February 2026
Hello Gardening Friends,
When I began writing my first newsletter in February 2013, I had no idea that I would still be writing newsletters now. Thank you readers for your support. I do enjoy hearing back from you and I reply to all comments. If you have friends who would like to receive the newsletter please ask them to contact me and I will put them on the mailing list.
We have a variety of plants for sale in our small nursery and these can all be seen growing in the garden. If you’d like to call in to see the plants please make a time with me, but you don’t have to visit the garden as well and pay the admission fee as I know many of you have been several times.
From the shelves this evening I see that we have:
Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’
Eucomis: an unnamed one with green leaves and the flowers are a very delicate soft green and pink with a tiny maroon centre
Salvia patens, vivid dark blue
Canna Lilies, soft pink flower
Festuca glauca. A dwarf grey/pale blue grass
Agapanthus ‘Tinkerbelle’
Agapanthus inapertus. Vivid blue pendula flowers, striking and not often seen
Geranium nodosum
Patrinia villosa
Salvia, pink
Delphinium, blue
Tradescantia, dark blue
Imperata ‘Red Baron’, or Japanese blood grass
Peonies, white $25.00 each
Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed)
Alchemilla mollis
Dahlia ‘Rococco’
Acer pseudoplatynus ‘Leopoldii’, very small size
That’s most of it; the majority of plants being $10.00 each. Google to see the flowers or plant form and conditions needed if you don’t know the plant.
Sorry, no mail orders.
Next month I am holding my further two Design Study Days (actually afternoons) on Saturday 14th March and Sunday 22nd March. I have a couple of vacancies on 22nd March, so if you are interested I can send more info.
A lot of people comment on the way in which I have been pruning tree and shrubs since I began here over thirty years ago. The following photos illustrate some points about this.
Photo 1: Viburnum propinquum, an evergreen that grows on the corner of the house near the dining area. Here it can be seen how the shrub has been limbed up over the years, which allows light into the house. The twisty shapes of the branches are attractive and the lower suckers have been since removed.
Photo 2: A more overall view of the shrub.
Photo 3: And looking further on. The plant on the ground in the centre is Clematis Jouiniana ‘Praecox’.
Photo 4: Patrinia villosa. This perennial has settled well into our garden and is the white flowered plant in the centre front. It is surrounded by Dahlia ‘Café au Lait’ and the ornamental carrot, one of which can be seen towards the right. It has pale pink shading just now and fades to white. I’ll try and remember to take more photos of this combination as I like it a lot and it’s easy to achieve.
Photo 5: The lovely rose ‘Pierre de Ronsard’ growing in my garden in France.
Best wishes to you all,
Margaret
