A garden in winter is the absolute test of the true gardener.

Colours change: in the morning light, red shines out bright and clear and the blues merge into their surroundings, melting into the greens; but by the evening the reds loose their piquancy, embracing a quieter tone and shifting toward the blues in the rainbow. Yellow flowers remain bright, and white ones become luminous, shining like ghostly figures against a darkening green background.

A garden in winter is the absolute test of the true gardener.

Winter's palette is clear and spare, restrictive enough to curb the excesses of even the most daring gardeners.

Good bones are important, so it is wise to go slowly and get your plan right before launching into a vital project.

The stillness of the early morning scene enables me to take in and enjoy many things which pass me by during the bustle of the day. First, there are the scents, which seem even more generous with their offerings than they are in the evening.

How I would love to be transported into a scented Elizabethan garden with herbs and honeysuckles, a knot garden and roses clambering over a simple arbor.