The first cold snap of the year arrived just days after we closed for the year. It seems early to be waking to icy mornings – the clocks don’t go back for another week. Annoyingly, a niggling tennis elbow problem I’ve had for some years has flared up again and it’s frustrating not to be able to get stuck into the lifting and digging that now needs doing. Mind you, my one-armed grandmother made wedding dresses for a living. Where there’s a will….

Our bulb order has arrived – about 3,000 of them – so that will keep us busy. Some are for the garden and some for pots for the nursery so we should have a great display for spring.

Debbie and Peter have been toiling away creating the new borders in what was the big top lawn. The idea is a thigh-high mass planting of grasses, perennials and bulbs. It’s a huge area to plant up but there is quite a lot to come out of over-crowded areas of the garden, plus new purchases so hopefully it won’t look too sparse it its first year.

The new borders under way….

And finally, despite the light frosts, it always amazes me just how much is still flowering this time of year. This astrantia is just beautiful…

October 23, 2007