IT’S hard to believe right now but in the coming months the herbaceous borders at Arley Hall will explode into colour.

Like most gardens there is little colour in January, but as spring draws in there will be a transformation that is stunning to behold.

Overseeing this transformation each year is a fascinating experience. Some things never change while we also know to expect a few surprises along the way.

All gardeners share this bond with the seasons. Our visitors do too and this year Arley Hall is opening its doors in March, a month earlier than usual so that people get to see a time in the garden that is usually hidden to them.

Sure, only the first signs of spring will be visible but it is still worth a visit.

It is an opportunity to see the skeleton of one of the region’s finest gardens or just have a wander along a scenic route.

The gardeners will also be around so feel free to stop and ask us questions about what we are doing or for advice about your own garden.

We will be only too happy to talk so I look forward to seeing you soon!

In the meantime, we are busy getting some big jobs completed in time for the reopening at Arley and this would be my advice to you.

January and February are good months to be getting some work done in the garden whether that be constructing a pond, putting some edging around a border or building a shed.

Get these kinds of jobs done now so that when the weather improves your time is not taken up with this kind of labour.

At Arley we are putting in some edging along the herbaceous borders as well as in the herb garden.

For nearly 100 years the latter was a children’s garden containing four large beds, each cultivated by succeeding members of the family living at Arley.

In 1969, after a period of disuse it was redesigned around a central stone ornament that had once sat on top of a building in Piccadilly Circus.

Today its uniform look makes for some symmetrical photography but the sights are matched by the smells of the rosemary, thyme, mint, sage and lavender.

Although the fabric of this garden is going to remain the same, the alterations we are making in ‘the off season’ will smarten up this area while still allowing it to be a feast for the senses.

Arley Hall is near Stretton and opens in March.

If you are using your sat nav the postcode is CW9 6NA.