Introducing – Mrs Keen

It is widely believed that the biome supporting the most diverse selection of horticultural species on the planet is the Amazon Rainforest. I have made a startling discovery, this assumption is untrue. In a suburban garden on the outskirts of Bridgend, there is a border that contains more plants per square metre than any other on Earth. It is here that my new client has her garden. We shall call her Mrs Keen. Of course, “kettle and black” may well spring to your mind, I am not known for my restraint in either the shopping or the planting department. Mrs K, however, puts me to shame.

My first job has been to extend the beds, which are very narrow and full to bursting. In the small border I was working on this week there resides a magnolia, Salix ‘Flamingo’, large climbing rose, a generic conifer, a hibiscus, a pear tree and a purple leaved cherry. In the understory a peony lurks, as well as various salvia, an osteospermum, a hellebore and others waiting to be discovered once I get the machete out. Mrs K explained that they were all small when she put them in and now have, surprisingly, all grown big. Who would believe it?! This is not an unassailable problem, tricky decisions are going to have to be made, shuffling undertaken.

When I left after my last visit, Mrs K gave me a nasturtium seedling in a pot. “What sort is it?” I asked. “Oh, nothing special, just an ordinary orange one” she replied with a smile. It is the kindnesses, however small, that make life special. I think I am going to enjoy this job.