Here in Wales, last summer was wet, too hot, and wet again in turn. The garden suffered and so did I. I ended the summer of 2023 fed up to the back teeth with gardening. It didn't help that we were in the process of extending the green house so the far end was more like a building site. There were areas I couldn't access because of piles of wood etc. and plants suffered. I had black spot on my roses, mildew on the clematis. I was not happy. 2024 began on a better foot. Having rediscovered my enthusiasm over the winter, I began clearing the beds and preparing for Spring with gusto. (see previous post.) The daffodils and camelias have been outstanding. However, since then the weather has been appalling - rain, rain, rain and wind. So I've been hindered. As soon as I get one job sorted, the weather comes along and ruins it, sending me back to square one. But I guess, that is the challenge of it. Thankfully, I now have a refuge, somewhere to hide out from the relentless rain, s...

I cannot believe I haven't blogged since 2021! I have certainly not neglected the garden as badly as the blog, although it has been a tricky couple of years. Ill-health, deadlines on two books, a novel and a non-fiction, together with rotten weather have sapped my enthusiasm. Last summer was mainly taken up with the under-gardener building an extension to the greenhouse so the far end was more like a building site. There were some areas I couldn't even access because of piles of wood, or a workmate and bits of guttering in the way. I  concentrated on maintaining the areas near the house. A few weeks ago, I began work clearing up the winter debris. We took down a strawberry tree that was leaning over and robbing the light from a magnolia. We are hoping it will grow back. We also coppiced the ash tree again as it had grown too big. Nasty weather throughout January has hindered me  but we've had a few good days more recently and I've finally managed to clear all the winter...

The last couple of  years have seen some changes in the garden, not huge changes in themselves but they have impacted on the path. The insertion of a rose walk bed on the left and the widening of the sunny border on the right altered the shape of the grass and the path just looked odd. I was loath to suggest we move it, the alteration would be small but a lot of work. We are getting a bit old to be on our hands and knees relaying slabs and replacing turf but we decided to go ahead. The first photograph is the old route. Many men would blow a gasket at the suggestion of relaying a path just six inches or so to the right but my under gardener is wise. He knows I am usually right. It should have taken a few days but, as is becoming usual this cold spring, the weather intruded so it took almost a week of popping in and out when weather and work commitments allowed. We also increased the sitting area in the arbour so we can now walk past the table without muddying the grass in winter an...