over winter loss

Now that the end of April is here, I have resolved myself to two losses. 

In the case of the Hosta, I was particularly fond of its origins – I bought it from Hadspen Garden in Somerset in 2005.  This year, no reappearance. 

And the Clary Sage has gone too.  Again, the origin was important – acquired from the excellent Honesty Stall last year on a visit to the completely wonderful and inspiring Abbey Gardens.

Here is Hadspen in 2004 – the avenue of trees under which all the Hostas grew – in this photo it’s the earliest of April, so primroses only.  Perhaps there is a kind of double loss here. 

The hostas are invisible, and also this avenue was bulldozed shortly after the Pope’s retirement from running the garden in 2005, in a controversial redesign proposal and competition by Niall Hobhouse, (read more here in an article in the New York Times if you’re interested, and references to Hadspen run through this blog – so go to other posts via the tags).