It’s a blooming shame that we can’t share this with our friends

Head gardener, Branklyn Garden

Jim has spent the hottest spring in memory looking after a hillside full of rare plants. Normally Perth’s Branklyn Garden has two more staff plus 30 keen volunteers.

But, during lockdown, caring for the blue poppies and magnolias has been down to Jim alone.

The 67-year-old said: “In some ways, I’ve enjoyed myself. I live in an arts and crafts house with my wife Alison and our Jack Russell terrier. We have two acres of

marvellous garden to ourselves. But I’m desperate to get our volunteers back and the staff out of furlough. I miss them terribly.”

With only one pair of hands, he’s had to make some tough decisions.

Jim said: “I’ve not got all the weeding and watering done that I’d have liked. There are lots of plants we raised that I’ve not had time to plant out. It’s more important to look after what we already have established. I have filled gaps with primulas to prevent weeds.

“It’s been terribly dry, I’m having to wwater all the newly planted are areas. Then there was a lot of dam damage after last week’s late frost.”

W With no human visitors to put the them off, Jim has mallards on his pon pond for the first time ever. On the dow down side, greedy pigeons have eatT eaten his newly germinated lawn.

The quiet is great but he is des desperate to get the public back in.

H He said: “Alison and I go round wit with the dog in the evening, we sit on one of the benches with a G&T and say, ‘It’s a damn shame not to be able to share this with visitors.’”