29th December 2024

Woodland walk .	Narcissus 'Rijnvelds Early Sensation' in the meadow .	Clearing in progress .
The dull weather has continued, the atmosphere in the garden (both real and metaphorical) is heavy and drab. Yesterday the weather forecast was offering the same for the week to come. I noted that we hadn't had a frost yet. The last time we were free of frost into the New Year we were hit by the Beast from the East at the end of February. This morning the forecast is suggesting clear weather and a sharp frost in the middle of next week. Change is afoot. The Cyclamen have finished in the Woodland Walk, the snowdrops aren't showing yet. The crispy leaves that add snap, crackle and pop to the last days of autumn have all been soaked. They have started to long damp journey into worm food. Further along the Narcissus 'Rijnvelds Early Sensation' are adding some thin colour to the meadow. If the sun comes out the weather will chill but the bright light will enliven the daffodils and help to shed the last shrivelled skin of 2024. This corner of the garden is still filled with stylish Liriodendron logs. I am moving them to the log store slowly but the last time I tried to take the trailer up the hill the wheels spun on the wet ground. It will be completed if the ground firms later this week. The Liriodendron fell very conveniently along the path. It tousled a Camellia in passing and cuddled up to a Hydrangea but they are both still standing, looking down triumphantly on a pile of firewood.

Spring garden under the trees .	View out .	Camellia border .
At the top of the garden the wind had been blowing. The windbreak is getting a bit thin and I am slowly trying to thicken it up. I had assumed that the Pinus radiata up there would survive, come what may, but the loss of a large one in the middle of the garden has given me pause for thought. The beds are full of spring bulbs though there is no sign at present. I have been checking for the first sign of snowdrops but there is nothing to see yet. It always looks worst in winter, the thin row of boundary trees open views to the wider landscape. Winter is like a trip on a roller-coaster, thrilling and worrying at the same time. In this case it is a very very (very) slow roller coaster but the thrill remains. Further down in the garden the Camellia border seems sheltered by comparison. The old shrubs stop any wind at ground level. There are one or two flowers already but they are saving their energies for the new year. These last days are filled with patience rather than anticipation. A frost next week will help to move things forward.

Musa basjoo .	Bananas in the greenhouse.	Musa 'Tibet'.
Gardens exhibit a steady flow that can be misleading. The process of gardening involves a series of energetic bounces that are quite out of character with the result. I have an example in the bananas in the garden. A decade or more ago I had a bounce of enthusiasm. The results grew in pots until they were too large, and then went into the garden. My large plants of Musa basjoo and Musa 'Tibet' all date from that first bounce. Then, in 2022, I had another go. The greenhouse is currently dominated by the consequences. There are a number of new plants in there that may well be hardy here, only time will tell. 2024 was a pensive year, while I watched the plants in pots get larger and wondered what sort of stupid mess I had got myself into. A long, wet summer was the perfect antidote to scepticism. Musa 'Tibet' has prospered along the hedge. Additional young plants that were put in at the start of the year have established and grown well. Young plants of Musa basjoo that were moved to the boundary have doubled in size. Bananas have had a really good year. Next year I should spring into action and plant some more out. They can't stay in pots for much longer.

Spiky border .	Clearing the border .	Greigia sphacelata .
Some bounces are metaphorical, some have a more practical manifestation. Pinus radiata came down in storm Darragh. I suppose it made a crash, I didn't hear it. It was a special plant. I felt so smug with myself when I used its high, overhead protection to shelter a new border for "spikies". It was working well but who knows what will happen now. I am hoping that the Agave and Yucca and Puya will be untroubled. If we get into March safely then I will be a little more confident. Before then I have some cut timber to shift. The space will be very open once it has gone. Fortunately the pine did remarkably little damage as it fell. Agave lophantha was nuzzled. It may not like that. Aechmea recurvata now has a brand new wooden shelter behind it, which might help. Greigia sphacelata acted as a cushion to the falling pine. Half of it was squashed but half looks fine. Now that I can see the consequences more clearly, it wasn't such a bad thing. It was one of those accidents that add character to a planting. The pine logs may also add some much needed seating to the garden. On balance the garden year has been interesting and colourful, 2025 is looking good. Those Puya might well survive, the bananas may be a bouncing triumph.