Our first nursery visit since lockdown had to be the Walled Garden. Of course it had been possible to order plants on-line but like grocery shopping it is less than satisfying, even in the products are satisfactory.
A week earlier we had passed by on the way to Dunwich, and would have stopped on the return journey had the weather been conducive. This time the sun was shining although the possibility of a wet afternoon kept us from lingering. This is one the places where it is a joy to linger, not something to be said of grocery stores.
The web site had carried an apology about plants being out of stock, because demand had run high when nurseries and garden centres had flagged their risk of bankruptcy in lockdown. That had been the time to rally round with on-line purchases; freedom to go out again, albeit with safe distancing, was all the more satisfying because the centres had survived.
The Walled Garden had been taking advantage of lockdown to do some building and maintenance work: the building for plant pots and containers was having a new floor, so those supplies were limited. Less so, it seemed, the plants. Most racks were full; we had to stand back at one point while some new items were displayed.
Our objective was large plant pots first, plants second. We reversed the order, however, because the one-way system had placed the pots at the end. It gave opportunity to view potential plant purchases, and to make some before we reached the office to check out. We also had time to walk around the permanent garden, always a delight that offers a view of how your purchases may look in a few years time. We were not looking for urns, sculpture or goldfish, but all were good to see. The pond is at the centre of quadrants in part adapted from Moorish gardens. Wisteria above the paths is a small-scale reminder of the Alhambra.
Before the pots we wanted there was chance to view the glasshouse displays of new or seasonal plants, including an interesting creeping form of verbena, its flowers in Arsenal team colours – a pity they were about to lose their first match and prevent one of their players beginning his project to plant thousands of trees.
Finally we reached the pots, a smaller number than anticipated because of the building works. Nonetheless two were found and two full trolleys taken to checkout. Again, for safety reasons, numbers entering the small building are limited – one at a time or two in the same family.
After so long without use in a shop, the credit card PIN had been forgotten. No chance of contactless payment so it had to be recalled; the second attempt was successful. The rest, if not history, was a careful drive home avoiding all bumps in the road.
