You write about nature and gardening in a way that makes me want to immediately go outside into my very small, very wintery garden and dig. That cake looks delicious
Thank you Arthur. Your writing conjures up place and time in such a beautiful way. I hope the New Year finds you less muddled and wring as the inspiration takes you.
Arthur — this felt like being gently walked back into the body.
The way you describe plodding, fettling, raking, dividing bulbs, noticing what’s heavy and what’s tender — it’s such a quiet counterspell to the mental congestion you name. There’s something deeply regulating about your attention to small stewardship: snowdrops split and shared, nettles allowed but thinned, mess held just on the right side of intention.
I loved the line about shabby gardening with control — like a favourite old jumper. That feels like a whole philosophy of living, honestly. Care without fuss. Beauty without polish.
And the snowdrops — rescued, divided, scattered, trusted to return — feel like the perfect metaphor for this season. Tiny cities of bulblets, needing disturbance to thrive. That landed.
Thank you for this ramble through land, memory, birdsong, and cake. It made the day feel slower in the best way.
Thanks Arthur for the snowdrop chat which explains why mine didn’t grow in small pots last year. Should I start the bulbs in a greenhouse then plant out when they pop up? Sorry. New to gardening and a bit clueless.
I tried to find Juliet on the Today programme but I think it must have been reedited for BBC sounds? I would love to hear that, having visited Sissinghurst last July. A revelation.
hold on.....you have Buddleia? they grow to 40 ft here on the Southern coast of Oregon/US....one just experienced a storm crash/2 days with inadequate Felco secateurs and Japanese pruning saw/lol....like not wearing gloves/not owning chainsaw/lol......onward to new, shorter hybrid Buddleias!.....just finished/did you read? Richard Mabey's The Accidental Garden?
Oh snow drops, I love them. I divided some of mine in the spring after they bloomed. Sounds like you had a good time with family. Very important. HAPPY NEW YEAR!😘
Lovely tale. Very cold here in western Massachusetts with snow on the ground. Looking forward to the snowdrops I planted last fall but it’s going to be a long wait. Hope they come up. Thank you for your work. Best wishes for 2026.
You write about nature and gardening in a way that makes me want to immediately go outside into my very small, very wintery garden and dig. That cake looks delicious
Loved reading that Arthur. Thank you. X
Thank you Arthur. Your writing conjures up place and time in such a beautiful way. I hope the New Year finds you less muddled and wring as the inspiration takes you.
Arthur — this felt like being gently walked back into the body.
The way you describe plodding, fettling, raking, dividing bulbs, noticing what’s heavy and what’s tender — it’s such a quiet counterspell to the mental congestion you name. There’s something deeply regulating about your attention to small stewardship: snowdrops split and shared, nettles allowed but thinned, mess held just on the right side of intention.
I loved the line about shabby gardening with control — like a favourite old jumper. That feels like a whole philosophy of living, honestly. Care without fuss. Beauty without polish.
And the snowdrops — rescued, divided, scattered, trusted to return — feel like the perfect metaphor for this season. Tiny cities of bulblets, needing disturbance to thrive. That landed.
Thank you for this ramble through land, memory, birdsong, and cake. It made the day feel slower in the best way.
– Kelly
Very heart warming post Arthur, your writing is chock full of vim and verve. Sending you all best wishes for a fulfilled 2026. Never change.
Thanks Arthur for the snowdrop chat which explains why mine didn’t grow in small pots last year. Should I start the bulbs in a greenhouse then plant out when they pop up? Sorry. New to gardening and a bit clueless.
I tried to find Juliet on the Today programme but I think it must have been reedited for BBC sounds? I would love to hear that, having visited Sissinghurst last July. A revelation.
Did you play it 13 mins in from the start of the cate blanchett episode
Yes, 13 minutes in. Someone else banging on.....
Another wonderful snowdrop garden: https://www.wyevalleysculpturegarden.co.uk/snowdrops
Remember to be kind to yourself ✨
This was lovely Thankyou x
hold on.....you have Buddleia? they grow to 40 ft here on the Southern coast of Oregon/US....one just experienced a storm crash/2 days with inadequate Felco secateurs and Japanese pruning saw/lol....like not wearing gloves/not owning chainsaw/lol......onward to new, shorter hybrid Buddleias!.....just finished/did you read? Richard Mabey's The Accidental Garden?
They have to be pruned back hard annually
Oh snow drops, I love them. I divided some of mine in the spring after they bloomed. Sounds like you had a good time with family. Very important. HAPPY NEW YEAR!😘
Lovely tale. Very cold here in western Massachusetts with snow on the ground. Looking forward to the snowdrops I planted last fall but it’s going to be a long wait. Hope they come up. Thank you for your work. Best wishes for 2026.