The Garden in Winter

I’m back to a snowy gorgeous garden.  I was in Paris for a few weeks and it threw everything out of kilter. It was just too good. Then back to work and here I am again willing to come to you every week.

The garden this week is lovely to my eye:

Early December 2010

Yesterday the garden was inundated by flocks of birds. On their way south I hope.  They stopped and hoovered their way through just about everything with a bit of fruit on it. It was exciting to see because they are amazingly polite:  one group would wait on the fence while another shot through picking at this and that. And not a pigeon among them.  I get tired of seeing pigeons scooping up bird seeds set out in feeder.  They aren’t interested in the things I grow for birds:  roses hips, buds on vines and shrubs (berberis seems very popular).

There is still lots and lots of colour and the evergreens are looking amazing.  I need to add many more and will do so next year.

Right now I’m working on the December e-letter so if you’d like more information and haven’t signed up, please do. I’ll get it out in the next day or so.  Just hit the button on the left (you can see the -ct of contact just under the Paris ad) and I’ll send it to you.

My wonderful web mistress Anna Pemberton has had sick kids and they trump newsletters every time. But she’s working on it.

In this shot I moved the cast bronze pine cone from its normal position at the garden side of the fountain to the top where I can enjoy it all winter. I asked sculptor Reinhard  Reitzenstein if that was okay (artists can be prickly about this sort of thing). Okay indeed he said, a little seasonal updating. Love that man. He’s not only incredibly talented, he’s a very funny guy. I’m hoping he’ll come and visit his creation soon.  It gives me non-stop pleasure and is the perfect example of why art has such an important place in the garden.  I can no longer imagine what my garden would look like without this wonderful sculpture fountain.  Looks fabulous at night all lit up from above and below. I realize I am very lucky