Manicured Perfection?

Last week we decided to take advantage of this quite extraordinary hot spell to visit a near by garden. The Mormon church near Chorley is surrounded by some immaculately manicured grounds.  It is a quite splendid building which visitors can enjoy from the outside, although the gardens are open for the public to wander around. The Church of Latter Day Saints  took root in Preston, Lancashire, when the first Mormon missionaries arrived in 1837 but the temple, as it is properly called, was built only in 1994 and finished four years later.

I must declare to being a committed atheist, however, like most people my wonder at nature knows few bounds. Mankind is quite capable of upsetting and despoiling nature but can equally fashion some quite marvellous achievements. Gardens and great architecture can be complementary. The Mormon Temple might be considered a perfect example or it might not.

I can explain this apparently paradoxical view by reference to our own garden. While the Temple is manicured to within an inch of perfection, we have been happy to let our outdoor space be shared with and part shaped by nature. I ardently believe that both garden styles have merit. It is inherently subjective which style any one gardener might enjoy most.

I confess to really enjoying the skill and artistic merit of the Temple grounds. The architecture sits comfortably into the surrounding grounds. The time and effort put into this outdoor space seems channelled, primarily, into making something that is "perfect".

 

However, there is also something that is a little disquieting about such a desire to control nature. As an amateur gardener I am in awe of the talent used to create and to maintain so precisely these gardens. I assume the purpose is to create a beautiful setting as an expression of religious worship. There can be little doubt that they have made an excellent job of it.

At the same time I must confess to having a wry smile when I spotted this little character about to make the groundsman's job that little bit more of a challenge.
Let us hope there is space for all of us to enjoy our outdoor spaces.

If you are in the vicinity the Temple gardens are well worth a detour, as they are kindly open to the public free of charge. The clean lines of the architecture are a wonderful match to the clean lies of the gardens. The largely symmetrical design is in total keeping with the ambiance and may be even more spectacular from the air. 

Naturally, there is plenty of on site parking, but sadly no ice cream vendor! So whether you are like the golfer who covets the man made perfection of Augusta National or the golf aficionado who who rather battle with nature over some wild Scottish links land I am sure you will be able to enjoy your visit.