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Seasonal mix-ups
Since Iwas given this beautiful rose, in September and all through December I had the pleasure of watching each long-lasting, single bloom until another opened to put on a show.
Can you believe how colourful my border looked as late as December?
In early winter Ihad both snowdrops and a Clematis montana in flower!
Global warming strikes again – this primrose was open at the winter solstice.
CONTENTMENT IN THE DOING
Coming into the winter I felt defeated and deflated by my garden. Years of accumulated design mistakes made on poor soil, the dawning realisation that I had feet of clay when it came to ‘growing your own’ and an exceptionally wet summer all sapped my gardening enthusiasm. A thorny run-in with Covid didn’t help either.
Dan Masoliver’s column (December 2023, p106) provided the perfect pickup… ‘winter is not the end but anew beginning’. As spring approaches, I know the rising sap will again go to my head and I will plough haphazardly on into the same old mistakes. But I’m now more aware that my passion for gardening is rooted in the activity rather than the outcome.
Star letter
I love the exercise, fresh air, birds, bees and definitely the butterflies. The low Star letter winter light makes even a bare garden seem magical. I may never have a garden photo to match the picture-perfect photos of gardening magazines but does it matter? Amessy gardener can experience much enjoyment and contentment in the doing.
CONGRATULATIONS As author of this month’s star letter, Tony wins this complete set-up for feeding garden birds from the RSPB: a classic seed feeder, nut and nibble feeder and lots of lovely bird food.
● The kit is part of the RSPB’s Giving Nature a Home initiative. For more information on this and other RSPB products, go to rspbshop.co.uk. All proceeds go towards helping birds and wildlife.
Perfect gifts
I loved your tasty Rosemary salt idea in December’s issue. I added some Christmas fabric to the lids and they made great novelty stocking fillers.
Treasured berries
The amazing tree in the front of our house has such beautiful autumn colours. Blackb
