As its back to chilly weather for the next few days here in good old Blighty (slang for Britain) and as most gardens including mine, look rather dishevelled at this time of year, I though you might like to see a picture of one of the borders at the Exotic Garden in high summer . Just imagine it’s a deliciously warm day with the intoxicating sent of Brugmansia pervading the air, while sipping a glass of wine. Mmmm! The purple bananas are Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelli’ and across the front is part of my ever expanding collection of Bromeliads.

I have to admit, when I look out of the widow, I wonder how I’m going to get it all together before the first garden open day in June. To non-gardeners that might seem a long way off, but with all of the other trials and tribulations of life to cope with and one acre of garden to maintain, it always seems like an uphill struggle. Never-the-less it always gets done in the end, as though it had always been that way.

I’m having a day or two away from the garden as my back has been excruciatingly painful, especially after clearing so much heavy, wet, garden detritus. In my head I am still in my twenties and find it so easy to overdo lifting heavy objects. Last April, about two days before leaving for a one month lecture tour of the West coast of the United States - I pulled my back while potting up some very lightweight plants. I remember almost crawling off the plane on arrival – sitting for long periods is not good for back pain! In fact sitting at the computer doesn’t help much either, but never mind, it will clear up in a few days – I hope!

For cat lovers, I have added a picture of one of my Devon Rex brothers (Lawrence) sitting on a log under an ’Indian Bean Tree’ Liriodendron tulipifera. For those who don’t know - this is a great tree for pollarding rather than letting it grow into a house sized specimen. Like the Foxglove or Empress Tree Paulownia tomentosa - if cut to the ground each year, the leaves will be much larger, anything up to 30cm 1ft wide.

Now I must prepare for a series of lectures I am doing next week for The English Gardening School at The Chelsea Physic Garden in London – I do hope this gnawing feeling like toothache in my lower back feels better by then.