When I looked at the scene of desolation this February, after a miserably cold winter, I likened the scene to the Killing Fields. Someone suggested we put up a sign saying “In Memoriam. A Garden once existed here” Now, five months later it is difficult to imagine the despair we felt then- and in fact all of the main structural palnts and trees are not only alive but thriving. But below the big structural plants there have been many smaller casualties, among them a ten year old Dasylirion Serratifolium and an Aloe which made a lovely summer display as the picture above shows. There was no doubt about it, they had both copped it. At least, that is what I thought until today when I noticed tiny shoots emerging from the dead stems of the Aloe. Everything above the surface is dead, but the roots have survived and are throwing up new life. If I’d been a more diligent gardener I’d have thrown the lot away, months ago. As for the Dasylirion, no sign of life yet, but I think I’ll wait and see.

When I opened the bedroom curtains first thing this morning I heard a pitiful squalk from the duck which lives on our Japanese pool. I looked up and saw the duck watching plaintively as her newly born ducklings fell, one by one, over the infinity edge of the pool. The ducklings were too feeble to be able to swim against the gentle current and were being swept over the edge. This has happened before and we knew, although the poor duck didn’t, that the ducklings hadn’t fallen to their deaths, but had landed in the drainage channel just below the infinity edge. Margaret rushed out in her dressing gown and was able to fish the ducklings out and replace them safely in the pool. This video shows the ducklings swimming happily with their mother, an hour later, safely away from the edge.

Getting ready for our first Open Day of the year on the first Sunday in June is always a struggle. There’s more to do at this time of year than at any other as all the plants which have been put away for the winter, such as the dahlias and the cannas, have to be planted out. It’s impossible to get it all done in time as the window of opportunity between the last frosts and the first open day is so small. But it doesn’t really matter if we aren’t fully ready as very few of the summer plants are in flower anyway and our visitors are happy just to come out and see the first glimpses of summer beginning to emerge in the garden.