Vine art appreciation

Creating height and intimacy is a tall order but Toby wants the right support for his grapes, so he is building a pergola

- Toby Buckland

VISITORS to Casa Buckland are often breathless when they arrive at our door – and not just because of the beauty of my front garden recycle-box storage system. It’s due to the fear of being felled by the tottering trunk of an acacia tree which, like the Sword of Damocles, hangs over the garden path. If they don’t spot the prop that holds it up, our friends, the post woman and the delivery drivers all involuntarily quicken their stride as if passing below the blade of a very big and blunt guillotine.

Although the tree isn’t long for this world, I love the way it frames the path and so for when – not if – it gives up the ghost, I have been working on a replacement. Rather than plant another, my plan is to build a pergola back from the ailing acacia, where its footings won’t affect the roots.