The life and loves of a time-poor plantsman
Our garden is not designed for snow. In the fifteen years I’ve lived at The Watch House, I can only recall it snowing four times. The first occasion was during the build in 2008, when it snowed in April. This struck me as unusual. Perhaps it was a sign that I should choose my plants […]
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It’s that time of year when galanthophiles (the polite name for snowdrop bores) start to bombard social media with images of their pearly-white treasures. Whilst I would not go as far as to say ‘they all look the same to me’, it’s certainly the case that one must be a) an ardent lover of winter, […]
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Every weekend is pretty much the same during the lockdown. A time to catch up on sleep, to read, phone friends and family, make lists, walk the dogs, eat, drink and do a few jobs outside. There are a great many substantial projects that need to be tackled at The Watch House: fixing the roof, […]
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I’ve been out in the garden this morning assessing the havoc wreaked by The Beast from The East and Storm Emma. It is not a pretty picture, as you will see from the photographs below. Leaves and twigs have been ripped from the trees, semi-hardy plants are flattened and more tender ones have been […]
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Oh! How we love a ‘snow event’ here in England. The rare instances when the white stuff descends from the heavens used to be referred to as ‘flurries’, ‘snow storms’ or even ‘blizzards’ back in the day, but are now elevated to ‘white-outs’, ‘snowmageddon’ and ‘snowbombs’ alongside other ‘extreme weather events’. Like our celebrities and […]
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Most of the country experienced snow this week. We’ve seen nothing more than a few solitary flakes here in London, and life has gone on as normal; dank, dark and debilitating. Cities are not the place to be when it snows; the deadening whiteness soon gives way to slush and transport mayhem. Out in the sticks one […]
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Last night, as we lay in bed, it was almost as if a BBC special effects man was standing outside the bedroom window chucking buckets of water at the window. The sea roared, the wind howled and the freezing rain came down in sheets. By this morning, arms tired, our imaginary tormentor had moved to […]
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I’ve returned home to the seaside after three weeks away. Hurrah! It’s good to be back, but boy is it cold. In my absence, spring seems to have made little headway in it’s battle with winter. Snow is forecast today and the sky is low and leaden. However there are signs that the fight is […]
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Ah, the English countryside in winter. So empty, so picturesque, so unbelievably wet! We spent most of Sunday eating, drinking or curled up by a roaring fire at the beautiful Bibury Court Hotel in the Cotswolds whilst it chucked it down outside. I pitied the poor trout in the River Coln, swimming hard against a […]
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