Newsletter - May 2019

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Feature of the Month

The New Path

The new path through the shade garden is now complete and I have been busy planting small plants between the stepping stones to soften it and make it look established. A visit to RHS Cardiff Show was an inspiration and I came home with a small bright green fern, a glaucous Japanese fern (to echo the soft grey-green of Thalictrum Elin) and wood anemones. I also moved some of my existing purple Wanda primroses in.

The Astilbes are already growing well and I am enjoying walking through them as they come into flower. As the year progresses the taller Thalictrums and Dieramas will edge the path making it feel more enclosed. 
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My new plant bench has now moved into the rear courtyard garden where it will supply me with salad veg and a space to nurture seedlings. It will also give my tender plants protection from slugs and snails. It's a lovely feeling to pick fresh food warm from the sun. 

Hopefully some of the plants will be sold at the Penarth Garden Trail in late July to raise money for The Children's Society. Details appear on my Events page as they come in.

Artisans Corner News

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The latest addition to my British Wildlife Collection is a second hare, this time the Brown Hare in Spring. Their courtship rituals have given rise to the expression "as mad as a March hare" and I have included their "boxing" which I am told is the doe rejecting any buck she doesn't fancy! When I lived in Dinas Powys there were hares in an adjoining field so I was privileged to see them in action. They were very good at hiding too, quite often a hare would surprise me by leaping up at my feet and racing away at speed!

I will be adding other native wild animals to this collection over the next months, there are still many to include. With the current focus on global warming and climate change I want to record some of our precious heritage. We have uniquely wonderful wildlife and wild flowers here in Wales, in all of Great Britain and worldwide. We need to value and protect them for ourselves and future generations. I am hoping this series of paintings will add to our awareness and determination to do this.