Nick Hoggmascall

Short on botanical words this morning; a visit to @greatdixterofficial yesterday in the later afternoon rain when few others were there lets you have a completely different experience, one thats closer with the place where you don’t haveto share the air with other bodies. A great sandwich (big up the team in the loggia cafe; great choice of music for packing up too) and a cup of tea to start off and a quick chat in the @greatdixtershop over gardeners hat styles.

Dark brooding loaves of clouds rolling over the countryside, the garden transformed from a week ago; light softened, colours mellowed, the sunflowers that dominated the Peacock Garden are over and its like someone has turned the lights off. In their replacement, unfeasibly large Dahlias that require staking, tottering above the asters like someone sort of gaudy, needy drag queen. The damp autumn allowing later performers a space on the stage many of which wouldn’t have got there a few decades ago, such is the influence of man on climate. Bright bedding displays preparing to exit stage right but doing so gracefully with a fading glow; the Long Border a remarkable construct that has gone on giving since May will soon be allowed a bit of a rest. Greenhouse a buzz with preparation for winter and great to see the @greatdixternurseries team in full actionn (@shaun.r.b amongst others).

A thoroughly wholesome place; the nuances will be lost on some, others will be deep in stories about ghastly family members goings on whilst breezing past the most exquisite of tableaus over which a huge amount of thought and consultation has gone into.

I wonder what Christo would think of the place now? It has evolved since his passing, along with the times, but it still offers an escape from reality into a garden lovers sweetie shop.