From my earliest days I was drawn to the soil. As in most English families, my Daddy grew a lot of our vegetables in our back garden; he also used an allotment of land, from the local council, to raise more produce.

My Mother was, like me, more interested in flowering plants. She was especially fond of her almond trees and auriculas.

As a youngster, they let me have my own little flower garden in the bottom corner of our back yard. I grew poppies, lilac , escholzias, pansies and nemesia and a privet hedge!

When Ted and I lived in Cincinnati we grew the very best and most wonderful tomatoes. It’s hard to beat the taste of those that you grow yourself and these were exceptional.

Texas presented some great changes to the climatic areas that I’d known. In the end, I realised that roses would always difficult here and admitted that growing lilac wasn’t possible. Tulips are a one year plant and anemones are about the same, and, although some daffodils do well, others quit in only one year. Pinks and columbines do very well.

But, gingers do very well and angel trumpets are splendid. Rosemary makes large, beautiful bushes although lavender has only staggered for me.

There is still solace to be found by getting my fingers in the earth …that is a great blessing.

Eventually, I plan to label all my plant pictures.

Some of that spelling needs checking, too.