Another dry month…

August 2022

August was yet another relentlessly dry month and I was beginning to despair that I would find anything worth mentioning or photographing for this page but it seemed that just a little rain was all that was needed to coax deceptively delicate blooms of Cyclamen hederifolium into flower. 

Cyclamen thrive in the most unlikely places - here in the courtyard young seedlings are popping up in nothing but gravel! In the garden they grow in drifts at the base of weeping silver birch trees and nestled among hellebores in a shady far corner. A favourite plant, cyclamen hold a special significance for me - some were given by gardening friends when we first moved to Suffolk, others I brought from my London garden and some came from my mother’s cottage garden in Devon.

Given the right conditions they are trouble-free. The most important requirement is free-draining soil in partial shade and an annual top dressing with leaf mould is helpful while they are dormant. Once established they are best left undisturbed where over time the spreading display will just get better. Young seedlings can be left to mature in situ or be transplanted to other parts of the garden.

And for those without a garden they can be grown easily in troughs or containers with free-draining soil.

Phlox paniculata…

How strange that after all these years I’ve only just discovered phlox.

Well known as a cottage garden favourite it’s only since introducing Phlox paniculata ‘Danielle’ to a sunny border here that I’ve realised what a useful plant it is, flowering from June to September with clouds of pure white blooms. Butterflies, bees, and pollinators are drawn to its fragrance which is another big plus and it’s been given an Award of Garden Merit from the RHS for its outstanding qualities.

Elsewhere, as the month advanced, my sad garden just became sadder, especially as work meant I was unable to spend much time in it.

I was busy in the studio with preparations for the 22nd annual Artworks exhibition of new paintings, prints, ceramics and sculpture by 30 East Anglian artists in September. If you live near enough and would like to come to the opening night Private View on Friday 23rd September just click this link for an E-invite. The exhibiton continues from 24th September to 9th October. I will be showing pastel paintings alongside one small watercolour and I’m looking forward to seeing how they are received - as ever I feel compelled to push my art in all directions:-)

2023 Calendars and Diaries…

Thanks so much to all you forward-thinking, organised customers who’ve already bought 2023 ‘Garden Days’ Calendars and Diaries. Everything’s in stock apart from the Slim Calendar which is now expected towards the end of September.

I’m happy to tell you know that I’ve tested the stickers that come with the Mum’s Household Calendar and they come away easily from the backing sheet so I do hope you and your family will have fun with them.

Oh and finally thank you for reading this. Social media is so incredibly ‘shouty’ and attention-seeking that it often makes me feel pressurized.

I like the idea that this page is almost private and you’ve come here specially and not because you’ve been hooked in.

Happy gardening, stay positive and stay safe all :-)