In an English country garden

A glorious green explosion has occurred in my back garden. I can hardly believe that a few short months ago, the trees were bare, the shrubs leafless and my perennial plants just small shoots poking through the soil. Every spare moment is needed to maintain a degree of control, as weeds struggle for space among my vegetables and climbers scramble upwards. The relentless routine of rain and sun that blesses our little island results in this wonderful wildness.

Gardening is currently enjoying great popularity in the U.K., encouraged by a plethora of television programmes. The current credit crisis has also led many to experiment with growing their own vegetables. Before my husband and I arrived, our garden had been lovingly tended since World War II by a gentleman who grew almost entirely vegetables. He was doing what all patriotic Britons were urged to do by the wartime government back in the 1940s -- digging for victory!
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