With overflowing colour, texture, and layers of flowers, it has a relaxed romantic charm that feels welcoming rather than perfectly planned.

This is the description of a cottage garden in the latest garden centre newsletter. After two weeks away, my garden is ‘overflowing’ and perhaps has ‘a relaxed romantic charm’ and it is certainly not ‘perfectly planned’. Maybe it’s more like a explosion, or a ‘symphony of colour’.

As for ‘welcoming’ … there’s a lot of work to do. I’ve swept the drive and path so we can walk up them, and trimmed back the edges, pulling out lots of forget-me-nots. Isn’t it lucky that I’ve had a two week break to build up my strength?

Felix, released from the cattery, has been finding shady spots under the gone-to-seed broccolini and the rhubarb. He is mostly sticking close though, and telling us all about the great time he had while we were away.