Columbia Road Market 28

Whenever there has been a day of sunshine, I have managed to snatch a few hours in my garden to undertake a little tidying up, reinstating the edge of beds where the rocks and scallop shells have sunk into the ground, and pulling out weeds before they get a chance to become established. My garden had been sad and neglected for months, but now it looks cared for again and is ready for the long anticipated rush of growth we shall see over the coming weeks. Already the pattern of sunshine and showers is upon us, and when I look down from the upper windows onto my garden there is an exciting contrast between the rich black earth and the green of new leaves that grow more vivid every day, almost glowing with fluorescence. I think it is all about green at this time of year and I know of no other place on earth that can match the variety of tones which create the symphony of green that is the English Spring.

Today I was at the market by eight and the possibilities now are quite overwhelming, so I found myself compiling a mental list of plants that I hope to add to my garden over coming months. This week I bought these sublimely scented  Lily of the Valley (Convallaria Majalis), three pots for £5, with the ambition to create a drift of them in coming years under a Japanese Maple that my predecessor planted. I think the fragrance of Lily of the Valley is almost my favourite scent in the world, along with beeswax, sweet peas, lemon verbena, tea roses, frankincense, myrrh, and my cat’s ears.