The world is full of some incredible, interesting, and different people. Individuals with different tastes, likes, and hobbies. People that, ultimately, make the world go round. Often, you may not realize the weird and wonderful side of life until you go looking for it, or just have a bit of a hunch. When LancsLive visited the village of Goosnargh, on Church Lane we discovered a sign that read: „Dale House Gardens, Plants for Sale. Garden Open for Charity Today.“
It may not have been anything more than a few potted plants on a workbench, but it’s always worth a look. And boy, are we glad we looked. Walking down the drive in the direction of the sign, we immediately stumbled upon Tom Luke, owner of the property and its lush surroundings. Introducing ourselves, we’re drawn to the beautiful landscape of their front garden – a small bridge is placed above a pond with large koi fish, surrounded by plants and shrubbery.
Behind us sit tables, all with plants ready to be sold, clearly marked with their names and prices. Tom explains to us the clear evidence of a passionate botanist is down to his wife, the other owner of the property, Caroline Luke. His passion, however, lies elsewhere. Showing us to his private aviary, Tom explains his love is keeping and looking after budgies – of which, surprisingly, he owns 300.
„I’ve done this for 50 years,“ Tom explains as he shows us around. „We had budgies in the house and I taught them how to talk as a kid. We’ve got exhibition budgies as well and I just thought it would be good to have a go at winning prizes. I go around the country and I’ve won thousands of rosettes. I even got best in show on Sunday.“
So far, Tom has won three best in shows with his award-winning and well-bred budgies, all ranging from seas of vibrant blues, yellows, and greens. His own aviary was built 20 years ago in the garden of his home and is something he holds dear to his heart.
„It’s all about keeping them healthy and knowing what to do,“ the retiree explained. „There’s a standard, just like in a flower show and you keep them to that standard. I once went to South Africa and came back with some budgies from a man who had the best in the world. I’ve also got Lacewing budgies, they’re rare because they’ve got pink eyes and brown wing markers.“
Tom has lived in Goosnargh his whole life and was once the village butcher before changing careers and decided to be a landscape gardener for 20 years. 10 years ago, he decided to retire and ever since, his hobby has flourished. The same can be said for his wife Caroline too. As a retired caterer, she now busies herself with her garden – and trust us, it puts even Kew Garden or the Eden Project to shame.
„My son used to be at Kew and he would bring me one or two rare bushes, he’s into his plants,“ Caroline explained. „He’s now at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, but he’s into his plants which he picked up from me. I’ve also got four brothers and four sisters and one of my brothers is the curator at Logan Gardens and another works for a garden up in Glasgow. I think I picked it up from my dad really because I was the third one and my eldest sister, she always used to help my mum with the baking inside and I always used to get shoved outside.“
Taking us on a tour of her garden, Caroline explains how different plants and flowers bloom in different seasons, saying she can already tell Autumn is just around the corner by looking at what is ready to blossom in her garden. When asked how long she spends in her garden, Caroline replies with a laugh: „I wouldn’t like to say“. She then adds: „You know, people say you spend less time in the Winter, but I’d say I spend more time out there and it’s busier in the summer because you’re trying to get ahead of yourself.“ Caroline says her favorite is a Red Diascia, but it was a hard question to answer considering the jungle of wonderful plants within her garden.
Living in her property for 35 years, she explains how the grounds were nothing like the blossoming courtyard of botany it has come to be. „Each year, I usually do something different and give myself something big to do“, Caroline says. So, it looks like the garden is set to become bigger and with plant sales going towards the National Garden Scheme, it’s certainly worth asking Caroline about all your plant questions – she’ll definitely know the answer. Subscribe to our daily newsletter LANCS LIVE NEWS and get all the biggest stories from across Lancashire direct to your inbox.