June was a wonderful month for a garden visit to West Dean and July looks set to be the same. Plenty of sun filled days after the relentless winter rain have put a skip into the visitors step as they come along to enjoy all aspects of the gardens and there is certainly plenty here to tempt them.
Wow! What a difference warm weather makes to a garden! So far this summer the flower display in the cutting garden and on the borders in the Walled Garden is looking fantastic with the rudbeckia trial taking pride of place. Beneficial insects and butterflies are having a field day too.
After all the rain last year, this year's dry weather is capping the growth of the garden, you know how it is - gardeners are never really happy with the weather but our spuds, onions and their allies have now been harvested in the kitchen garden.
Malcolm Riley, a self taught chef, recipe creator and entrepreneur behind 'The African Chef' brand, was born and raised in Zambia. He moved to the UK 15 years ago carrying with him a real passion for food, coming from his Mother's great love of cooking.
My my my hasn't it been warm so far in July? Those poor people who have to work in offices then make their way home on buses or the tube - don't you pity them while you're strolling around West Dean Gardens gazing on the bucolic South Downs scenery whilst taking in the more recent work of the gardens team.
The majority of the 13 Victorian glasshouses and four sets of cold frames at West Dean Gardens were erected between 1891 and 1905 by Foster & Pearson. Find out more about the gardens heritage.
I'm going to start with an invitation, well more of plea really to come along to West Dean soon to admire the wild flowers in the gardens and arboretum - it really is a delightful show and like all good things will come to an end soon.
So, after all the planning processes and architect's meetings, it looks like the creation of the Otter Farm Kitchen Garden School will begin this summer. It's hard to imagine diggers, cranes, be-hatted builders and daily deliveries will soon be busying over this space, but hopefully they will.
Any group of plants that combines a cheerful, floriferous disposition with ease of culture should be hugely popular.
One of the great advantages of gardening in Britain is the opportunity to grow an enormous range of plants. For this we owe a great debt to the plant hunters, who have furbished our gardens with treasures gathered, often under considerable duress, from around the world.