Autumn is like a second spring. With light levels the same, always confusing, always conspiring to lull the plants into a temporary early awakening before the first frosts and freezing temperatures. Some of our primula's are flowering now, a last brief beautiful moment before the dark of winter and a reminder of nature's ability to return.

In some respects, this Autumn moment is when I feel the the garden more. Like the beginning of spring, there is a huge shift, and if you let it, the overwhelming herculean effort required for all that I think I need to do. Of course, the need is entirely mine, and never the gardens. Although autumn can be the busiest of moments, biophila is the word that keeps finding me. That deeply rooted affinity and connection that we have with the nature that surrounds us.

And so this year, more than ever, I think mother nature is the one I need to take my guidance from rather than neat edges and dug over beds. We just need to let her in.

So as she is slowing and hibernating with one last beautiful flourish, I will follow her lead. For our winter classes this year, if you are seeking creative comfort, if you are seeking the joyful environment of nature, join us here at the Wharf. In our Christmas workshops, we are going back to our roots to celebrate the winter season. As always, we will be honouring nature by making with only locally grown British foliage and flowers, many gathered from our own wild canalside cutting garden.