…think ‘walnut’ but that is what it is. There was only ever one rather spindly juglans in the garden which blew over about eight years ago. My mother planted one…

…been who collected this rubbish from a site? fly tipping fly tipping In 1981 the Queen Mother planted this magnolia seedling by Georges Hut. A Magnolia mollicomata x Magnolia sargentiana…

…on the Today programme until recently.One swan is back on the lake. A mother and two very mature cygnets left about 10 days ago. Normally the parents drive the cygnets…

…mother’s favourites, nicely out on a wall. After a severe pruning two years ago to make way for repointing the wall it is at last flowering again decently. Rosa banksiae…

…looking good. A pleasant surprise. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ Dead Rhododendrons by Higher Quarry Nursery. Dead Rhododendrons The Queen Mother’s magnolia shedding leaves prematurely with die back from the uppermost twigs…

…in the 16th century. My guess is it actually grew from the bird seed on the bird table which was here until my mother died eight years ago. In the…

…Girl’ Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Geisha Girl’ Symphoricarpos albus has clusters of white ‘snowberries’ on the lawn although in full shade here. My mother made us dig these up as children but…

…from their mother under a gate. In 2001 it was they who were gated or killed (often unnecessarily) by a horrid disease. Today it is us! I do however discover…

…be a much larger clump under the yew tree but my mother and I dug it up to make room for a swing some 50 years ago. This whole area…

…I planted exactly where a larger old plant died some 30 years ago. My mother cut it down, dried it off and used it as a Christmas decoration all sprayed…