A garden is like a Turkish carpet, beautiful, but full of imperfections. The design becomes more apparent as we put the garden to bed for winter, leaving the outline of the yew hedges, which show up against the bare brown earth.
The first of the light autumn frosts came yesterday, almost invisible except on the greenhouse glass.
Charlie and Sally have cut back to the ground the catmint in the Unicorn Walk, which took two days to clear. Wesley and Luke have dug up the Box parterre, which was planted 90 years ago. Dearest felt it had had its day as box blight had taken hold, along with moss and ivy. Mistress has now to decide what will replace it.
Dearest Mistress and I think the plant of the week is the tall Verbena bonariensis, which still looks so elegant, its purple flowers mingling with the tall grasses, where it has seeded here and there; its fragmentary beauty wistful in the changing light.
Greenham, Nr. Wellington,
Somerset, TA21 OJR
01823 672283
