Chronicla October 2013 | Chronicle January 2014
December 2013
Greetings to all our wonderful gardening friends who are following our journey through these chronicles.
As you might have already guessed from my previous chronicles, I'm not exactly a winter person. Admittedly, a covering of snow for a limited period of time can be beautiful. Although we had some snow a few weeks ago, it disappeared quickly and since then we've had only darkness. Hand on heart, I'm not really happy with grim November-December.
I'm sitting in front of a blazing fire and thinking about the garden. Here and there around the house, candles and paraffin lamps are burning. Here and there the house is filled with decorations provided free of charge by Mother Nature. There’s a lovely forest near the house which is a treasure trove of objects which contribute to a warm, homely atmosphere within when everything is so dark and bleak outside. As long as there’s no snow, it's possible to run out to the forest and pick up berries and twigs to beautify the home during the winter months. Pine cones, for example, and branches can be used in various arrangements and vases. There's just so much that's out there, just waiting to be found and used.
At the moment I'm spending a lot of time sitting inside and planning for the coming spring. All members of our bulb club have received the latest list of bulbs for spring planting. A new feature this year is that we’ve focused on bulbs that have received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The final date for orders is 24 January. So it's high time to start planning, if you haven't already done so. What would winter be without the promise of brighter spring?
I'm taking a stroll around the garden and looking at what's happened and can hardly believe that I managed to plant almost 7,000 bulbs during the hectic autumn months. But there they are, down in the ground. Personally, the garden gives me so much, and I’m convinced that gardens and nature strengthen us, body and soul. My goodness – I’ve just come across some bulbs I’ve been searching for! There they are! If you were to follow me in my day-today life, you’d fall apart with laughter. It’s soon time for a new comedy series…
The year is drawing to a close and I’d like to thank all the members of A Gentleman’s Bulb Club and all of you who have visited the garden in 2013. During the past year, visitors to the garden have contributed several thousand kronor to the Red Cross in the form of entrance fees to the garden. I’ve very pleased that we’ll be continuing this wonderful cooperation with the Red Cross, Botkyrka Section, also in 2014. You can find the dates here on the website.
A truly merry Christmas and happy New Year to you all.
All the best!
Stefan, A Gentleman Gardener
