Garden Furnishings

The scilla have the most intense colour now

Yesterday became a day for myriad small jobs around the garden at Norton Conyers, a good chance to assess the general health of all the plants. Sadly some of them have turned up their toes since the last cold spell but we have plenty more to find homes for and the bad weather usually only takes the stragglers. We voiced concern over the plight of the dahlias resolutely showing no signs of life, we were taking cuttings from them at the end of April last year, so we decided to move them into the glasshouse where the extra warmth should boost their growth. Next it was time to return the garden benches to their spots and replace the sale plants that have overwintered , Giles will soon bring new stock to tempt our visitors. Beetroot and carrot seeds and lettuce seedlings were then settled into the cold frames which we covered with the heavy sliding glass panels. It's lovely to see the garden furnishings settling back into place, they really are the framework against which the plants can shine.

"Gardens are poems where you stroll with your hand in your pockets"
Pierre Albert-Birot