After mum passed away last June I looked after her garden throughout the long process of selling the house. While doing this I had time to bring home her containerised plants and take cuttings, divisions and seeds from other ones she loved. On reflection, this was the best thing I could have done – wandering around my garden now, I have lots of lovely reminders of her right here.

Mum especially loved snowdrops and had clumps of them all over her garden as she divided them every year. Her collection included some special ones that were given to her by fellow Cottage Garden Society member, Sally Pasmore, three years ago. I had been promised some of them once they had bulked up, but Mum forgot where she had planted them – our searches in January 2014 and again last winter with reference books and photographs were in vain.

Mum’s house was sold early this New Year. When there for my last garden tidy-up I noticed that just one clump of snowdrops had surfaced – and on clearing up the dead leaves around them I was amazed to see the original label with them  – they were the snowdrops sent by Sally. I now have half of that clump here in my garden, and another happy memory of gardening with Mum.