Planting up time

Another sign that spring is here - the garden centres are full to bursting with bedding plants ... I was unable to resist the appeal and have just planted up my first planter. You can of course, buy ready made ones from supermarkets, often much more cheaply than doing your own, but it's not half so much fun. And of course, you get the plants of your choice.

This one is destined for my partner's special plot at Hughenden: next I shall be thinking about bedding plants to brighten up the special parts of the garden where Lisa, Fern and Boris are. They already have year-round plants marking their spots, but I like to add some special splashes of colour during the warm months too. It's lovely to be able to do this, a time when as I weed and plant, I also spend time thinking of the ones I have loved and who have gone before.

Although there is inevitably a sadness, there are also lots of happy memories, and if a tear is sometimes shed, there are smiles too. There is something very therapeutic about being able to select and plant flowers in memory of a loved one too: I suspect it is not just about the act of commemoration but because it gives you something physical and tangible to do for someone who is no longer around to be cared for.