The weekend of the 7th & 8th June was the Festival Weekend of the National Gardens Scheme (NGS) when hundreds of private gardens around the country opened their gates to the public. The opportunity to take a relaxed stroll around nine gardens open in one nearby Lincolnshire village was too much to resist and turned out to be an enjoyable way to spend a sunny afternoon.
Read MoreThe final curtain has fallen at the Chelsea Flower Show and the public, celebrities and television cameras have melted away. All that remains is for a small army to pack up while we reflect on this year’s crop of show stoppers.
Read MoreThe hawthorn is in flower and mile after mile of country lane have become ribbons of white. At least they are in Lincolnshire. Common it might be but a quick browse of Richard Mabey's 'Flora Britannica’ reveals a venerable history.
Read MoreThe first thing that strikes you is the smell. There is an unusual but pleasant aroma filling the air and the sheep in the middle of the room is not the culprit. I have come to meet willow weaver, basket maker and artist, Alison Walling in her Lincoln studio and the smell of the massed ranks of willow rods leaning lazily against the wall is instantly recognisable. “The sheep is a commission that I have just finished” explained Alison, and the subtle drop of the shoulder and angle of the ears are uncannily life like.
Read MoreGardening is all about intervention and finding the right balance between effort and reward. It is a personal negotiation with Mother Nature as to where the frontier will lie between us and the wildness beyond, and a determination of the point beyond which we are not happy to allow her fuzzy edges and woolly charms to creep. Inside the house we are safe, in control. Outside, chaos is just a holiday away.
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