It seems early to be feeling reflective since the gardens and nursery are open for another 5 weeks yet, but I am in a definite ‘end of season’ mood. With very few exceptions, all the plants in the garden have revealed their hand by now and the early rush of new identifications and first time experiences has slowed to a manageable pace.

And what a rush it was. If learning is tiring, it’s no wonder I feel cream-crackered. At a quick reckoning, I must have learned to identify about 500 plants in the past five months, remember where each one is in the garden or stock beds and know enough about them to answer customer questions. I’ve figured out how the watering system works and how to repair it, how to organise group visits, how to host an RHS day, how to run the day to day business of having a garden, nursery and tea room open to the public and how to stay alert and communicative with customers at the end of a long day. I’ve also learned a great deal about what people want and when – most importantly.

So now that I know roughly what I have here and what I need, it’s time to start planning for next year. We have made a start on propagation with summer cuttings and seed collection, but now it’s time to knuckle down and make firm plans for propagation through the autumn and into 2008. I love propagating – it’s probably the most enjoyable part of horticulture for me – so I’m really looking forward to the next few months. But with new varieties coming out and with some gaps in the nursery’s plant list, I’m just going to have to do some plant buying. And for a gardener there is nothing more enticing than sitting down with a plant catalogue and having to place an order, is there?

Your reward for reading this is, of course, a new picture. This was taken in the as yet untamed area of the stock beds. Nature has had her wicked way amongst the choice plants and produced this gorgeous display of self-seeded purples and lemons.

August 27, 2007