Gardening is all about weeding.  If you get to it early and stay on top of it, it’s easier. Allowing weeds to go to seed is deadly. In my early days as a gardener I thought it might be possible to create a garden that wouldn’t need weeding. The desirable plants I’d selected would fill in, spread, reseed, and present a united front against unwanted outsiders.

One of the advantages of being a “specialist” – be it native plants, rock garden, grasses or whatever – is that most of what’s on offer is of no interest because you either have it already or it doesn’t fit in the environment you’re creating.

The dappled light on a shade bed nicely sets off the woodland flowers that flower in spring – it’s a symphony in blue and yellow right now, with the Virginia Bluebells (mertensia virginica) at their glorious peak.