Pelargonium addict? You need to go here!

And taking a deep dive on fear and control. It always ends up random.

Hello my dear friends, how are you?

I’ve been continuing my travel adventures in Suffolk and gathering so much inspiration for my exhibition this October. Last weekend I took the hubs, usually I go on my own but this time I’d booked a house viewing so I thought it a bit rude not to take my husband along. Anyway, long story short, it wasn’t right, so back to Rightmove. Or, maybe, we could just stay where we are…

This time I made a trip to my favourite growers/specialists- Wootens of Wenhaston. A marvellous nursery that specialises in auriculas and pelargoniums. Run by two knowledgeable and really friendly ladies, nothing is too much trouble and they are passionate plantswomen. This was only my second trip here in two years and I’ve realised I need to make the journey more often! You see, I’ve started to add fuel to my addiction. Long have I loved a scented leaf pelargonium and have kept a few going over the years, I’ve had my head turned by even more interesting varieties ‘species varieties’ rare, wild plants. My inner plant geek started jumping up and down- this could be my thing! I always admire the crazy plant addicts on Gardeners World when they have the biggest collection of something and they are so into one thing. I never imagined I’d ever want to narrow it down, but, now I get it! And so my collection of rare species pelargoniums begins. Last year I bought two, this year another two but as the nursery is online- I’ve already put my name on the waiting list for more. Actually, they have an amazing website where you can shop online easily, browse collections and if something isn’t in stock- you can put your name down for alerts. I’ve visited a few of pelargonium nurseries over the years but this is the best I’ve found for rare plants. I’m also a huge auricula fan and their collection (when in season) is vast!

I have a feeling this addiction could take over, I’ve considered this and decided I’m ok with it. If all I’m doing in my greenhouse from now till my end is propagating and growing a collection of pelargoniums- well, that’s time well spent in my opinion. Who knows, in twenty years time you’ll find me geeking out over them on Gardeners World…

The one above is one that wasn’t available to buy when I was there but I have my name on the waiting list and hopefully in six weeks time I will be the proud parent of this beautiful plant. I’m drawn to ones with really interesting leaves and how the stem ages, the flowers are a bonus but for me it’s all about the textures. I’m on a little bit of a mission to help the small independent growers. As I said, Wootens is run by wife and wife team Gill & Jen, they do everything themselves- watering, propagating, taking care of the plants and nursery, social media, website update, stock control. It’s never ending! You have to have a deep love to do this kind of work, it’s beautiful and also gruelling in equal measure, even more so with climate change. When we spoke at the weekend they were running out of water on site. They need to raise funds soon to put a borehole in. Until now they had been relying on a local farmer to top up the tanks which isn’t ideal. The nursery is in a field with no amenities, it’s beautiful but harsh. At some point, I think there will be a crowd funding page. But right now, if you want to start a healthy auricular or pelargonium addiction, I mean collection, then I’d be ever so grateful if you could visit their website or visit them. I’d hate to lose such a treasure! Find them at Wootensplants.

So back to my other addiction- Rightmove. It’s insane, I can’t seem to delete the app, it’s my internet crack. I’ve been obsessed with moving to Suffolk forever, it’s nothing new, I spend so much time there. Another failed viewing though had me asking, can I just learn to be content with where I am. And that in itself made me think about those amongst us that always crave more or something different. I love big change, it’s the unpredictability of it. I’ve talked about change a lot on here. I think my need/desire for change is a deeply routed one, I love how it makes me feel alive, even if the change is really hard. Actually the harder the better, I think it’s because I love to be in the figuring it out stage. Something I read made me think really hard about this, it was a couple of questions you should ask yourself before doing something risky or changing something big- What are you running towards? And, What are you running from? Ponder that one at your leisure. When I was younger and still when I was a single mother, I wouldn’t stop to think, I’d just jump. To plan on failing, having a back-up plan wasn’t an option, if I was planning on failing then how could it ever work…

I live in a pretty cottage with an amazing garden, I have two incredible daughters and the most supportive husband ever! I have my dream job. On paper, it’s everything I’ve ever manifested (before I even knew that was a word/thing). So why do I feel the need to still change everything… I ask a lot of these kind of questions, I find it helpful when I’m painting too. One answer is fear. Maybe I’m frightened of everything being perfect, actually what I’m frightened of is it all being taken away without my control. So is it a kind of sabotage? Am I constantly shaking things up so I’m in control… it’s an interesting debate that I’ll keep having I’m sure. What would life be like, if I just let the fear or control or whatever it is- go? And how does one actually do that? My answer- get a plant addiction. Plants are the answer to everything!

Anyway, I’ve rambled on enough.

Write soon,

Emma.