This morning, Jane and I visited the garden centre at Yarnton (Yarnton Nurseries) which had been recommended by one of her friends. We were pleased with what we found; as with most garden centres, it has a wealth of things other than plants packed in under the roof including, in this case, a decent restaurant where we enjoyed some lunch.

We did buy some plants and seeds. A particularly exciting find for me was a specimen of Crambe cordifolia, also known as Greater Sea Kale. I have had this on my wishlist since encountering it in the “country garden” at RHS Wisley earlier this year.

The specimen we got looks rather ropey at the moment but it should overwinter successfully if we get it in the ground soon and give it some time to establish its roots. Assuming all goes well, the result should be a gloriously huge cascade of small white flowers from late spring and then, by late summer, an intricate tracery of dried stalks, making a centre-piece for the main bed in the garden. Something like this: