This week @greatdixterofficial, the sky was an improbably clear blue, the sun sketched sharp shadows on the ground and every bloom in the garden glowed like stained glass.
The flock of bin bag birds had increased since my last day here, and they were swooping and soaring everywhere – apart from the High Garden where a couple had energetically untethered themselves from their supports. They may or may not be deterring the pigeons, but nothing will stop the badger vandals. On our morning tour we found great mounds of earth and partially munched bulbs strewn all along the Cat Garden path, despite sonic alarms and protective palisades.
Animal attacks aside, it was a calm and quiet sort of day, because most of the team had gone up to London to visit the brilliant SOIL exhibition @somersethouse, curated by @thelandgardeners and featuring a beautiful film of Dixter made by @howardsooley. (I went a couple of weeks ago and would highly recommend a visit if you are in the vicinity.)
I started work in the Barn Garden, under orders to thin an exuberantly overweight sarcococca back to a more elegant outline. I started snipping tentatively but soon found I had removed about half the plant, and it still didn’t really look like I had done anything. I chose to see this as a good sign...
At lunchtime we basked in the sunshine outside the Mess Room, as did a voluptuously luxuriant @neil_the_dixter_cat, and then for the rest of the day we heaved barrow loads of mulch up the slope past the Horse Pond and spread it out on the High Garden stock bed. It was quite the workout – especially when my wheelbarrow tyre sprung a flat – but this bed has just had a thorough sort-out and the rows of plants were all in apple pie order, so it was tremendously satisfying to apply this finishing touch.
And then I drove home wearing sunglasses to protect my eyes from the glare of the setting sun. It really did feel like Spring had sprung.
Read more @greenwichgardener on instagram.
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