Letters to garden makers

Dear reader, The African head sings For Spring is here today Both in leaf and heart But she can be a fickle season Her warmth genuine and embracing one minute Then cold and distant the next But she has not slipped back into Winter There is no longer dormancy here I long for her warm embrace I long for it. I have visited my first garden of the year - Slade Garden in Southerndown. Home to NGS  ngs.org.uk  County organiser Rosamund Davies. The garden is formed around a sweeping vista and woodland - a bit grander than my little plot. We are slowly overcoming the disasters of winter - my son rebuilt the roof of the vine house/greenhouse and the next job is to sow seeds from  higgledygarden.com   I know it will be a bit late but hopefully there will be enough plants to both fill gaps and sell at our opening on 2-3 rd June. Inspired by the magnificent magnolia at Slade - I bought a Magnolia Stellata with the proceeds from a pai...

Dear reader, The days remain cold , the ground wet. 30/03/18 Today the sunshine was removed to reveal wet dull browns - everything looked rotten, like the rotten greenhouse timbers tumbling to dust Roof collapses House collapses Dreams collapse. 1/04/18 The rot remains in the garden but seems less fearsome/overwhelming. Sheltering from the cold wind Spring is a long way off despite the date on the calendar The robin holds its ground and terracotta still spalls. 2/04/18 April showers on the hills The Black Mountain remains black The Black Mountains are white We take flight to escape the rain and this heavy lidded valley Dark, we move through from south west to north east of the National Park In Hay on Wye lunching late at the Granary Anna Garsdale's flowers are not bright The newspaper on which they lay looks like mackerel on a plate Nicotine stained glaze seems to dull the lillies I suspect these flowers were never luminescent Perhaps I cra...