My month in the garden: it’s time to think about plant protection and a good supply of veg for winter – Telegraph.co.uk

Late last summer, I took my mother, who was sadly in the last stages of a terminal illness, to The Pig Hotel, near Bath. We had both wanted to see their gardens. We ate al fresco, enjoying magnificent views on a fabulously sunny day. The place waspacked.

The head gardener kindly took us on a tour of the gardens, which thankfully are wheelchair-friendly. The magnificent walled kitchen garden was brimming with a good range of vegetables and in a small greenhouse I spied a 3m tall herb with small scented white flowers. The gardener did not know what it was but said it made a highly popular, most flavoursome herbal tea, similar to the better known Aloysia triphylla (lemon verbena) butfar superior. She kindly let me have some cuttings, which rooted fairly quickly.

I finally managed to track down its correct name, with the help of the renowned botanist, Jamie Compton. It is Aloysia polystachya, from Argentina, widely grown there to make T de Burro, or donkeys tea. In Argentina it is well known for its antidepressant and relaxing qualities, perhaps the perfect lockdown tea? No wonder there was so much bonhomie that day! It appears hardy to -7C (19F), but Ill keep some inside over winter just in case. Jekkas now sells this (jekkas.com).

I always enjoy going back to visit gardens we have worked on, and last week it was a real treat to visit MaryBerry in her new garden. Westarted to help Mary with the designin early2017, when she had herprevious, much larger garden at what had been the family home for many years.

I spent a day with her and husband Paul and sketched out possibilities. Mary and Paul have now been bedded down in their new garden for about a year. Everyone I work with who downsizes and leaves a garden that they have developed and cherished for years, always takes on their new plot with relish. I think the idea of refining all your gardening knowledge and ideas into a new Utopia must be hugely satisfying, and Mary is noexception.

Read more here:

My month in the garden: it's time to think about plant protection and a good supply of veg for winter - Telegraph.co.uk