Day Three: 2 December 2022: Exotic watercress This year there were nasturtiums trailing over the edges of the raised beds, tumbling from pots in sheltered corners of the garden, rampaging through the the greenhouse and polytunnel, appearing in salads and overflowing from vases in the kitchen. They have made me smile and added glorious splashes
If you have ever wandered along the coastal cliffs of the north and west of the British Isles, you may have encountered one of the most delicate of our native spring flowers, the Spring Squill, Scilla verna. Nestling in the short turf or tucked into crevices, when abundant it can form a misty blue haze.
A couple of weeks ago, iris-type leaves emerged in the lean-to-garden and produced a bud. No plant label, which is not too unusual, but the Head Gardener had no recollection of planting iris tubers in this particular spot. Eventually the identity of the mystery plant as revealed as the flower opened. It is a plant
Day 5: A Plant for all seasons There are some plants which are as tough as old boots, live in dark corners, prefer to be totally pot-bound, appear to exist on little more than fresh air and flower in the winter! This is the perfect plant to give to anyone who professes to kill any
Even by Hebridean standards, November and December have been particularly wet, ranging from the grey, wet blanket dreich to torrential rain with a liberal sprinkling of squalls. The calvalcade of westerly depressions has been accompanied by some blustery winds, but so far we have been spared the storm force winds. So there has been no