THERE was a time when the farmers’ market was very well catered for on the ‘plants for the garden’ front. Ashleworth Plants were in the square opposite the café for years and Styles Nursery was out in Union Street by what is now the Celtic craft shop. The way this has dropped is something we are hoping to address this year with a new fortnightly plant nursery due to start in April and Tortworth Nursery continuing on the third Saturday; and of course the Lavender garden will be back too and Hotch Potch will have their vegetable plants in good time.

Throughout all this time Pat’s Plants has kept up the little space of plants just inside the square on the right. As well as growing traditional popular herbaceous plants, such a lupins, delphiniums and hollyhocks, Pat also grows lots of unusual varieties in smaller quantities therefore ensuring there is something different at every market. She also produces a large range of unusual spring, summer and autumn flowers from bulbs such as acidanthera, chincheree and ixia as well as a small range of hardy Alpines. Pat’s speciality is planting up an eclectic range of containers, many picked up in charity shops and junk shops, as well as the more standard reclaimed clay pots and wicker baskets. Pat is there every Saturday.

Elsewhere this week Liz Dart Stained Glass has a special guest sharing her stall this Saturday. Liz’s friend is Nicola Schellander battling cancer and will be there selling her beautiful mouth blown glass friendship balls. A percentage of each one sold goes to a charity called ChemoHero which is a charity bringing boxes of kindness to patients having chemotherapy. ChemoHero is on a Mission to make sure every Cancer patient receiving chemotherapy in North Devon receives a Box or Bag of Kindness that will see them through their treatments. The boxes and Bags of Kindness will contain useful and luxury products to help them with the side effects of their treatments along with a few added surprises that should create some fun loving memories! Meet Nicola on the Liz Dart Stained Glass stall in the square this Saturday.