Posts by
Griselda Kerr
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Out of Control
‘Totally out of control” would be a perfectly reasonable description of The Dower House garden in Melbourne this coming May when, on 17th and 18th May, the garden is next open for the National Garden Scheme. ‘No mow May’ will be in its stride in parts of the garden; the leafy growth of spring bulbs…
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The Joys of Winter Gardening
I enjoy gardening in January and February more than any other month. When the air is sharp, the sun is out and the wildlife on Melbourne Pool start their happy chattering and squabbling, I find that there is nothing greater to uplift the spirits or fill one with a sense of energy and purpose. Gardening…
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Gardening is a process, not an object
I sometimes wish I could hold my garden still for a while; like an object, keep it in the moment – and as I write, this June weekend is one of those times. The children’s jingle (misquoted) of the teddy bear’s picnic goes through my head … ‘for every flower that ever there was, is…
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Gardening Highs and Lows
Spring has arrived overnight – suddenly the cherry blossom has weight in it, tulips have taken over the reins from daffodils, bluebells are elbowing their way into every bed and plants like epimediums, fritillaries, erythroniums and the wonderful Virginian bluebell ‘mertensia’ that I had not thought about for ten months – all are demanding admiration.…
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January Contrasts
Do you remember last January (2021)? We had deep snow here in Melbourne and probably Ticknall too, so there was little gardening possible other than to brush the weight of snow off evergreens such as box. This January (2022), at least for the first few days whilst I write this, we have had rainbows and…
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Musings on Mid-Summer’s Magic in Gardens
Every season in a garden has its peaks and troughs and they do not necessarily come at the same moment for everyone – they depend, of course, on the chosen planting, on the orientation of the garden and on the degree of care that can be lavished upon it. For some gardens, mid-July will be…
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Ups and Downs of Gardening
Surely April and May are the two trickiest months of the year? ‘Hooray’ we say with a light heart, ‘it is warm and just as spring should be’; every plant is opening its arms to welcome the sun and its warmth. Fleeces come off, birds sing and we happily turn our attention to feeding the…
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Fun Gardening with an Isolated Child
Here in South Derbyshire, we are lucky to be living in the countryside where we can go for walks and keep our two metres apart without too much difficulty. But what then, for those lively youngsters, anxious to do something more outside? Were you to buy some seeds on the internet your children could…
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Winter Gardening
Winter gardening – I love it; whilst there is much to do, there is time to do it whilst not in a headlong gallop to keep pace with nature’s abundant enthusiasm. There is time to pause and savour the crisp light, the dying embers of colour clinging onto the shrubs and trees, the glistening berries,…