Fortified by a well-earned coffee and cake, my pal J and I headed off towards the glasshouse at Wisley. I was very taken by this sculpture by British sculptor Sophie Ryder – if you look closely you can see that there is all manner of paraphernalia included in the work, including various gears and pieces of ‘found’ material. I love the energy of the piece, and how perfect it felt for spring, when everything is ebullient and bursting forth.

And then it’s into the Glasshouse, which has been spruced up for the new season and held all manner of delights. I loved this display of Spanish moss and bromeliads…

..and this very twisty cactus…

…and does anybody else think that this cactus looks like a rather macabre child’s toy? Maybe suitable for a young alien?

This cactus appears to have warts…

…and then there’s the orchid house…

Outside, there was another wonderful display of daffodils and narcissi.

Some more interesting pruning, this time of holly. I wonder how you’d do this? It looks as if the branches have been denuded, leaving just the growth on the end of each branch.

And how about the bark on these Tibetan cherry trees. It looks like it’s been polished with a fine leather.

These Egyptian geese have already hatched their ducklings. Yes, ducklings, because the Egyptian ‘goose’ is more closely related to shelducks than geese, and so is technically a duck. Don’t tell them, though. They’re very fierce for their size.

By the lakeside there are some tangled willows – Wisley is trying a lot of different ways to use willow, particularly in the vegetable garden where lots of the plant supports and protection are made using willow trimmings from elsewhere in the garden. It will be interesting to see what this particular example looks like when it grows up a bit.

Then we went for a walk along the riverside path. Lots of pink purslane about – this plant is originally from the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, but it’s been popping up in the UK for a couple of centuries. I feel a Wednesday Weed coming on….

By some mysterious force, dead trees in Wisley seem to turn into sculptures almost by magic. I’m glad to report that some standing dead wood is left au naturel. This is rather fine, though.

I love the natural look of this patch of daffodils emerging from the tall grass.

But then, there’s something very striking about this espalier of Chinese Redbud outside the garden centre too. I was using this photo as my Zoom background earlier this week and it made me look as if I had a pink halo. Readers, I can vouch for not having a halo of any description.

So, I’d never been to Wisley before, but I would definitely go back, I’m sure there’s something new to see in every season. It could not have been a more perfect day. So thanks to J, especially for helping me to retrieve my camera, and for being such a perfect guide.