Monday morning

Mist on the lake banks.

 Every Monday morning it is the ritual for Will Fletcher and I to walk round the garden, enabling us to check that all is well (or find that it is not), to plan the work for the week ahead and of course to catch up with the gossip, such as there is in Colesbourne. I think it's the most important thing we do each week, especially as in a large garden there would otherwise be little need to visit some of the remoter corners at other times.

I recently acquired a copy of John Evelyn's Directions for the Gardiner and other Horticultural Advice, edited by Maggie Campbell-Culver (OUP 2009), a charming volume bringing together three of Evelyn's horticultural works: Kalendarium Hortense, Directions for the Gardiner and Acetaria. All are full of excellent advice from an eminently practical man. The Directions for the Gardiner was a manuscript set of instructions for an apprentice gardner, Jonathan Mosse, who came to Evelyn's garden at Sayes Court on 24 June 1686, for six years. Not published until 1932, there is much that is of relevance to modern gardeners, including the instruction: 'The Gardiner should walk about the whole Gardens every Monday-morning duely, not omitting the least corner and obeserve what Flowers or Trees & plants want staking, binding andredressing, watering or are in danger... and then immediately to reforme, establish, shade, water etc what he finds amisse, before go about any other work.'

This Monday morning was crisp and bright, warming up rapidly after a sharp frost - a perfect spring day. Here are some pictures from our weekly walk.

For the last time this winter - frosty teasels.

Narcissus obvallaris



Prunus mume 'Beni-chidori'