Gardens as life itself, never stand still.
Some 35 years ago snowdrops followed the line of the hedge but they have sprawled ever outwards and now they carpet the ground beneath the apple trees. But not all growth is welcome. Fifteen years ago I planted two pine trees beside the pond. Too close as it turned out, for my friend, Paul chopped the first down a few years ago and now Sue has taken down the second. It has opened up the view and saved me from being pushed into the pond by those sharp pine needles.
I should have bought the dwarf Pinus mugo but this small, slow growing pine is expensive and I had discovered three unlabelled pine trees at a sale for a few pounds. These are Monterey pines and yes, they grow into giants but thanks to a Japanese technique even after fifteen years they are some 4 metres high rather 50. Taming a giant that can put on a metre a year isn’t as difficult as it sounds if you follow the Japanese and nip the new growth back because those pale green ‘candles’ snap off easily although they will cover your hands in sticky resinous…
