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When I was at school we used to sing a song (to the tune of Men of Harlech) which went "Tramp up Snowdon, with our woad on. Never mind if we get rained or snowed on!" It was a sort of homage to our hardy ancestors running around painted with blue

Every morning before breakfast we go for a walk through the surrounding fields. We miss out on Sundays but are pretty conscientious every other day of the year. Except when it is absolutely tipping it down with rain - which, and this is a slight

. Apricot trees (Prunus ameniaca) grow particularly well there because of the south-western aspect and because, before the invention of the gutter, they got lots of rain - apricots need lots of water to prevent the fruit from splitting.I mention this because

. The stems are at least 3m tall and they bear vast leaves. It needs a fair bit of water so I planted it just by a downpipe on the house so it gets lots of rain.My second star plant is Persicaria polymorpha. It is planted by the door to the chicken shed

I have always found plants with big leaves fascinating. I love hearing raindrops pattering on leaf canopies whilst pushing through an overgrown path, surrounded by plants that are bigger than me. It is probably a deep-rooted jungle instinct. I have

I'm sorry to have to raise this issue but it is that time of year again. We are in the last few days of high summer as we slip into a mellow September. (Even though you could be forgiven for thinking October had arrived early judging by all the rain