 

In many variations, Elizabeth or Jane enjoy working in the stillroom, where they would be most familiar with lavender and its many uses.

Delphiniums

Delphiniums, also known as Larkspur, are tall flower spikes, are made up of single or double flowers, in shades of blue, purple, dusky pink, red and white. Flowers emerge from clumps of long stalked, divided green leaves, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are often used for borders, as well as for cut flower arrangements. With over 300 species in the genus, there is a large variety of this lovely bloom. However, every member of this genus is toxic to humans and many animals. Pollinated by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, this flower is a staple for a pollinator’s garden.

The name Delphinium comes from ancient Greek “delphis,” meaning dolphin. This is said to be because of the shape of the ancient individual flower forms.

I hope Mr Collins doesn’t let the village pets into his flower patch, because these stunning flowers do not make for good nibbling. But in a bouquet for Lady Catherine, they would be perfect!

Peonies

The Peony is a robust flowering shrub with large colourful blooms. Although they only bloom for a short time in late spring and early summer, their perennial nature allows them to be enjoyed year after year. While many species exist within the genus, the exact number is still up to debate. The bloom of the peony is huge compared to their stems, and they often need supports to keep the lovely and intricate flowers from flopping onto the ground. Mr Collins, I’m sure, would be most attentive to the particular needs of these gorgeous flowers.

In ancient China, peonies were used to flavour food. However, eventually their uses became more ornamental. In the Tang dynasty, peonies were grown in the imperial gardens. Peonies remained popular in China for centuries and eventually made its way into the European consciousness for its medicinal qualities. In 1789, the first tree peony in Europe was planted in Kew Gardens in London.

Foxgloves

Digitalis, known commonly as Foxglove, is a perennial shrub with beautiful cone shaped flowers. The name, Digitalis, comes from the Latin word for fingers. The flowers tend to be white, pink, or purple, depending on the species.

Foxglove is a tall, flowering plant, with spikes of bell-shaped flowers. All parts of the plant are poisonous, but they are popular for their lovely shape and colour. They have been used medicinally, in very small doses, for centuries. Nicholas Culpeper mentioned foxglove in his medicinal guide, “The English Physitian,” of 1652. Many of his claims for the plant are unfounded, but it is still used today for slowing the heart rate for and for strengthening the heart in cases of heart failure, under its more medicinal name, digitalis.

Hollyhocks

Alcea, commonly known as Hollyhock, is a genus of over 80 species of flowering plants in the mallow family. Hollyhocks are often seen as a single, unbranched plant. They are tall, elegant plants, and a popular choice for a traditional cottage garden. Known for their vibrant cup-shaped flowers, they come in a range of colours, including white, pink, red, purple, and yellow.

Hollyhocks are very popular for gardens, because of their beautiful flowers and their ability to be easily grown from seed. Species of hollyhock that produce red flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies, which help pollinate other plants and keep a garden healthy. During the Victorian era, hollyhock was used to symbolize ambition and fertility.

These are just a small sampling of the lovely plants that might have adorned the gardens of the parsonage at Hunsford. I am certain that Charlotte Collins was more than happy for him to explore even more blooms and blossoms, especially ones that might have required a great deal of time and attention. For the sake of keeping the grounds beautiful as was befitting one enjoying the condescension of Lady Catherine de Burgh, of course!

My newest book, a non-JAFF Regency Romance, will be published on Thursday, May 15. It also takes place in the month of May, when the gardens are lush with fresh blooms and hope is in the air. My hero, Major Isaac Hollimore, is in sore need of some hope, because he is struggling with the black cloud of what we would call PTDS from the Napoleonic Wars.

His particular hope comes in the form of Sophia Bradley, poor cousin to the family of the house, and particularly, the beautiful music she plays so well. Sophia has her own concerns, though, which loom over her.

Here is a scene from Love’s Refrain at Roslyn Court, part of the Noble Hearts Historical Romance series.

He wandered first to the parlour where he had met the family when first he arrived. It was, as per his earlier impressions, a bright and pleasant room, cheerily lit by a series of large windows behind pale curtains, each now flung open to allow the fresh May air into the space. Sunshine streamed in and he paused to appreciate the scenery beyond, with the beautiful gardens and the rolling hills that crested above the surrounding curtain of trees. Yes, this would be a fine place to recuperate for a few weeks. He should be comfortable here.

He decided to sit for a while and read. His sister had sent him a book, which had been waiting for him at Portsmouth, and which he now carried in a pocket. He sat first in this chair, then on that sofa, but the slim volume of poetry in his hand was insufficient to keep his attention.

Another room, perhaps. He resumed his wanderings.

He found a large dining room, a smaller breakfast room, a study that must be Sir Neville’s domain, a billiard room that seemed also to serve as a sort of library, and under a bank of skylights that lit a gallery above, a rather formal sitting room, presumably for the finest company.

Then something tickled his ears. Music. Somebody had begun to play a pianoforte, and rather well, from what he heard.

He followed the sounds to the very end of the far passage, on the opposite side of the house to the family’s parlour, and let his fingers rest on the door. It was pulled closed but the catch had not engaged, and it swung open a crack under the soft pressure of his hand. Through the wedge of space, he could see the lower part of a lady’s skirts as she sat upon the bench, as well as her hands that caressed the keys of the instrument. Her face was not visible, but she played extremely well. It did not take a trained musician to recognise this. Her music was to the average parlour musician as Raphael was to the pencil scratches of a five-year-old.

He did not know this piece of music that thundered up and down the keyboard in raging arpeggios and crashing chords. The melody, when it came, was unsettled and restless like him, never still, always shifting underneath even when it seemed calm, but it was somehow grounding as well. The turbulent waves of sound ought to have sent him back to those terrible moments that haunted his head when he closed his eyes, but instead, he found the controlled chaos steadying.

How strange and unexpected the effects of music! He stood there, unmoving, as the hidden musician finished the piece, and began another, equally unknown to him, this time slowly and haltingly. She was clearly unfamiliar with it as well.

Then, after an ill-placed note, she stopped and let out a most unladylike exclamation.

Isaac could not hold back a chortle at the sound of it, and the musician’s gasp in response was audible.

“Diane? Is that you? Leave me to learn my notes in peace.”

Isaac pushed the door open enough to step through into the room. A harp graced a spot near one window, near where a guitar and violoncello leaned against a padded cabinet. Closer to the centre of the room, a beautiful pianoforte stood proudly before a collection of seats for listeners, and on the bench sat the one person he had not yet met.

You can find Love’s Refrain at Roslyn Court at Amazon, where it is available for pre-order in ebook, and in paperback. It will also be free to read in Kindle Unlimited, as is the entire Noble Hearts series.