Fed up with the rain Is everyone else as fed up with the rain as me? 66″ and counting so far! I can’t remember when we had our last dry week.  Vainly I check the weather forecast each morning only to see the same. Rain and more rain. Every so often the sun comes out and I dash outside thinking spring is here. Then I race back indoors pursued by raindrops. Narcissus Arctic Snow Unseasonal snow We even had some unseasonal snow. I had woken up early and was listening to the rain pounding the windows. At 5.15am it all went quiet. Oh good, I thought. It has stopped. Then I wondered what the ..read more

Getting my hands dirty again Over the last few months I have been thinking about West Country Nurseries’ future. Since I started the business the nursery has expanded beyond my wildest dreams. We have extended our range of plants. We have exhibited at shows all over the country. Our lupins have won four gold medals at Chelsea. We have employed local people as we have grown. And I have met hundreds of customers who love our plants. Chelsea with friends There have been challenges However, we have also faced challenges. Covid put an end  to all the exhibitions. Rising fuel costs made us reas ..read more

Our lupins will be at Chelsea Westcountry Nurseries won’t be exhibiting at Chelsea this year but our lupins will be there. We are delighted that Pollyanna Wilkinson will be using our lupins in her tribute to women in horticulture. Her tribute will be at The Monument and Masterpiece and Salmon Star will be on display. I can’t wait to find out how she is going to use them. I am confident they will not let her down. I will miss meeting you at Chelsea this year but my lupins look forward to seeing you there. Spring has been a disappointment Spring has been a disappointment. We’ve had frosts, rai ..read more

Cold weather at last At last we have had cold weather. It was unnatural to have such high temperatures in November although I appreciated the warmth. Flowers like dahlias which should have been long-dormant were still providing gorgeous colour. That is until winter swept in with a vengeance. Icy blue skies and snow in December Winter arrived suddenly Ice, snow and temperatures of -10 arrived in a chilly blast. They killed off the whitefly and other pests. The cold weather put a stop to the last of my summer blooms. And it encouraged the final leaves to fall off the trees. But then they outsta ..read more

My garden is confused My garden doesn’t know what season it is in. Christmas markets in full swing Summer flowers are blooming Summer flowers are still blooming. Leaves have turned every shade of orange and red. Some have dropped but others are clinging on. Tips of bulbs are peeping up in the flower beds. At the same time there are still clouds of white flies on my brassicas. What is going on? Anemone flowers for spring colour I’m not complaining. I am delighted I still have dahlias. I know they will only last until the first frost which surely can’t be far away. Until then, Bishop of Llandaff ..read more

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness It really is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. I woke up this morning to find the valley shrouded in mist. It was almost magical as the sun slowly started to burn its way through. The birds and squirrels were mobbing the feeders. They are stocking up for winter. And there was a definite nip in the air. Teasles are loved by Goldfinches Dried flowers and grasses from the summer. Harvest is finished Harvest festival has been and gone. The porch of our church was packed with apples. The sweet scent hit you as you approached. Inside, all the windo ..read more

Our shared love of dogs. Memories of Her Majesty the Queen Watching the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen brought back memories. I never had the privilege of meeting her but my flowers did. I exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show many times when she visited over the years. But, to my knowledge, she never came to our lupin stand. Lupins for a Queen However, my lupins though went to her. Beefeater and Masterpiece were used by Rachel du Thame to decorate the Royal Barge for the Diamond Jubilee in 2002. It was an enormous honour and a source of great pride to all of us. Although I didn’t meet her ..read more

Magical rain drops Those first few drops of rain were magical. I wanted to dance outside for joy. You could hear the grass and flowers imbibing the much-needed moisture. Summer of flowers Summer of ’76 I was a teenager in the great summer of 76. It was much easier being a care-free child than a nursery-owner with thousands of thirsty plants to care for. I spent the entire time on the beach rather than in a sweltering greenhouse. Echium Blue Steeple outside the greenhouses Plants perked up quickly Having looked very disconsolate in the heat, it was amazing to see how quickly plants perked up o ..read more

Hot weather was great for some The hot weather in July was a mixed blessing. It was lovely to have day after day of endless sunshine. All that Vitamin D is good for us as long as we continue to smother ourselves in suncream. But it was too hot to sleep at night. My plants and I were both wilting. Thalictrums love cool damp soil Some flowers do well in a heatwave but most would prefer something a little cooler and damper. Plan garden changes now If global warming means we should expect more hot weather we should start planning changes to our gardens now. Hemerocallis Chicago Royal Robe Plants w ..read more

Tis the season of open gardens What a fabulous success the Jubilee weekend was. There were village lunches, fetes and concerts. Beacons as far as one could see. But, the highlight was the open gardens. Around us dozens opened their gates to the public. Many for the first time. It was wonderful to be able to see these hidden gems. Simply stunning Some were simply stunning. Beautifully manicured with no sign of a weed or mildew. Others had aphids, slugs and black spot. It didn’t matter. This was a chance to peek over the garden walls and delight in the flowers and vegetables that were on displa ..read more