ON a sunny, warm, summer afternoon visitors to our garden will often approach me and say something like: You are so lucky working outside but what do you do in winter?' To which I reply: We work outside!' Gardening as a professional is not a seasonal activity and often the preparation in winter is a vital part of your success in summer.

Bed preparation, pruning, planting, repairs to paths and drives and tree removal are all major jobs only possible in winter time.

Which takes me back to the events of January 18.

As Limited Edition went to press, we have just completed our second month of proper' gardening because since January 18 we have only just stopped clearing up after one of the most destructive storms in living memory.

For once the forecasts were right - the day started very windy indeed as the huge swirling mass approached from the Atlantic.

By 11am that day we stood and watched an old cherry tree battling the ever increasing wind until it finally gave up and was flicked out of the ground like a weed.

By lunchtime, the situation had worsened considerably and the decision was made to close the park and gardens and evacuate staff from all high-risk areas like glasshouses and pleasure gardens.

Like some sombre, overlong German opera, the wind gathered intensity and appeared to have no end.

The radios bristled with news of many large trees falling across the park and we could only guess at the fate of our large collection of rare and in some cases unique trees scattered across our garden.

I knew things were bad by 2pm when the boss ordered everyone home - an event as rare as the storm itself - enabling staff to get home relatively safely.

So, after the logical preparations of fuelling up the chainsaws and tractors for the next day, the gardeners left for home.

The head gardener and myself were left sat in the bothy waiting for the storm to pass, preparing for the next busy day and anxious to get out and see what we'd lost.

It is important to stress that real disasters were unfolding all across the west of the county, particularly in Knutsford where somebody died.

But in relative terms, the scene that confronted us, as the storm passed at around 5pm was a scene of devastation.

An inspection revealed around 18 trees lost, many damaged and limbs scattered everywhere.

Our pinatum and Japanese garden were hit the worst and our boundary fence breached in many places.

In true gardener's understatement, my diary entry for 18/01 read, Storm - much to do'.

But also in typical gardener's style, the boss was quick to point out what a great opportunity was ahead of us when it came to replanting and team work.

So here we are after Easter, missing a few old friends but busy planning all the work to catch up with and all the planting for next winter.

So when you come and visit us and witness the impact of the storm around the gardens, remember it is less about gaps and holes but more about potential and promise for the next 50 years.