A couple of weeks ago we had a covering of snow and freezing temperatures. Then we had days of heavy rain. I thought Spring would never arrive yet quite suddenly, with no warning, it visited for just a few days. On Friday the lawn was still under a few inches of water in places, but we knew it was going to stay dry for a few days so we ordered in a ton of compost to mulch the borders. I cannot stress the importance of good soil. At our old garden we were lucky with rich loam and a plentiful supply of horse manure. Here, the soil is thin and sandy and bone dry in the summer. A good thick layer of mulch this time of year helps to trap in moisture, adds nutrients and gradually improves the structure of the soil. It was quite hard work. My trusty under gardener did the wheel barrowing while I weeded, forked the surface and spread the compost. Some people think mulch is unattractive and the surface is liable to dry out but the idea is to get your plants to grow so strongly the soil will not...

                                          Recently I counted the rose bushes in my garden and was surprised to have more than forty. You'd exepct from that number to overwhelmed with rose blooms when you enter the garden but they are well spaced and blend in to the other planting. There is plenty of room for more. At my previous home I had a designated rose garden that was a mass of roses and clematis is summer but here I have to be more subtle. Looking around, I am constantly seeking new places to plant them. Luckily my trusty under gardener loves them too so when I suggested building a rose walk he was very willing. The shady place we walked right past Choosing the site took some time. We could place arches over the existing path, or a pergola against the house but in the end we opted for a shady part of the garden that was in definite need of brightening up. Although the ...