Back from holiday

We enjoyed our holiday on the borders but it was spoilt by the weather being quite cold and all the gardens we visited were still in the throes of winter.We did loads of walking .I made the mistake of wearing new boots which meant I got a blister in short time.Powys Castle was excellent but did not blow me away but a visit to The Dingle Nursery on a wet windy day was a real treat.I would still love to have my own nursery but  don't want the hassle of being open all the time.If I had the energy I suppose an internet nursery would be the way to go but it must be because I am too comfortable at the moment.
It was good to get back to work and find, because it had been so cold that I was not too far behind.
Stowell was a mass of cherry trees and all the beech hedges have leafed up making it feel less open.The roses are a bit slow and I am worried about their condition - this winter a complete renovation I hope will put this to rights.
At Milborne Port I was staking all the delphiniums I grew from seed last year 'benary's Pacific Giant' which look very healthy and I hope live up to their name.The vegetable garden is looking better and I hope to do some planting out next week - celeriac,beans and courgettes.
At Mere being more sheltered than the other gardens plants are much further on.The asparagus is cropping really well and the tree surgeon cutting back the trees while I was away has made a huge difference to the light levels.I had an assistant helping me the owners grandson who helped me spread the wood chippings on the path of the vegetable garden.Luckily he went swimming soon after - he is at the thousand questions a minute stage.He has decided that a career as a gardener is not for him and he wants to be a cross channel swimmer.

We were relived when we got back that our garden was fine we are spending this weekend weeding and moving plants around.At least the front garden is shaping up.