Garden Tool Set

Secret Garden Club in winter

It may be the middle of winter but there is plenty of life and colour in the Secret Garden, helped by the relatively mild weather (if not the persistent rain).

Clockwise from top left: the camellia tree is in bud, ready to burst into bright red flowers in February; Clematis sieboldii flowers are determined to continue throughout the winter; the cavolo nero (Tuscan kale) is thriving; winter jasmine provides a welcome splash of yellow against the ivy-clad fence; the oriental salad plant mizuna provides leaves for winter salads; violas brighten up the patio in their pots.

Elsewhere, we have primroses, spring bulbs are pushing spiky leaves above ground in every bed, and seedling lettuces and carrots are ready to put on growth as soon as the weather gets warmer to provide us with early crops.