April 2008

Walking through on a sunny spring morning it’s hard to believe only a week ago the garden was looking more like a Christmas scene. Spring bulbs bowed their heads under caps of snow as we wondered if they would ever recover. Now they are coming into their own as the tapestries of colour reveal themselves. Young fresh foliage making fantastic foils for the tulips rich hues; as purples, pinks, reds and yellows light up the borders.

The cherry blossoms add to the spring exuberance, in the barn garden Prunus tenella makes a pretty pair with delicate Narcissus ‘Hawera’. The globes of Magnolias give an air of elegance as the primroses, our native woodlanders peep out from below, hopeful that spring is finally here.

March 2008

Except for a couple of broken Dutch lights, the storms which swept through southern England the first week of the month have not adversely affected the garden. This is fortunate considering the fact that the house and garden will be open for the first time this year on Good Friday March 21st 2008, the same day BBC Gardeners’ World features Great Dixter.

March sees Narcissi merrily lighting up the fields and flower beds, injecting vigour into a colour scheme which have so far remained calm and collected. Preparations for the opening are proceeding at a frantic pace, as we repair worn areas with new turf, weed under the hedges as well as finish the last of pruning and cutting down of spent vegetation.