Have Yourself A Rainy Little Christmas

Well despite the usual threats from the press about this winter being one of the coldest for decades, it would seem nature has decided otherwise. It sure has been one soggy old year and I for one will be glad to see the back of it. I should be at Norton Conyers tomorrow winding the year down with good wishes and mince pies, but the forecast is so grim there is no point in going, so no more garden adventures for 2012. Privet and Confidential wishes everyone a peaceful and joyous time and will be back to regale you with more tales in the new year.

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air" W.T. Ellis

Festive Fun

The weather was unkind to us on Monday but as it turned out Giles had a little festive fun in store. He decided that we should make Christmas wreaths with whatever treasures we could glean from the garden. Now I'm not the most artistic of people but as you will see even I managed to cobble together a couple of decent efforts. We took willow cuttings from around the vegetable plot and twisted the stems into rings, this could be done with any brightly coloured pliable twigs that you could find. Then we slotted in some greenery and jewel like rose hips and the dried citrus fruits that Alyson had brought in. We made six in total, one for the big house, one for the garden gate and the rest we were allowed to take home. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed making something so much and if I can do it believe me anyone can, so have a go!

"Symbolising eternal hope the wreath goes round and round, and where it starts or ends cannot be found. Woven of things that grow-for life, and hung for holiday delight, the wreath must be left in place from advent through twelfth night" Anon

This one is my favourite......

but I think this one has a certain naive charm too!

Expect The Unexpected

The one thing I love about working at Norton Conyers is that you can always expect the unexpected. No two days are ever the same, even if you are plugging away at the same task. Sometimes the unexpected takes the form of a small thing, a freshly bloomed flower or the sighting of a wild bird, at other times it is something more unusual. Yesterday was just such a day when Lord and Lady Graham invited us into the house to view the renovations that have been taking place over the course of this year. This stately home is so steeped in history that new discoveries are taking place all the time, it was fascinating to view all the layers of wallpaper revealed in one room, dating from the restoration right through to the 1960's and then mesmerising to be entertained with Graham family tales by Sir James. Such a personal insight into secrets that few people have seen before us made us feel a part of the continuing saga of the estate, it is kind of the Grahams to extend that sense of belonging to us humble gardeners!

"Objects we ardently pursue bring little happiness when gained, most of our pleasures come from unexpected sources" Herbert Spencer

A Hoar Frost

We awoke to freezing fog and a hoar frost this morning, each twig and leaf laid bare in exquisite detail. Harlow Carr garden has seldom been so beautiful in my eyes, but alas we were not to be allowed the luxury of exploring the grounds as it was deemed to be too cold, which at -5 our tutor had a point I suppose, I wouldn't have minded the opportunity for a quick chilly dip into such a seasonal winter wonderland though. Instead we were given another plant identification list to learn through the Christmas holidays, they are coming thick and fast now which is good practise for me. I could have gone exploring at lunchtime I suppose but Chumdog was waiting and the prospect of hot soup was too tempting for me to linger.

"Frost is the greatest artist in our clime, he paints in nature and describes in rime" Thomas Hood

Garden Antics

The cutting back and clearing of the borders resumed yesterday and Giles was clearly in a droll mood. I glanced down at a particular plant and did a double take, the colour didn't seem quite right and on closer inspection it turned out to be plastic! I called out to him if he wished his plastic plant to be cut back with all the rest? He replied that he was glad I had noticed, thankfully a years study with the RHS has qualified me to tell the difference! It was certainly a day of mixed weather as we basked in sunshine one minute and were pelted with sleet the next, but we had the antics of the garden robins to keep us entertained. They are becoming quiet cheeky now and will almost sit at our feet waiting for us to turn up worms, but as soon as I get my camera out they fly off. One brave fellow has started to follow us into the orangery where Giles is now sharing his cake with it, I wonder if it will eventually eat from his hand.

"No bird soars too high if he soars on his own wings" William Blake

A Richer Life

As the old year ebbs away I find my enthusiasm for being outdoors leaving with it. Now is the most difficult time to be a gardener, the effort required to leave a cosy bed and stand at the bus stop in the clammy pre-dawn darkness requires immense willpower! The garden tasks become more arduous too, pruning the climbing roses was never a favourite job of mine, teetering up a ladder with blade in hand is not the most comfortable position in which to spend a morning, but at least that's another thing ticked off the list. The day length is ever shortening and as four o'clock approaches we hurriedly pack up the tools and head for home, lingering and chatting are spring and summer luxuries. Garden beauty is at a low too, but if you look hard enough  you can still find little treasures persisting, and of course a striking sunset is always a bonus. The one thing that does lift my spirits is the comparison between my occupation now and what I would be enduring if I still worked at the supermarket. Instead of only one or two snatched days off at Christmas amidst the retail nightmare I may now embrace a two week break and become almost as dormant as the garden. This feels in tune with nature and even if I don't earn any money I will not feel the poorer for it!

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you" Oscar Wilde

Secrets Revealed

The weather took a very seasonal twist for us yesterday, a light dusting of snow enhancing the spectral beauty of the plants, their dark decaying colours highlighted by the stark whiteness. Some of the garden plants however are only now taking their turn in the spotlight, thank goodness there is always something like Mahonia to brighten the dullest of days. We resumed cutting back the borders, soon amassing great barrow loads of vegetation to add to the huge steaming heap of cooking compost outside the garden walls. It is amazing what you notice when all the debris has been cleared away, you can inspect small shrubs and spring plantings for growth and general health, only now revealed again after being smothered by their more vigorous neighbours. My favourite finds are the birds nests, little works of tenderness and comfort for the precious babies now long since fledged, they are tucked away deep inside prickly bushes or holes in the walls, safe from our eyes until now, a hidden world exposed.

"Secrets are made to be found out with time" Charles Sandford

Sunrise And Sunset At Norton Conyers

It was leaves again on Saturday morning and this time there was no Nikki with her chatter to keep the monotony at bay. However it did give me the chance to pluck up the courage to reverse the tractor up the slope of the compost heap whilst no one was watching, it's quite a tight space to get into and I managed to do half a dozen times, so that's another fear laid to rest. At least it was a beautiful morning and lovely to see sunrise by the house before work started. Afternoon saw me pruning the redcurrants, they fruit on last years growth so all the new wood must be cut back to maintain a compact shape. I thought it would be nice to listen to my personal radio as I worked, but in the end I didn't turn it on as the silence was so therapeutic, only being disturbed by the gunshots and cries of a distant shooting party. So I worked on in silence and solitude until the sun slowly dipped behind the garden walls, a whole day spent outside in December is something to be savoured.

Norton Conyers Garden will feature on the Mark Forrest show today on radio York at approx 10.30 - 11.00am and can be caught up on BBC iplayer if missed.

"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music"
Aldous Huxley