Winter Garden Joys

As promised, some photos of my neighbour’s marvelous winter garden, maintained long after his death by the new owners who continue to hire the wise and wonderful Gardening Jane. Phil, in his 80s by the time I met him, planned this garden to cheer his beloved wife Noni through the winter grey, which depressed her, and he executed it with Jane’s help. While both Phil and Noni have been gone for some years now, Phil’s garden continues to cheer his neighbours with its hopeful sprigs of green and delightful wafts of winter-flowering fragrance. Above, the catkins which begin stretching their knobbly lengths in early January every year. . . while nearby shrubs begin to add counterpoints of other sprightly green buds . . .
and below, the most charming pops of pinks and raspberry-fuschias and mauves chime in from these wee cyclamen and their rich green leaves. . .
Over in the side of the garden, under the towering evergreens, the most stunning vase-shaped specimen of witch-hazel is in full to late bloom right now, sending out waves of fragrance. Being enveloped by one of those waves biking home on a dark February evening is sublime. . .
Thank you Phil, and Jane . . . .

Tonight we’re at the opera, where I’ll be live-blogging aboutLa Clemenza di Tito in the lobby at intermissions. One of these nights, someone will surprise me by stopping by to say “Hello, I read your blog. . .” That would be such a thrill!