Garden Blog

Somehow the garden – and life have moved from late Autumn to the heart of Spring without me sitting down to write a single word. And yet, so much has been happening.

I hadn’t quite realised how much I’d missed writing these notes until I walked through a garden last week and found myself mentally composing this very piece.

That garden was Rousham Gardens in Oxfordshire designed by William Kent in the 1740s and it is one of the few gardens from this time which remains largely unaltered.

Much of the feeling of Rousham being special is the fact that there is no tearoom, no shop, no commercial trappings just honest historic gardens laid out and planted and enjoyed, delighting visitors in the 18th Century, and continue to do so now.

The end of March slipped quietly into April, though behind the scenes it held more emotion than most seasons… then the most precious arrival of my beautiful granddaughter. So tiny and yet already part of something timeless. Like a garden, she will grow, change, flourish – bringing joy and gentle moments to hold onto.

Nature has a way of reminding us….every ending has a beginning.

And as if on cue, the season shifted. Blossom appeared where there had been none, softening everything in it’s wake…from pub gardens to private and public spaces.

In one quiet corner of my little outdoor area, a small cold frame has been playing it’s part in that transition – offering a sheltered pause for seedlings not quite ready for the openness beyond. I have been using this one from Agriframes, and recently wrote a piece for them on just how valuable a cold frame can be in the garden – something I hadn’t fully appreciated until I began using one. You can read my article here.

And then beyond these quieter, tender spaces, the end of April saw the daffodils begin to fade with their yellow brilliance, giving way to a burst of colour in the form of tulips. From ruffled petals to tall, elegant blooms, they opened almost at once like a scattered ribbon of colour before softening again into the quieter blues of bluebells carpeting the woodland floor.

As we move into May- a month of growth, when the verges begin to fill with cow parsley….

…..I will be looking ahead to the first RHS Malvern Spring Festival set against the beautiful Malvern Hills. I will be sharing highlights in my next blog, with all the inspiration, new plant discoveries, and thoughtful details that make these early shows so special.