A Garden for George – Ranchor Prime

By Ranchor Prime 29/11/2011

Bhaktivedanta Manor, 29th November 2011

Today I saw the opening of a unique garden dedicated to the memory of George Harrison, who died 10 years ago this day.

The garden is the fruit of a sensitive collaboration between the Hare Krishna people at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire and George Harrison’s family. George gave the Manor to the Krishna people in 1973.

The opening ceremony was a small private affair for George’s widow Olivia Harrison, her friends and family, and a few members of the Krishna community.

When not playing his guitar George Harrison’s main occupation was to garden. Gardening was his passion.

‘If anyone wanted to be with George they had to work alongside him in his garden, whatever the weather,’ said Olivia Harrison.

Olivia chose the site for George’s Memorial Garden in his favourite spot in the Bhaktivedanta Manor grounds, a shady dell on the north side of the house. The planting was overseen by the gardening team from Friar Park in sympathy with George’s preferences.

George devoted most of the last 25 years of his life to restoring and developing the 20 acres of gardens at Friar Park, his home in Henley on Thames.

The garden chronicles George’s spiritual life through eight specially commissioned artworks based on words from eight of his songs – words such as, ‘Awaken and see – You are the breath of life –My sweet lord – Your love and nothing more – I am so happy I have found you.’

‘The thing to realise about George and his songs,’ said Gauri, who directed the garden project, ‘Is that he only ever spoke his truth – that he felt unable not to speak his truth. That’s what made him such an inspiration to others.’

In 1970 I was blessed to sing with George on the album Radha Krishna Temple. George found great inspiration in the Bhagavad Gita, the record of Krishna’s teachings.

These days I am blessed to teach the Bhagavad Gita at Alchemy. Drop into my class sometime, every Tuesday at 4.30pm.