Since the burgeoning of last May, the water in the ditch has been all but invisible, shrouded for the growing season, but never quietened. Our first cutbacks start with these banks, revealing them in sections and working closely with what grows there. We cleared a swathe in September to plant another thousand snakeshead fritillaries and moved on in early November to put the winter hats on the gunnera ahead of the first frosts. We paused and went back in during December in the areas where we know the snowdrops would soon be nosing, revealing the constancy of the water, section by section until we completed its silvery line.

The ditch is the first place to awaken as winter passes to spring and the lifeline provided by the water sustains and shapes the life that thrives there. Though it is an extension of the garden in terms of the feeling, it is way beyond what we could manage if we were to try and garden it. It also feels inappropriate to override the habitat on these wet slopes, so I work with the natural vegetation and the only significant work we do is the annual cutback. Adding bulbs, splitting primroses and keeping the sturdy perennials such as the Inula, Telekia and the Persicaria polymorpha from being overwhelmed until they are established are targeted extras.