An Artist’s Garden

No end of the month post from me this March as ten days ago, while the rest of the country shivered under a blanket of snow, we had no snow in “Costa del Dyffryn” but endured 36 hours of gale force winds, the like of which I have not experienced since we moved here. Strangely it was very localized, a couple of miles in each direction it was just windy, but here the wind tumbled across the snow covered mountains and funneled through the valley wreaking havoc where it touched.

In terms of structures, in some ways we were quite lucky, a few panes of glass from the greenhouse, some of the fences went and one tree will have to come down. The plants however are a different matter. The icy east wind blasted them, shriveling the leaves of even the most hardy contender in the garden. Ripping out some perennials by the roots, deadheading most of the hellebores and “tip pruning” every evergreen in the garden. Consequently the garden looks extremely tattered, bruised and shriveled.

Since then, as in the rest of the country the cold weather has stayed with us, with the ponds freezing over every night and temperatures plummeting down. Although during the day we have had some sunshine, meaning that the greenhouse and the poly-tunnel sore to the high 80′s. Here is something that you don’t read on this blog very often … We need some rain!! (Along with some warmer night-time temperatures please)

This has made life quite difficult challenging as next Sunday we have a stall at our first plant fair, which is held at Bodnant Garden. We have been selling plants at weekly and monthly markets for the past year, but having a stall at a plant fair along side some very accomplished nurserymen and women feels like a whole new ball game, especially as so far; this year has been a difficult one in which to raise plants. I have noticed that plants I potted on months ago have not made good root growth due to the cold. Perennials which should be growing and looking perky are not bothering to raise their heads out of the soil and plants such as pulmonaria and polyanthus have a slightly wind scorched look to them with more brown leaves than green. Yes I know, I am looking at the cup half empty rather than half full and as Shedman tells me everyone is in the same boat. Who would be a nurseryman this Spring? the weather is affecting even the big growers who are growing plants for Chelsea 

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in a warm poly-tunnel, surrounded by the scent of primroses and checking the plants, making sure they had name labels and stacking them into crates ready for the weekend.

I know it will be fine (but I still feel like a little minnow in a big pond!).