Yes, I know that we are still enjoying this year’s show, but now is the time to make a note/take a photo of what has and hasn’t worked and adjust ...
5th May 2017 • General • Read More »
Shiny, lustrous, rusty or painted, metals can be used both structurally and decoratively in your garden. Here are some ideas on how to use and care fo...
28th June 2015 • General • Read More »
The yellow-flowered Brugmansia in the courtyard was still in flower over Christmas and it wasn’t u...
17th January 2017 • Read More »
There’s always a plant that appears in several show gardens and catches my eye. Last year it was...
22nd May 2013 • Read More »
Shiny, lustrous, rusty or painted, metals can be used both structurally and decoratively in your gar...
28th June 2015 • Read More »Peat bogs cover just 3% of the earth’s surface but store 30% of the world’s carbon. The...
21st February 2020 • Read More »It’s true to say that most gardens in the UK are long and thin. These lend themselves well to trad...
15th January 2020 • Read More »I’ve just been to the annual Garden Press Event, where we get to see what’s new in the world of ...
4th March 2019 • Read More »An unexpected delivery of a microgreens growing kit from a company called Silly Greens reminded me j...
14th December 2018 • Read More »I can’t claim to have any climatic foresight, but last autumn I decided to take cuttings from the ...
13th April 2018 • Read More »I’m quite good at visiting far-flung castles, but for some reason those much closer to home are of...
30th March 2018 • Read More »It might not feel like it given the cold snap we've been experiencing recently but today is the firs...
20th March 2018 • Read More »Yes, I know that we are still enjoying this year’s show, but now is the time to make a note/take a...
5th May 2017 • Read More »Finally a modern approach to garden design in this practical book 'My Garden is a Car Park and o...
22nd January 2017 • Read More »January is when I gradually work my way round the garden, cutting away the old hellebore leaves, car...
19th January 2017 • Read More »The yellow-flowered Brugmansia in the courtyard was still in flower over Christmas and it wasn’t u...
17th January 2017 • Read More »Landlife is an organisation that has been promoting the use of wildflowers to enhance urban environm...
7th January 2017 • Read More »On our way back from New Zealand we spent a couple of nights in Singapore - for the second time in t...
5th January 2017 • Read More »We had been admiring the snow clad Southern Alps for some days as we travelled around and were gre...
2nd January 2017 • Read More »I suppose that given that we were not far from Middle Earth - or so the map indicated - I should...
30th December 2016 • Read More »As someone who has always struggled to keep lupins alive, what with woolly aphids, rot - and plants ...
29th December 2016 • Read More »Botanically, New Zealand is an extraordinary country. Because it drifted off from the rest of the wo...
23rd December 2016 • Read More »Star Jasmine grows quite well in sheltered areas of the UK, but it wasn't until I saw this magnifice...
21st December 2016 • Read More »Enroute to New Zealand, we spent a couple of night in Los Angeles and managed to visit the Getty V...
10th December 2016 • Read More »The silver-leaved tree fern is New Zealand's national plant. The undersides of the leaves really gl...
7th December 2016 • Read More »That’s a new collective noun invented by me to refer to our tree that is now laden with fruit that...
30th November 2016 • Read More »It has been a long and lovely autumn with some of the best autumn colour I have seen in many years.�...
25th November 2016 • Read More »I’m not sure I entirely believe predictions of a very cold winter, but just in case I’ve been gi...
22nd November 2016 • Read More »I feel as it I have spent most of the past month getting bulbs into the ground and into pots, and no...
19th November 2016 • Read More »I do like to sow my sweet peas in late autumn so that I can start picking them in June - and if I ha...
16th November 2016 • Read More »Back in early September when I was clearing and replanting the woodland part of the garden, I got ru...
31st October 2016 • Read More »Coinciding nicely with my foraging ventures in the garden, the publishers, Green Books, invited me t...
28th October 2016 • Read More »The new gardening book from the popular website ‘Gardenista’ has hit the shelves in good time fo...
9th October 2016 • Read More »I’m sure regular readers of my blog must think that I spend half my life at Great Dixter, but if ...
6th October 2016 • Read More »The part of the garden that I slightly grandiosely think of as the woodland area has become increasi...
30th September 2016 • Read More »If you need a colour fix before autumn-proper kicks in, there’s no better place to go than Great D...
28th September 2016 • Read More »Finding Scampston Hall Gardens couldn't be any easier, thanks in part to the straight Roman road...
27th September 2016 • Read More »The curly yellow climbing beans called Anellino giallo (I’m not being pretentious, they are Italia...
23rd September 2016 • Read More »As the courgettes and squashes that I planted in the straw bale bed start to die back, I’ve made a...
15th September 2016 • Read More »Sadly, some of my blight tolerant outdoor tomatoes have now succumbed. I have removed the worst af...
9th September 2016 • Read More »I’ve been carefully nurturing a selection of brassicas since I took delivery of them as plug plant...
6th September 2016 • Read More »Whether you're creating a garden for the first time or simply looking to update your garden then you...
3rd September 2016 • Read More »Sometimes a piece of equipment proves so useful that I want to share its virtues. Much as I would lo...
1st September 2016 • Read More »Things may have got off to a slow start, but suddenly the vegetable plot is delivering faster than w...
28th August 2016 • Read More »Rip City, my favourite dahlia, was obliterated in the border by the slugs, so it has been dug up a...
26th August 2016 • Read More »Back in the 17th century, canals became a must-have addition to the fashionable gardens of the day. ...
23rd August 2016 • Read More »In the course of my work I get sent many garden books to review - some I keep for reference, some I ...
20th August 2016 • Read More »When it comes to stylish interiors Scandinavia has it all going on and this often extends to the gar...
19th August 2016 • Read More »Now that I have more time for gardening, I’m reassessing some parts of the garden to see if I can ...
17th August 2016 • Read More »What with lack of space and other priorities I have pretty well given up sowing our own brassicas an...
8th August 2016 • Read More »Yes, I know we’ve barely had a summer and it is a bit depressing to be talking about spring bulbs ...
5th August 2016 • Read More »In 1971 I was in my early twenties and working for a design company in London when I picked up a cop...
30th July 2016 • Read More »On Friday I went to pick the crop from the cherry tree that we rent each year. Sadly, it was mar...
28th July 2016 • Read More »As the trees spread their shade in the garden, much of it consists of textures and shades of green, ...
26th July 2016 • Read More »Last weekend a friend invited a group of us to celebrate a landmark birthday at the former weekend h...
23rd July 2016 • Read More »With almost half a billion active users on Instagram there's no shortage of inspirational garden and...
19th July 2016 • Read More »Given that we haven’t yet had a summer worth mentioning, it may seem unnecessarily pessimistic, bu...
18th July 2016 • Read More »It was our local allotment association’s annual day out – and for the fourth time in five years�...
15th July 2016 • Read More »Well when you have one of the world’s great gardens nearby, it’s pretty irresistible. The team a...
13th July 2016 • Read More »The June issue of Gardens Illustrated has a feature (written by me as it happens) about this impress...
11th July 2016 • Read More »A tucked away garden near Battle held an evening open in aid of Great Dixter. Although it was no...
9th July 2016 • Read More »I’ve become a regular visitor to this nursery for lots of reasons: A good range of really intere...
7th July 2016 • Read More »Last month, after sixteen years, I stepped down as Gardens Editor on Country Living magazine. I’ve...
5th July 2016 • Read More »Every time it has bucketed down recently the garden has started to smell decidedly unpleasant. Ini...
2nd July 2016 • Read More »Ursula’s recommends growing sweetpeas up a circle of pig netting rather than a wigwam which narr...
30th June 2016 • Read More »About ten years ago I visited the ruins of Easton garden near Grantham in Lincolnshire. Easton has a...
27th June 2016 • Read More »Everything is growing skywards – the weather may bear little resemblance to summer, but the plants...
23rd June 2016 • Read More »Regular followers will know that I am a fan of Nicotiana mutabilis, but they are not the easiest pla...
21st June 2016 • Read More »I do love seeing plants growing in their natural habitat, especially when they grow nowhere else. I...
19th June 2016 • Read More »An unexpected delight on our recent visit to the Abruzzo National Park was that our stay coincided w...
16th June 2016 • Read More »I am never happier than when I’m amongst flowers growing in their natural habitat - especially whe...
10th June 2016 • Read More »Rebuilding the vegetable garden happened to coincide with the arrival of a book about straw bale gar...
1st June 2016 • Read More »...
26th May 2016 • Read More »If you love to walk in the woods and like wild places, there is much to please you at this year’s ...
24th May 2016 • Read More »Nicotiana mutabilis is such a lovely plant that I go to considerable lengths to have it in the garde...
21st May 2016 • Read More »I’ve been puzzled (but pleased ) by the near absence of slugs in the newly redesigned vegetable pl...
16th May 2016 • Read More »This is such a good idea. Clear your shed of old or broken hand tools between the 9th May and the ...
13th May 2016 • Read More »When winter seems reluctant to leave, we gardeners love to get outside and get on with things, but e...
29th April 2016 • Read More »When it comes to plant supports, Sarah Raven really has it sorted. I visited Perch Hill last weeke...
28th April 2016 • Read More »The tulips are just beginning to strut their stuff, although Exotic Emperor – a new variety to me ...
25th April 2016 • Read More »One of the things that I love about this time of year is that there is still time to pause and admir...
23rd April 2016 • Read More »I try to support plants with natural materials whenever possible, whether its runner beans, sweet ...
17th April 2016 • Read More »Visiting a famous garden is not just (generally) a delightful experience – it can also be a master...
15th April 2016 • Read More »The first batch of salads are now of pickable size - and some of the leaves actually make it as far ...
12th April 2016 • Read More »Bulbs can be naturalised in grass or in borders to make them look like wild flowers. The usual thing...
10th April 2016 • Read More »I have been in horticultural heaven this week with plenty of gardening at home, the visit to Sissi...
8th April 2016 • Read More »There’s much to be gained by visiting famous gardens early in the season before they get too busy....
6th April 2016 • Read More »By far the greater number of bluebells in my garden are the Spanish interlopers and I suspect it is ...
2nd April 2016 • Read More »It’s always nice when planning pays off and colour combinations turn out as you’ve hoped – and...
30th March 2016 • Read More »Spring seems to have ground to a bit of a halt and most of the perennials are still well hunkered do...
24th March 2016 • Read More »About the only good thing about a cold wind from the north is that it extends the flowering period o...
22nd March 2016 • Read More »Our hillside garden has high walls and many tall plants so there is quite a lot of what the Health &...
20th March 2016 • Read More »There’s more to your spring garden than daffodils, crocuses and tulips. Yet so embedded are these ...
6th March 2016 • Read More »I would love to have paperwhite narcissi indoors, but Andrew can’t bear the smell of them so I n...
6th March 2016 • Read More »If you can’t make it to the exhibition at the Royal Academy - or just want more - a new film will ...
2nd March 2016 • Read More »The corner underneath the mimosa tree has been looking rather sad and neglected. It’s a difficul...
1st March 2016 • Read More »I’ve recently bought some solar lights to illuminate the steps from our entrance to the front door...
27th February 2016 • Read More »I’m keen to get on with sowing and growing, but until today I have held back because each time I w...
21st February 2016 • Read More »On a grey, damp February day I went to see the wonderful exhibition at The Royal Academy ‘Painti...
14th February 2016 • Read More »This video takes a look at two pairs of secateurs. The Okasune secateurs from Niwaki and a pair of...
7th February 2016 • Read More »In the past I haven’t grown enough broad beans, so this year I’m planning a bit of successiona...
3rd February 2016 • Read More »Hugelkultur is a permaculture technique that is usually used to create a raised bed on a flat piece ...
23rd January 2016 • Read More »My small potager has expanded piecemeal over the years in a fairly unplanned and inefficient way, ad...
19th January 2016 • Read More »Other than puddle hopping, there’s not much to be done outside when it’s bucketing down, so on a...
16th January 2016 • Read More »I have to confess to being a serial secateur abuser – I should know better, and I certainly advise...
14th January 2016 • Read More »With rumours of (the probably temporary) arrival of cold weather, I decided that it was time to tuck...
7th January 2016 • Read More »The gales have swung round to the south (us coastal dwellers know our wind directions!) and our usua...
24th December 2015 • Read More »As autumn leaves continue to drift past my window (well those that haven’t been blasted into the ...
15th December 2015 • Read More »While the weather kept me out of the garden I’ve been doing some shopping. Most recently at Hi Fes...
12th December 2015 • Read More »I went to an event at Dixter on a decidedly wet and blustery day - and braved the weather for long e...
8th December 2015 • Read More »Regular readers will know that I am rather keen on art that is about - or features in some way - an...
5th December 2015 • Read More »With a couple of hours to spare in London I took myself off to the V&A Museum in pursuit of exam...
25th November 2015 • Read More »Seems that finally - after this long, warm autumn - the cold weather is about to arrive. With this i...
22nd November 2015 • Read More »This year I planted my sweet peas in a large galvanised water tank and once they had finished flower...
16th November 2015 • Read More »Sometimes when I go to a far flung event I’m a bit like one of those gymkhana ponies that comes t...
14th November 2015 • Read More »The ‘Terrain’ late cropping peas and mangetout ‘Sweet Horizon’ that I was given to trial by ...
13th November 2015 • Read More »As someone with a bit of an obsession about plants and gardening, I do love looking at botanical det...
10th November 2015 • Read More »Having successfully crammed my possessions into half of my suitcase for the trip home, I spent a ver...
7th November 2015 • Read More »There are few places that surpass one’s expectations, but Venice is definitely one of them and a ...
5th November 2015 • Read More »Looking back on it now I fail to see the fun in apple bobbing but for some bizarre reason, fun it wa...
28th October 2015 • Read More »I’m now firmly of the opinion that the Great Dixter Plant Fair is my favourite horticultural event...
18th October 2015 • Read More »While I’m as beguiled as the next person by pretty cottage garden style planting that you see at t...
14th October 2015 • Read More »The greenhouse tomatoes are coming to an end – but what an end with four giant Brandywines. I’v...
5th October 2015 • Read More »If you're anything like me you'll need to know your plants are well watered during the warm summer m...
30th September 2015 • Read More »At the Thompson & Morgan press day a couple of months ago we were all given packets of Terrain p...
27th September 2015 • Read More »It’s often the case (for me anyway) that gardens that are quite nearby get overlooked – I th...
25th September 2015 • Read More »I find myself in the grip of various emotions when I visit Perch Hill – awestruck by the consisten...
17th September 2015 • Read More »Up until now I’ve always mourned the passing of the fresh cherry season because it meant the end o...
7th September 2015 • Read More »I’ve been testing some blight resistant tomato varieties sent to me by www.organicplants.co.uk and...
5th September 2015 • Read More »I’m sure that Logan is still lovely on an overcast day (of which Scotland has a few) but it was at...
31st August 2015 • Read More »There’s a lovely little ferry that takes just 5 minutes to cross from the northern tip of Bute to ...
29th August 2015 • Read More »The sunken fernery has had a chequered history since its heyday in the 19th century when it was an...
26th August 2015 • Read More »The last time I visited Mount Stuart was shortly after the estimable James Alexander Sinclair had de...
24th August 2015 • Read More »It’s a few years since I last visited Bute and despite the 35-minute ferry crossing being eye-wi...
22nd August 2015 • Read More »Another glorious day in Scotland - and another wonderful garden. The annual flower mixes clea...
20th August 2015 • Read More »I’ve recently been to a press preview of new varieties from the Ipswich seed company and have whit...
12th August 2015 • Read More »I first read about this event in Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book when she wrote that ‘The great ev...
10th August 2015 • Read More »I’m not quite sure who decides these things, but Montresor was certainly very lovely. Given this a...
7th August 2015 • Read More »I may have arrived too late for Chedigny’s official Rose Festival but there was still an abundanc...
5th August 2015 • Read More »I’ve been on my travels again – this time to the Loire Valley - a place that is dear to my heart...
29th July 2015 • Read More »It’s worth rising early in Chinon to walk through quiet streets and really absorb the atmosphere o...
29th July 2015 • Read More »There have been times in the past several years since I planted the apricot tree that I have serious...
25th July 2015 • Read More »I recently had a wonderful day at one of Rosebie Morton’s Rose Days at her farm in a deeply rural ...
17th July 2015 • Read More »If you call into Costa Coffee and pick up a free recycled coffee bean bag of used coffee grounds to...
16th July 2015 • Read More »Last year I begged a few seedheads of a dark flowered poppy from a friend in Devon and scattered th...
11th July 2015 • Read More »When you travel hundreds of miles to see a garden there is always the slight worry that it might be ...
9th July 2015 • Read More »...
7th July 2015 • Read More »As I went around the garden moving pots of young plants to spots that will survive my absence throu...
6th July 2015 • Read More »Arne is one of our foremost garden designers, so his own garden - tucked away in its own private val...
2nd July 2015 • Read More »This has to be the best year I can remember for roses with the cool nights keeping them in peak cond...
30th June 2015 • Read More »Shiny, lustrous, rusty or painted, metals can be used both structurally and decoratively in your gar...
28th June 2015 • Read More »Visiting friends in Monmouthshire, we thought Andy Goldsworthy had been at work when we saw these wo...
24th June 2015 • Read More »There are lots of alternative fruit trees worth considering for the garden. Most have slipped out o...
20th June 2015 • Read More »Lonicera tragophylla has fabulous deep yellow flowers and right now it is weaving all the way throug...
14th June 2015 • Read More »Around the time of the millennium I went to the Courson Plant Fair just outside Paris. It is a wonde...
2nd June 2015 • Read More »I’ve been trawling through my many images of Chelsea and. Some are just for admiring – others I ...
30th May 2015 • Read More »Right now the apricot tree is so laden with fruit that I fear that branches will break under their w...
26th May 2015 • Read More »I was very taken by the Karro Wheelbarrow. Lightweight, robust and durable with a large wheel (this ...
22nd May 2015 • Read More »Hmm......... Not everything at Chelsea is beautiful - it was a close run thing to choose the object...
20th May 2015 • Read More »Chelsea isn't just about show gardens and a pavilion bursting with blooms. There are all manner of t...
19th May 2015 • Read More »Mahonia Soft Caress is a fairly new plant that is so very different from its prickly, upright and at...
19th May 2015 • Read More »Sarah Cook's collection of the subtly beautiful Cedric Morris irises took my breath away and th...
19th May 2015 • Read More »I am fond of this strange mutant rose, but for some reason this year the flowers aren’t green. I...
18th May 2015 • Read More »I had hoped to get all my tomatoes planted in the greenhouse before Chelsea, but as only two of the ...
17th May 2015 • Read More »I do love the Malvern Show, especially now that the showground has been revamped so that the Hills c...
10th May 2015 • Read More »It’s been a vintage year for tulips I’ve picked up some useful tips, ideas and new varieties ·...
8th May 2015 • Read More »I find I have variable success with growing spinach – too early and it sulks, too late and it romp...
5th May 2015 • Read More »When it comes to gardening it's often the flowers that grab the attention and almost everyone seems ...
2nd May 2015 • Read More »Bird feeders and insect hotels and nest boxes are generally rather utilitarian or rustic, but the ...
29th April 2015 • Read More »This is a particularly good year for tulips, so I took a detour on the way home from Woolbeding t...
23rd April 2015 • Read More »Making a garden tricky to visit is the horticul...
20th April 2015 • Read More »I was recently a panel member on a Q&A session with the wonderful Jekka McVicar – Queen of Her...
13th April 2015 • Read More »I hate plastic labels, but I haven’t been able to find an affordable wooden alternative - until ...
11th April 2015 • Read More »Over the years I have tried many potting composts, some good, some bad and some that varied between ...
7th April 2015 • Read More »I’ve just been for my first outing with the East Sussex group of the Cottage Garden Society. The n...
26th March 2015 • Read More »I’ve just prepared my bean trench and sown broad beans and peas – all quite straightforward and...
23rd March 2015 • Read More »Word has it that the wonderful magnolias at Borde Hill Garden, near Haywards Heath are at their mag...
21st March 2015 • Read More »These few weeks before the weeds really get going and the slugs and snails start to munch everything...
19th March 2015 • Read More »This Friday (20th March) I will be joining herb expert Jekka McVicar and garden designer Lucy Summe...
16th March 2015 • Read More »If ever there is a sight to lift my heart, it is seeing the mimosa tree in full bloom against a clo...
15th March 2015 • Read More »Now that it is feeling more and more like spring, I decided the moment had arrived to cut the old f...
13th March 2015 • Read More »Every now and again I do manage to follow my own advice and get things done at the right time of ye...
11th March 2015 • Read More »Having the heated propagator in the greenhouse has made all the difference to my seed sowing. No mo...
6th March 2015 • Read More »I love the many colour variations you get with hellebores - even the less successful natural cr...
3rd March 2015 • Read More »Why anyone would visit a garden in the winter is a bit of a mystery to the non-enthusiast, but for t...
24th February 2015 • Read More »Warm sunshine, barely a breeze and the flowers are unfurling, birds singing and bees of every shape ...
20th February 2015 • Read More »Until recently the overwintering seedlings and early sown seeds have shown very little above soil ac...
17th February 2015 • Read More »Our dilapidated old garage might have been pretty useless for housing our car, but its ivy-smothered...
31st January 2015 • Read More »In my earlier post about Sir Paul Smith, I wrote about the role of green as the anchor that holds ev...
24th January 2015 • Read More »Last week I somewhat reluctantly took the train to London for a second day in a row to attend the la...
21st January 2015 • Read More »In the Garden In the Greenhouse In the Kitchen ...
14th January 2015 • Read More »Our tree was fading fast from glossy green to grey green – it was time for it to go. The decorati...
7th January 2015 • Read More »The crisp bright days over the holidays have ensured that I have been in the garden whenever possibl...
4th January 2015 • Read More »Some years we get little or no frost in the garden, but this year we have already had a few and ther...
29th December 2014 • Read More »There’s a new year promise of a totally blight-free outdoor tomato from Suttons Seeds. If you, l...
17th December 2014 • Read More »Titus decided to get into the festive spirit while we were in the garden and climb up into one of th...
15th December 2014 • Read More »Camellia ‘Quintessence’ is the perfect camellia for growing in a container. It is slow growing w...
14th December 2014 • Read More »Carolyn Dunster absolutely loves roses - she trained in floristry so that she could arrange them, sh...
12th December 2014 • Read More »Genus Performance Garden Wear (for men and women) is similar to the technical clothing worn by mount...
9th December 2014 • Read More »Tulips look wonderful weaving through borders or massed in pots, but they can also a...
6th December 2014 • Read More »If you have the space for this very large plant – common name Giant Sea Holly – it really is a...
4th December 2014 • Read More »I finally got around to cleaning the loose skins off the onions and making them into a plait. Rath...
29th November 2014 • Read More »As I sat eating my morning muesli I looked at my lovely lime tree overwintering on the kitchen windo...
28th November 2014 • Read More »The latest issue of the wondrous Hole & Corner magazine is hot of the press and in amongst many ...
25th November 2014 • Read More »It’s not just the jolly colours of the Nordic Grip Wets that make them great winter footwear in ...
23rd November 2014 • Read More »On our visit to Cranbourne Botanic Garden, the curator pointed out the Australian version of our mis...
21st November 2014 • Read More »It’s not until you get to Australia that you realise that eucalyptus has adapted itself to just ...
19th November 2014 • Read More »One of the highlights of the visit to Singapore was our visit to the Gardens by the Bay. I read a lo...
17th November 2014 • Read More »This is the Aboriginal name for the climbing vine Pandorea pandorana - and absolutely nothing to do ...
15th November 2014 • Read More »We may have been in the wrong places at the wrong times, and we didn’t have a local botanist gui...
13th November 2014 • Read More »I’m going to deviate briefly from the generally botanical and horticultural vein of my postings t...
11th November 2014 • Read More »In general I was surprised at how low key (and often diminutive) the wildflowers were in Victoria an...
9th November 2014 • Read More »Regular readers of the blog will probably recall how much I loved the Australian garden that won Bes...
7th November 2014 • Read More »Quite a lot of entertainment when it comes to the common names of some of the indigenous Australian ...
6th November 2014 • Read More »We had the great good fortune to spend a morning on a guided walk in the National Parks coastal fore...
5th November 2014 • Read More »We paid a brief visit to the botanic garden in central Melbourne which is much more traditional in ...
4th November 2014 • Read More »It’s not until you are in Australia that you appreciate how ever-present the danger of fire is in ...
3rd November 2014 • Read More »There was a time when botanic gardens were dull affairs that could only be of interest to the seriou...
2nd November 2014 • Read More »Apologies all for my absence from the world of blogging – but I’m back with many tales and ima...
1st November 2014 • Read More »Snail Shell Cane Topper An abandoned snail shell makes for an attractive cane topper. Bamboo canes ...
28th October 2014 • Read More »In the same way that you might put a picture on the wall in your home with the good fortune of a wal...
23rd October 2014 • Read More »As a bit of a snake-phobic, my introduction to the part of the Melbourne Botanic Garden which is si...
20th October 2014 • Read More »Apparently the seeds of the sago palm are of such uniform size and weight that they were used by t...
19th October 2014 • Read More »As we pootled around the Botanic Garden in Nigel Taylor’s buggy admiring our surroundings we spott...
18th October 2014 • Read More »Given the crowded nature of Singapore it is wonderfully green with ribbons of trees and shrubs weavi...
17th October 2014 • Read More »We spent an entire morning at the Botanic Garden which includes the Orchid Garden within it. We had ...
15th October 2014 • Read More »En route to Australia we spent two nights in Singapore. It is an extraordinary place and left and ...
14th October 2014 • Read More »I’m about to depart these shores for the best part of a month (and will be blogging about my trave...
9th October 2014 • Read More »The autumn plant fair at Dixter just gets better and better - and going there on a day of cloudless ...
7th October 2014 • Read More »The magnolia grandiflora ‘Goliath’ continues to flower, but the blooms are near the top of the ...
3rd October 2014 • Read More »Earlier in the year a friend gave me a lovely Brugmansia (once known as Datura) complete with five ...
1st October 2014 • Read More »I’ve been taking lots of cuttings of half hardy plants over the last couple of weeks – the warm...
29th September 2014 • Read More »We’ve just returned from a weekend in Gibraltar where we were celebrating two friends' landmark b...
22nd September 2014 • Read More »I’ve been back to Loseley Park to see its borders in early autumn and found thrillingly vibrant ...
20th September 2014 • Read More »Recently, after the first signs of blight appeared on my outdoor tomatoes I picked the crop rather t...
18th September 2014 • Read More »Raspberries are delicious – it’s hard to think of anyone who doesn’t love them – especially ...
16th September 2014 • Read More »While many of the plants in the garden are looking a bit dusty and past their best and are needing a...
13th September 2014 • Read More »There can’t be a more aptly named flower than Ipomoea ‘Heavenly Blue’ – the morning glory. ...
9th September 2014 • Read More »It’s been a while since I last visited Bowood House and they have been very busy doing interesting...
4th September 2014 • Read More »Regular readers of this blog will know that never a year goes by that I don’t say ‘I’m never g...
2nd September 2014 • Read More »Keith Whiley is a remarkable man. I first saw his work at The Garden House in Buckland Monachorum wh...
28th August 2014 • Read More »This blue flax lily is useful in a very dry spot at the foot of a wall where it usually remains pre...
22nd August 2014 • Read More »I gave up growing acanthus some years ago because the leaves become so ugly in late summer when mil...
20th August 2014 • Read More »Thompson & Morgan have been doing some research on growing potatoes in containers and have discover...
16th August 2014 • Read More »I’ve somehow never got around to running water to any point in the garden where we could have a pr...
12th August 2014 • Read More »Gardening Team of Stephen Brockhurst, Head Gardener Kevin Martin at the piano, Dawn Aldridge & G...
11th August 2014 • Read More »I was invited to look round Thompson & Morgan’s trial grounds this week and of all the flowers...
8th August 2014 • Read More »Picking this lovely selection of tomatoes from the greenhouse it occurred to me that the days are ...
7th August 2014 • Read More »On my recent Swedish visit I was bowled over by this wonderful species rambling rose – in Sweden...
6th August 2014 • Read More »I sometimes wonder why I bother growing this bulb/corm – its foliage is rather unremarkable and ma...
4th August 2014 • Read More »I wish I could say that our apricot tree provides us with a magnificent crop, but the truth of the...
30th July 2014 • Read More »During my recent visit to the island of Oland I stayed in a characterful guesthouse called Bo Pensi...
26th July 2014 • Read More »The citrus trees are thriving in the hot, sunny weather. There’s loads of blossom and young fruit...
22nd July 2014 • Read More »Unless you diligently dead-head your annuals you'll likely find an abundance of seed heads replacing...
20th July 2014 • Read More »It’s the time of year when it’s tempting to introduce some colour into the borders while waiting...
19th July 2014 • Read More »For the full time gardening students at Capellagarden, the year runs from March to September. At ...
16th July 2014 • Read More »The wonderful thing about writing about gardens and gardening is that you get to go to some amazing ...
15th July 2014 • Read More »Illustrating the Jordan’s philosophy of growing their cereals in an environment that embraces wil...
13th July 2014 • Read More »Chew Valley Trees garden transported me back to my recent visit to Sweden (about which I will blog ...
12th July 2014 • Read More »Vestra Wealth’s garden was full of great detailing - combined with some of the best planting in t...
12th July 2014 • Read More »Alexandra Froggatt may be self-taught and is still very young, but that didn’t stop her winning ...
11th July 2014 • Read More »Another worthy Gold Medal (and Best Summer Garden) winner was A Space to Connect & Grow designed by...
11th July 2014 • Read More »In October I’m off to Australia for my first visit - with the Melbourne Botanic Garden as one of ...
10th July 2014 • Read More »We are all devotees of the Japanese style workwear made by Kiraku Clothing – Monty’s blue denim ...
9th July 2014 • Read More »If you find yourself in East Sussex on July 15th, this beautiful garden will be open in aid of St Mi...
3rd July 2014 • Read More »I do like a productive garden, especially when it has glasshouses and potting sheds. Those at Petw...
1st July 2014 • Read More »Although there is a wonderful sense of enclosure in the walled gardens at Petworth House, there is ...
29th June 2014 • Read More »Nope, me neither - but now I know that this means a series of rooms - or in this case walled gardens...
27th June 2014 • Read More »The Garden Museum’s second annual festival of garden literature in the private gardens of Petworth...
25th June 2014 • Read More »I refer to the ‘majus’ bit – the ammi are currently averaging two metres tall and have long ou...
21st June 2014 • Read More »My trusty Panasonic Lumix camera had developed some patches of fogging on the lens and I was beginni...
20th June 2014 • Read More »So I went to the shops to buy some milk and as I passed my favourite antique shop they were unpackin...
19th June 2014 • Read More »If ever there were plants that have their own ideas about where they will grow it is members of the ...
17th June 2014 • Read More »When it comes to creating a relaxing outdoor space, it is easy to get carried away with elaborate de...
15th June 2014 • Read More »Isn’t it wonderful when you go back somewhere and it is as good, or even better than you remember?...
10th June 2014 • Read More »Despite our local weather forecaster having informed us that it is currently the European Monsoon Se...
5th June 2014 • Read More »Of the many wonderful things I saw at Chelsea, it was the white planting on the Hillier Nursery sta...
3rd June 2014 • Read More »The Discovery Zone at Chelsea has really upped its game with stands that intrigue and inform. Shallo...
1st June 2014 • Read More »Back before he was famous, important, an RHS worthy - and made silly films with Joe Swift and Cleve ...
30th May 2014 • Read More »To my great joy I have finally found a product that fixes broken terracotta really effectively. Gor...
29th May 2014 • Read More »There is no point in growing salads at ground level in our garden – they disappear overnight as pl...
27th May 2014 • Read More »Cleve West’s Paradise garden had two distinct areas of planting, both equally wonderful, but I was...
24th May 2014 • Read More »Regular readers of my blog will know that I spend as much time constructing or installing barriers ...
23rd May 2014 • Read More »Talking to the lovely couple on the Leeds District Allotment Stand in the Great Pavilion, they told ...
23rd May 2014 • Read More »You heard it here first folks – Lunaria ‘Chedglow’. I first saw this darkly refined relative o...
22nd May 2014 • Read More »Big Green Egg makes the crème de la crème of barbecues. They also (as far as I’m concerned) made...
22nd May 2014 • Read More »Apparently the Vikings used to row their longboats silently along rivers, reaching far inland so tha...
21st May 2014 • Read More »I’m not surprised that the Laurent Perrier Garden won Best in Show at Chelsea – in amongst all t...
21st May 2014 • Read More »There are always certain plants that put in repeat performances throughout the show gardens at Chels...
20th May 2014 • Read More »by Daniel Carruthers The Chelsea Flower Show, now in it's 101st year, is revered for its wonderful g...
19th May 2014 • Read More »by Daniel Carruthers Now in its 101st year the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the flagship gardening sho...
18th May 2014 • Read More »I’m lucky enough to have Great Dixter as one of my local gardens, so I can pop in regularly to see...
17th May 2014 • Read More »The Walled Nursery at Hawkhurst is very good at arranging events to encourage repeat visits to the n...
14th May 2014 • Read More »A feature recently appeared in the Telegraph about tulips that reliably re-flower year after year at...
12th May 2014 • Read More »Sarah Raven’s garden at Perch Hill has just held the first in this year’s series of open days. ...
5th May 2014 • Read More »I’ve been getting press releases from the discount stores promoting their ranges of garden product...
3rd May 2014 • Read More »I’ve just returned from Merriments Nursery (Hurst Green, East Sussex) where I was preparing for a...
1st May 2014 • Read More »The combination of coppiced hazel and hornbeam has made a wonderful arbour for the sweet peas whic...
27th April 2014 • Read More »I love this time of year, the days are getting longer, the tulips are out in force and there's plent...
26th April 2014 • Read More »With the right conditions, tomatoes do love to grow and if you haven’t got going yet it’s not to...
25th April 2014 • Read More »Smyrmium perfoliatum is not the most attractive of plant names, but I’m delighted that I’ve fin...
23rd April 2014 • Read More »The Chelsea Physic Garden is looking glorious right now and visiting on a day of cloudless sunshine ...
19th April 2014 • Read More »The tulips are in their prime right now and this gallery is a reminder that all the effort involved ...
16th April 2014 • Read More »Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It is very easy to cross breed narcissus - and daf...
12th April 2014 • Read More »If so, Alan Titchmarsh would like to know. To mark his 50th year in horticulture he is on the looko...
10th April 2014 • Read More »Erythronium Bluebell - I suspect a hybrid between the wild bluebell and its Spanish cousin, bot...
9th April 2014 • Read More »I’ve recently visited the cobnut farm where they generously allow me to cram my car with their pr...
8th April 2014 • Read More »This is the time of year when euphorbias really come into their own as a perfect foil for spring b...
7th April 2014 • Read More »by Daniel Carruthers I'd like to think I am fairly organised when it comes to the garden but last y...
6th April 2014 • Read More »Great excitement the other day when I spotted a stunning collection of vintage rhubarb forcers in th...
5th April 2014 • Read More »I’ve had a spring delivery of plug plants from Plant Me Now and will be planting up some new conta...
3rd April 2014 • Read More »Get the conditions right and nothing likes to grow quite as much as tomatoes – I started this yea...
29th March 2014 • Read More »I decided it was time to deal with the glut of self-sown hellebore seedlings and pot some up to gro...
28th March 2014 • Read More »Back when I was a young stripling, I worked at Ingwersen’s Alpine Nursery (sadly no longer) whic...
26th March 2014 • Read More »I do love grape hyacinths - they are the perfect companions for dwarf narcissus - but only when gro...
25th March 2014 • Read More »Evolution Plants near Bradford on Avon is holding a special open day on the 10th of May when the pub...
23rd March 2014 • Read More »A scheme in Scotland has come up with a roundabout way to grow flowers to help boost the bees. A st...
21st March 2014 • Read More »Borde Hill Garden near Haywards Heath is rightly famous for its collection of mature magnolia trees...
18th March 2014 • Read More »If, like me, you are a fan of Dianthus carthusianorum with its vibrantly pink-flowers on tall wiry s...
16th March 2014 • Read More »Fiskars makes some of the best garden tools on the market and continue to manufacture their products...
14th March 2014 • Read More »Suttons Seeds have redesigned the chive – well not really - but they do have a new variety called ...
12th March 2014 • Read More »One of my tasks (pleasures) this week will be to go round the garden and give all the summer and aut...
10th March 2014 • Read More »Everywhere I look in the garden the ground is thick with hellebore seedlings – I can scarcely cred...
8th March 2014 • Read More »With the welcome arrival of spring, it’s not just the beds and borders that are bursting with life...
7th March 2014 • Read More »It’s not just me who is enjoying the newly arrived and glorious spring weather – as I type this ...
5th March 2014 • Read More »Elka is my new favourite miniature narcissus. With a lovely subtle colour and delicate flowers, it ...
1st March 2014 • Read More »The current issue of Gardening Which has a report on a selection of seed composts. It is noticeable...
26th February 2014 • Read More »I’ve ordered some of Royal Mails new Spring Bloom stamps to put on birthday cards and other cheer...
24th February 2014 • Read More »Regular readers of the blog will know that I post an annual peon of praise to this delightful crocus...
21st February 2014 • Read More »I have a nasty feeling than many of the tulips that I planted last autumn are going to succumb to va...
19th February 2014 • Read More »Although I am holding off sowing seeds that need more nurturing than I can provide if the weather t...
17th February 2014 • Read More »High winds across the country last night will have seen a number of cheap greenhouses disappearing i...
13th February 2014 • Read More »Rather than let the remaining flowers on the mimosa tree be ripped off by the wind, I cut a coupl...
8th February 2014 • Read More »My poor mimosa is not enjoying this wet and windy weather. In previous years it has bloomed happily ...
6th February 2014 • Read More »Sure enough, no sooner have I spotted ill-advised young shoots on my lemon verbena than the forecast...
3rd February 2014 • Read More »Gardeners are thoughtful and careful planners. What to plant next, where to plant, when to plant for...
2nd February 2014 • Read More »For bird lovers, Valentine’s Day is about more than hearts and flowers – it also marks the start...
1st February 2014 • Read More »Hooray, hooray, hooray – someone has organised a pot recycling scheme so that all our surplus plas...
30th January 2014 • Read More »I've sorted through my stash of seeds before I put in this year's order so that I only buy what is n...
29th January 2014 • Read More »I've been getting into the garden whenever possible to tidy the borders. The most unexpected discove...
27th January 2014 • Read More »Garden Designer Arne Maynard is running a series of courses in June based at Allt-y-Bela his magical...
25th January 2014 • Read More »A dry sunny day gave me the opportunity to do some tidying in the garden. In amongst the expected d...
23rd January 2014 • Read More »There’s a camellia bush outside one of my neighbours’ houses that has an early flowering camel...
21st January 2014 • Read More »Claire, our local interior designer, recently borrowed a few bits and pieces from me for her lates...
19th January 2014 • Read More »Dark, damp, depressing, just the weather to escape into the greenhouse. Not got a greenhouse then ge...
17th January 2014 • Read More »My tame tree surgeon delivered a heap of fresh oak chippings a couple of days ago. His tipper truck ...
15th January 2014 • Read More »It may be miserably, cold and wet out in the garden but now is exactly the right time to be thinking...
13th January 2014 • Read More »I have some vintage tiny tom terracotta pots that I planted with individual Iris reticulata in the a...
11th January 2014 • Read More »I know I do bang on about it, but autumn sowing of hardy annuals in a greenhouse or coldframe really...
9th January 2014 • Read More »Wandering round the rain-sodden, wind-blasted garden, it’s a delight to see how much is happening....
7th January 2014 • Read More »Over New Year I went to the Stanley Spencer exhibition ‘Heaven in a Hell of a War’ at Somerset H...
2nd January 2014 • Read More »Now you know the difference between Spanish and Native bluebells. I...
31st December 2013 • Read More »I’ve had these birds for years and they get an outing every Christmas – sometimes perching on ba...
25th December 2013 • Read More »I’m revelling right now in the wonders of Geranium Palmatum. It loves the conditions in our she...
22nd December 2013 • Read More »The iris reticulata are so enjoying the continued mild weather that they look as if they may be bloo...
19th December 2013 • Read More »Our garden is pretty secure thanks to a high wall with access only through a door with an entryphone...
14th December 2013 • Read More »The advantage of sowing sweet peas in autumn is that you get a plant with a very well-developed root...
11th December 2013 • Read More »I was looking up into the quince tree, willing it to drop all its leaves before I return the leafblo...
9th December 2013 • Read More »In the sixteen years I’ve lived in this house I’ve had some minor tree surgery done on the tuli...
5th December 2013 • Read More »Leafblowers are generally something I avoid – too noisy, too heavy and too powerful, resulting in ...
3rd December 2013 • Read More »I’m not sure whether the hydrangeas are still catching up from their late start this year, but flo...
27th November 2013 • Read More »It was a beautiful day when I went to the Great Dixter Christmas Fair so I took the opportunity and ...
25th November 2013 • Read More »It’s great when the garden provides a convenient solution to a problem. Even here at the coast, m...
22nd November 2013 • Read More »On our recent trip to Spain we visited some lovely courtyard gardens in Cordoba and the surrounding ...
21st November 2013 • Read More »If you live in East Sussex and would like to improve your techniques for looking after your beds and...
14th November 2013 • Read More »Avid readers of my blog will know that from time to time I recommend something that I pa...
11th November 2013 • Read More »Quite rightly, the RHS is doing its best to enthuse school leavers to consider a career in horticu...
9th November 2013 • Read More »Fingers crossed the new 10 part series coming to BBC2 should be a treat to watch, with horticultur...
6th November 2013 • Read More »There’s a stunning exhibition of artist Anny Evason’s drawings of the gardens at Great Dixt...
4th November 2013 • Read More »So, to make membrillo first wash, peel and core your quinces – then put them in a pan covered w...
1st November 2013 • Read More »The quince tree was looking a picture, laden with fruit that scented the air on warm days, but when ...
29th October 2013 • Read More »The citrus trees have had a wonderful summer out of doors, but I’m keeping an eye on the forecast ...
27th October 2013 • Read More »I’ve been harvesting my squash and pumpkins and thought it might be useful to pass on a tip if you...
25th October 2013 • Read More »by Daniel Carruthers Where to start ? A search on google for the term 'lawnmowers' brings up 6,550,...
23rd October 2013 • Read More »On our recent trip to Spain we stayed in a wonderful place deep in the countryside, but little more ...
19th October 2013 • Read More »Tom Mitchell is a man in the grips of an obsession, with a wonderful turn of phrase and an interesti...
17th October 2013 • Read More »My garden has many shady areas, and after years of optimistically thinking that my favourite plants ...
15th October 2013 • Read More »Throughout the gardens of the Palaces and the Generalife, there are wonderful architectural details ...
14th October 2013 • Read More »I've finally been to the Alhambra and it did not disappoint (except for the crowds). It is a place ...
12th October 2013 • Read More »There’s something immensely satisfying about visiting an iconic garden like Great Dixter and then ...
5th October 2013 • Read More »It just so happens that both Sissinghurst and Great Dixter are within half an hour’s drive of home...
3rd October 2013 • Read More »The quince tree was supposed to be removed when the new landscaping was done in the garden, but when...
1st October 2013 • Read More »One of my buys from Derry Watkins Special Plants Nursery near Bath was Salvia ‘Amistad’ – I lo...
29th September 2013 • Read More »Gladiolus murielae is a plant that keeps changing its name – it used to be Acidanthera, then Gladi...
27th September 2013 • Read More »There are some good splashes of colour amongst the fading or slug-ravaged plants in the garden. I ga...
25th September 2013 • Read More »It’s the time of year when a gardener is in need of a new pair (or two) of sturdy gloves to deal...
21st September 2013 • Read More »If there is a finer hydrangea than Ayesha, I have yet to see it. It’s lilac- blossom-type flowers ...
19th September 2013 • Read More »When a few squash plants germinated in one of my compost heaps I decided to let them be. There was a...
18th September 2013 • Read More »The improved soil in one of the new raised beds near the house must have been just what this pale bl...
15th September 2013 • Read More »Thirteen years ago I brought a sambac jasmine (also known as Arabian jasmine) back from Tuscany. I w...
13th September 2013 • Read More »I’ve been a fan of living roofs for quite some time, but never more so than this year, when they...
12th September 2013 • Read More »It’s a new one to me – I was in the greenhouse watering the tomatoes when I noticed that the le...
10th September 2013 • Read More »I love zinnias, but after last year’s dreadful summer when they hated the endless wet - and the co...
8th September 2013 • Read More »Although they had looked wonderful earlier in the year, the plants in the pots either side of the fr...
6th September 2013 • Read More »Given the right conditions, there aren’t many gardeners who wouldn’t love to establish a wildflo...
28th August 2013 • Read More »On a perfect summer’s day, a colleague and I spent a morning with Mark Divall, the charming and ...
26th August 2013 • Read More »The mulberry has been dropping leaves, some have yellowed and the ends of twigs have withered, while...
22nd August 2013 • Read More »One of my favourite plants in the garden at this time of year is Lobelia speciosa x ‘Pink Elephant...
20th August 2013 • Read More »In the middle of May my new border was still a building site, so the minute the cement mixer was rem...
18th August 2013 • Read More »If your experience of begonias is limited to bedding plants and large fleshy-flowered varieties in a...
14th August 2013 • Read More »I love the blackbirds in our garden, but right now they are testing my patience. They have taken to ...
10th August 2013 • Read More »It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned My Garden School which is the online place to go if you w...
5th August 2013 • Read More »It's August and I’ve photographed some things that are looking lovely. ...
2nd August 2013 • Read More »I’ve never been entirely happy with the cherry compote that I make from some of our cherry crop. ...
1st August 2013 • Read More »I went to Northiam this morning to pick the crop from the cherry tree we rent there (The Telegraph M...
27th July 2013 • Read More »We’ve just returned from four wonderful days in the depths of the Welsh countryside inland from Ab...
25th July 2013 • Read More »I’ve nearly visited Derry’s garden and nursery several times and this week I finally made it. ...
20th July 2013 • Read More »Delicately beautiful woodland planting designed by garden photographer David Sarton in his first sh...
14th July 2013 • Read More »If you have a horticultural problem or query, a flower show is an ideal place to find out what you ...
13th July 2013 • Read More »The Native Butterfly Garden at Hampton Court is a meshed enclosure containing many of our native but...
12th July 2013 • Read More »So averse am I to much mainstream floristry (I prefer naturalistic arrangements) that I generally ...
11th July 2013 • Read More »Two Wests (Elliott is the dog) are the go-to people for all those things you need for the greenhouse...
10th July 2013 • Read More »I see many lovely gardens in the course of my work, but I have seldom been quite so delirious with e...
9th July 2013 • Read More »The Garden Museum’s first Literary Weekend has just taken place in the glorious setting of designe...
7th July 2013 • Read More »We visited some wonderful villages and towns in Counties Kerry & Cork, but my favourite was Kins...
6th July 2013 • Read More »Bantry Bay House and the surrounding gardens must have been breath taking in their heyday, but even ...
5th July 2013 • Read More »If you want evidence of what the ‘soft’ Irish climate does for plant growth look no further than...
3rd July 2013 • Read More »I defy anyone not to pause when confronted with these signs!...
1st July 2013 • Read More »The island garden of Ilnacullin, designed by Harold Peto has been on my visit wish list for a very...
29th June 2013 • Read More »In Ireland I was struck by the ubiquity of non-native plants in the Irish countryside. It took me a ...
27th June 2013 • Read More »We were slightly late for most of the spring flowers, but there was still some loveliness to be seen...
25th June 2013 • Read More »I’ve just returned from my first ever visit to Ireland where I loved the landscape but in general ...
24th June 2013 • Read More »by Daniel Carruthers When it comes to kitting out your greenhouse you can end up spending a small fo...
21st June 2013 • Read More »Our allotment had its annual outing to Wisley this week and it proved to be a very mixed bag. There ...
18th June 2013 • Read More »Have you noticed how much honeysuckles are loving this cool summer? We may be shivering, the rose...
16th June 2013 • Read More »Tucked away in a Kentish village, this rather wonderful garden is crammed with sophisticated decorat...
14th June 2013 • Read More »I’ve just added two blue auriculas to my small collection of these enchanting flowers. I love auri...
11th June 2013 • Read More »The 2nd phase of the re-landscaping of the garden was completed today and I’m like a dog with two ...
9th June 2013 • Read More »I’ve never previously visited Loseley Park near Guildford and now know how remiss it is of me not ...
7th June 2013 • Read More »Rather bizarrely I’ve visited two gardens within a week, both of which are surrounded by farmland ...
6th June 2013 • Read More »by Daniel Carruthers When it comes to choosing a garden shed, it is important to find a design that...
4th June 2013 • Read More »In an attempt to keep slugs and snails at bay I have given up planting strawberries in the ground. ...
30th May 2013 • Read More »I paid a return visit to Chelsea on Wednesday evening and I was transfixed by the transformation ...
25th May 2013 • Read More »This amazing foliage and flower dress and parasol by Zita Elze was a real showstopper at the Chelsea...
24th May 2013 • Read More »With the grey light and relative lack of flowers it was often the contrasting textures in the garden...
23rd May 2013 • Read More »Had I the money and the space I would love this greenhouse and its glazed canopy extension from Hart...
23rd May 2013 • Read More »I’m a keen supporter of WaterAid and the work it does in bringing clean water and sanitation to ar...
22nd May 2013 • Read More »There’s always a plant that appears in several show gardens and catches my eye. Last year it was...
22nd May 2013 • Read More »One of my top gardens at this year’s show is Kate Gould’s garden with its inspired use of recycl...
21st May 2013 • Read More »In amongst the commercial stands on Eastern Avenue there’s a rather charming display of plants, ea...
21st May 2013 • Read More »I don’t think it was just the flat light, grey skies and chilly temperatures that gave the show qu...
21st May 2013 • Read More »A couple of signs that summer might finally be heading this way. The mulberry tree is budding up –...
20th May 2013 • Read More »As someone with a profusion of both types of bluebell in my garden I’m very familiar with the diff...
19th May 2013 • Read More »Since I began working with Carbon Gold, trialling their biochar products (and contributing to their ...
18th May 2013 • Read More »As their slogan reads - ‘Notcutts have been helping gardeners since 1897’. They were nurseryme...
17th May 2013 • Read More »After all the struggles to get things growing earlier in the year, yet again nature has proved that ...
16th May 2013 • Read More »One of the new tulips I planted this year is (supposedly) The Lizard. It’s a gorgeous Rembrandt tu...
15th May 2013 • Read More »We are somewhat partial to parades and festivals in Hastings and the most recent one was the extreme...
14th May 2013 • Read More »Shopping for plants can be a little bit stressful at times. Anyone who has bought plants from a gard...
13th May 2013 • Read More »I seem to remember that last year spring all happened very fast and the same thing seems to be happ...
11th May 2013 • Read More »One of the quirkier things that the RHS is doing to celebrate the centenary of the Chelsea Flower Sh...
9th May 2013 • Read More »Our followers on facebook might have picked up on the recent article that was written for the fabulo...
8th May 2013 • Read More »A contestant on Master Chef made pointy little meringues the same shape as this lovely topiary box I...
7th May 2013 • Read More »When I see a perfectly positioned garden sculpture it makes my heart sing. On a visit to a garden in...
5th May 2013 • Read More »On the loveliest day of the year so far, I visited a private garden in the depths of Kent for a plan...
3rd May 2013 • Read More »If your pinks (dianthus) are looking a bit leggy you can get them looking good again by digging them...
1st May 2013 • Read More »‘The Golden Hour’ is an exhibition by Andrea Jones - one of our most talented garden photograp...
30th April 2013 • Read More »When I read that Blackpool Zoo is creating a sustainable wildlife garden that will be fertilised by ...
26th April 2013 • Read More »Much as I would love to give a hedgehog a home in my garden, our area is inundated with badgers wh...
22nd April 2013 • Read More »In just over a week, superhero landscapers Ray & Alan have turned an area -where ill-defined...
17th April 2013 • Read More »I spent a couple of happy hours putting up my sweet pea and bean supports. They are either side of t...
13th April 2013 • Read More »Monsanto and Co. is at it again. The company has found a way to exclusively ‘own’ something that...
10th April 2013 • Read More »I’ve had the crown of my potted peach tree covered over for the winter to prevent leaf curl and ...
10th April 2013 • Read More »The landscapers arrived on schedule this morning to start on phase one of the three-stage redesign o...
8th April 2013 • Read More »As - what I am assured by the Met Office is the last snowfall - drifts past the window, I’m resol...
5th April 2013 • Read More »Now is the perfect time to be planting asparagus and with a number of online retailers offering fas...
3rd April 2013 • Read More »While all remains frozen in time outdoors, the RHS Spring Show in London revealed many of the deligh...
28th March 2013 • Read More »Not unreasonably, thinking that spring might have arrived by now, I sowed some dwarf French beans in...
19th March 2013 • Read More »Someone quoted Cicero on our Facebook page saying : ‘If you have a library and a garden you have e...
13th March 2013 • Read More »Yesterday I was cutting blossom laden branches from the mimosa, today powder snow is blowing in hori...
11th March 2013 • Read More »The bags of freshly chipped bark that are waiting to be spread on the paths in the garden have provi...
10th March 2013 • Read More »I love crocus tommasinianus, they are the true heralds of spring – in my garden anyway. In the w...
8th March 2013 • Read More »Slightly off-piste from my usual reviews, but I want to share a link to a website that I’ve...
6th March 2013 • Read More »I’m being determinedly optimistic and telling myself that this cold easterly wind will swing round...
4th March 2013 • Read More »My usual suppliers of amenity bark for mulching the woodland part of the garden (we are talking squa...
3rd March 2013 • Read More »I loved this idea from Stockholm Design Week. Designer Caroline Brahme was showing these Grey to Gr...
28th February 2013 • Read More »Enviroden is a company that specialises in making well-designed garden buildings topped with curved ...
23rd February 2013 • Read More »I came home from the Press Event with several new pairs of gloves. I like Joe’s Gloves because th...
21st February 2013 • Read More »Clever old Crocus always has innovative and attractive products. Regular followers of this blog wil...
17th February 2013 • Read More »Yesterday was the Garden Press Event when the horticultural trade shows us what’s new for the yea...
15th February 2013 • Read More »I’ve started sowing salads of varying sorts in my cold greenhouse and a couple of warm days has ha...
12th February 2013 • Read More »With the annual ‘National Nest Box Week’ running from 14-21 February this is the perfect time ...
11th February 2013 • Read More »The last couple of days of warm weather has everything bursting into bloom – yesterday I was adm...
9th February 2013 • Read More »If I could only grow one snowdrop it would be ‘Sam Arnott’ – while most are just showing colo...
6th February 2013 • Read More »After watching Monty Don's new program on French Gardens on Friday I looked up 'La theorie et la pra...
4th February 2013 • Read More »Three of my daphnes are flowering, or on the point of doing so – D.‘Jacqueline Postil’ has be...
3rd February 2013 • Read More »The health of bees is something that is dear to my heart. Please join me in persuading the EU to b...
29th January 2013 • Read More »The ranunculus that I planted in pots at the end of November are on the move despite the cold and th...
27th January 2013 • Read More »For the past few months I’ve been buying a beautiful blue clematis that is now being sold as a cu...
24th January 2013 • Read More »It’s interesting how snow reveals patterns and textures and highlights things that might go unnoti...
21st January 2013 • Read More »I’m not a huge fan of summer displays in hanging baskets, except for growing salad, strawberries a...
14th January 2013 • Read More »Last September’s knee-shattering incident made me think that the time had finally come to rethink ...
8th January 2013 • Read More »Happy New Year – and here’s something to brighten these dull January days. I had some difficult...
5th January 2013 • Read More »Reasons Why a Gardener Should Use a Designer Hard landscaping isn’t like plants, you can�...
4th January 2013 • Read More »Hopefully 2012 was a good year for you. Here's a look back at some of our favourite posts from the l...
1st January 2013 • Read More »I like to buy an unadorned pine wreath for my door and then decorate it myself. This year I decided ...
28th December 2012 • Read More »Kiss & Go is an old Somerset name for mistletoe. The RHS has an interesting tip if you are conte...
25th December 2012 • Read More »Burgon & Ball have sent me the perfect Christmas present – a very smart Kneelo kneeling pad. ...
24th December 2012 • Read More »We usually have a 10ft Christmas tree in our living room which had a previous life as a gymnasium in...
23rd December 2012 • Read More »A short walk around the garden on the shortest day has revealed that some plants are still hanging o...
22nd December 2012 • Read More »In case any of you out there haven’t seen this (and even if you have) here’s the YouTube video o...
21st December 2012 • Read More »Last spring I saw some tulips underplanted with parsley – I can’t remember where – but I tho...
20th December 2012 • Read More »Nowadays garden buildings come in many shapes and sizes - from sleek contemporary home offices to...
17th December 2012 • Read More »I thought it was time to get my (just) 2 year old grandson introduced to the delights of gardening....
15th December 2012 • Read More »The fractured knee is healing well and as I get more mobile I’m gradually getting to grips with t...
13th December 2012 • Read More »I enlisted some help and got the full compost bin turned into the adjoining one. Now I have oodles o...
10th December 2012 • Read More »I do love ranunculus with their tissue-paper flowers in gorgeous colours. This year I bought orange,...
29th November 2012 • Read More »If you save seed from your garden Burgon & Ball’s set of 5 Seed Savers (£6.95) will provide the ...
27th November 2012 • Read More »Three months on from fracturing my kneecap I’m back out in the garden – and it feels wonderful....
22nd November 2012 • Read More »What gardener wouldn’t love these tea towels with their fabulous vegetable illustrations? They ar...
20th November 2012 • Read More »It’s when it rains that the absence of a porch or canopy over the front door is particularly not...
17th November 2012 • Read More »In an effort to find out why the EU is banning the sale of packets of mixed varieties of vegetable s...
14th November 2012 • Read More »Although it is far too late for many ancient British wildflower meadows lost to modern agricultural ...
11th November 2012 • Read More »Regular followers will know that I have been stuck indoors for the past two months after fracturing...
7th November 2012 • Read More »The Savari Research Trust in Wales is crowdfunding its ongoing development of blight-resistant varie...
5th November 2012 • Read More »Update from your Northern Correpondent. With a few clear days it's the time of year to get into t...
2nd November 2012 • Read More »Our August log delivery nearly always coincides with hot weather so stacking them can be a bit of a ...
22nd October 2012 • Read More »When to plant tulips There's some comfort in knowing that Fergus Garrett, of Great Dixt...
20th October 2012 • Read More »I know it's been a bad year for everyone who is growing things, but I'm not sure that it helps for f...
17th October 2012 • Read More »In September I went to Hadlow College and saw Japanese Horseradish (Wasabi) plants in their trial gr...
16th October 2012 • Read More »The thing about spending more time on the computer instead of working outdoors as I would be when b...
11th October 2012 • Read More »It’s not been a great year for pumpkins and squashes – anything close to ground level was munche...
6th October 2012 • Read More »Over many years I’ve done much work with garden photographer Michelle Garrett and we have become g...
5th October 2012 • Read More »In the light of my recent argument with a concrete path I thought I should recommend the new (more&...
3rd October 2012 • Read More »Most gardeners are acutely aware of the turning of the seasons. Winter may be marked by the spicy ...
1st October 2012 • Read More »Whilst I may not be getting out in the garden any time soon I only need to read a few posts from...
28th September 2012 • Read More »There are few advantages to being stuck indoors with a damaged leg, but I do have a great view of t...
26th September 2012 • Read More »Over the past couple of weeks Daniel, my blog collaborator has been keeping the posts coming while ...
24th September 2012 • Read More »Above: Left - Sweetheart Plant, this is really easy to grow. Upper Middle - Begonia from Dibleys ...
20th September 2012 • Read More »Whilst we're on a nature theme here's a photo taken on the Pelion Peninsular, Greece. At first I th...
18th September 2012 • Read More »I was lucky enough to spot this butterfly in the garden yesterday. It was hard at work gathering n...
15th September 2012 • Read More »In my rambly scrambly hillside garden there are some very pleasing planting combinations, bu...
13th September 2012 • Read More »The butterflies were out in force at the weekend with the weather being favourable. They were part...
10th September 2012 • Read More »Yesterday I was listening to James Wong (@Botanygeek) on Five Live talking through the merits of g...
5th September 2012 • Read More »It's taken months of waiting and nightly slug patrols, but finally I've got my reward - from now u...
4th September 2012 • Read More »I've managed to be uncharacteristically controlled with the new Malwina strawberry plants that arri...
1st September 2012 • Read More »Some of the most successful plant combinations in the garden at this time of year are in shades of...
30th August 2012 • Read More »I was doing a quick assessment of how the fruit has done in the garden this year. It has been dr...
28th August 2012 • Read More »RHS Hyde Hall has recently held a plant fair which was a pleasure to visit. It was more on the scal...
24th August 2012 • Read More »We have just returned from a visit to friends whose garden is the site of a large house that burnt ...
22nd August 2012 • Read More »It would appear that the Post Office hasn’t got the message that bees are a good thing and that k...
20th August 2012 • Read More »I’ve taken a belt and braces approach to the brassica bed this year. They’ve been planted in...
18th August 2012 • Read More »After all the despair about the tomatoes because of the poor light levels, checking back I find tha...
16th August 2012 • Read More »The cultivated blackberries never have quite the intensity of flavour of the wild ones, but they ar...
14th August 2012 • Read More »The first batch of cut-and-come-again salads were getting pretty leggy and when the hot weather arri...
12th August 2012 • Read More »Phlox are a favourite plant of mine, especially the blue and whites - and I love the musky scent too...
10th August 2012 • Read More »Street artist Ben Eine has made a colourful and apposite contribution to the Moveable Feast Garden...
9th August 2012 • Read More »There have been a number of times recently when I’ve spotted something rather nice in a friend’...
8th August 2012 • Read More »I loved my day at the Olympics and the high point was undoubtedly the planting - I’m not sure Syn...
7th August 2012 • Read More »Is probably all that this year’s apricot crop will be suitable for. The fruit are a good size but...
6th August 2012 • Read More »I’ve resorted to digging up some of the dahlias that have been seriously chomped on by the slugs...
5th August 2012 • Read More »I was resigned to a really poor crop of tomatoes, but it’s amazing what a few days of sunshine ca...
4th August 2012 • Read More »Thanks to nightly slug and snail patrols - and a bit of summer - the runner beans are at last rompin...
3rd August 2012 • Read More »I’d more or less given up on the sweetpeas. They’ve been so battered by the rain that I thoug...
3rd August 2012 • Read More »While I was photographing in the garden Titus emerged from the border and posed in a way that made i...
1st August 2012 • Read More »The wristband that was issued for Press Day at the Chelsea Flower Show this year was too nice to t...
27th July 2012 • Read More »Following the recent activity on our facebook page some of our readers have submitted a few wild...
26th July 2012 • Read More »There’s always a lull in the borders at this time of year when the roses go over and the late summ...
24th July 2012 • Read More »In an attempt to keep the slugs and snails at bay I’ve been planting as much as I can in pots. We...
23rd July 2012 • Read More »This garden is in tune with our logo. Despite the weather outlook garden enthusiasts and agapanth...
22nd July 2012 • Read More »If, like me, you didn’t make it to the Barr Open Gardens and its Fringe Festival last weekend I�...
21st July 2012 • Read More »Nick Bailey, the head gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden, is the moving force behind the new are...
19th July 2012 • Read More »I never grow delphiniums – it’s just too depressing seeing the slugs and snails munch them to ...
18th July 2012 • Read More »There are good days – and there are really special days. I’ve just had a really special day at K...
17th July 2012 • Read More »I have to admit I have a serious (terracotta) pot habit. I keep trying to reduce the number I have...
16th July 2012 • Read More »The garden may not be quite is usual beautiful self with all the wet weather, but the comp...
14th July 2012 • Read More »One of our companions on the trip to the Picos was an extremely fit and eagle-eyed man in his 80s...
13th July 2012 • Read More »No, I haven’t made it up, this is the unlikely name for a bright yellow mountain wallflower Erys...
10th July 2012 • Read More »Many carnivorous plants look quite sinister, but this certainly isn’t true of the large-flowered...
9th July 2012 • Read More »When you’ve walked a mile or two up a limestone gorge to see a ‘very special plant’, you are...
8th July 2012 • Read More »Instead of spending a large fortune on a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, Jo Malone Ltd has fun...
8th July 2012 • Read More »Here's some of the Best Small Gardens at the Hampton Court Flower Show 2012. ...
7th July 2012 • Read More »A new innovation at this year’s RHS Show is the inclusion of gardens that have been created for ...
6th July 2012 • Read More »The conceptual gardens at the Hampton Court Flower Show are always a mixed bag – the best are cha...
6th July 2012 • Read More »I found the big show gardens a big disappointment. It’s telling that I took very few photographs o...
5th July 2012 • Read More »I’m rather hoping that Mrs Stapleton might come and live in my garden. I spotted her on the Fibr...
5th July 2012 • Read More »I always make a beeline for Garden Brocante with its wonderful collection of vintage garden tools, c...
4th July 2012 • Read More »Lucy’s Smith’s exquisite stoneware Kingfisher Pool stopped me in my tracks. Look closely and ...
4th July 2012 • Read More »Chris Beardshaw is one of our most socially responsible garden designers, but I was struck by the...
3rd July 2012 • Read More »Well it surprised me anyway. The lovely blue thistle Eryngium bourgatii grows prolifically in gr...
3rd July 2012 • Read More »Despite the summer nights drawing in you can extend the time you spend out in the garden with these...
2nd July 2012 • Read More »While we read books on the subject, remove topsoil and sow yellow rattle to reduce fertility and...
1st July 2012 • Read More »I don’t know whether it’s because I’m high on the altitude, invigorated by the exercise, or b...
29th June 2012 • Read More »Most years we try and go on a walking holiday looking at flowers and birds with Naturetrek. This ye...
27th June 2012 • Read More »'The New Urban Green' is a celebration of the tucked away, the overlooked and the greened-up edges ...
25th June 2012 • Read More »I’ve been watching this opium poppy growing at the front of the border for several weeks, debating...
24th June 2012 • Read More »I sowed the Del Monica broad beans (from Thompson & Morgan) in February, planted them out in Ma...
22nd June 2012 • Read More »Of all the weeds in my garden this oxalis is my favourite - unlike its yellow cousin it isn't trying...
20th June 2012 • Read More »Last autumn I emptied what had been a rather unsatisfactory border to allow building work on the hou...
19th June 2012 • Read More »Several years ago I was sent this clematis whose name was long forgotten until one of our readers (...
17th June 2012 • Read More »The cultivated blackberry is planted on the shady side of the greenhouse where it doesn't get a gr...
14th June 2012 • Read More »The abutilon x suntense is a marvel at this time of year, especially in the evening when the colour ...
13th June 2012 • Read More »I'm trying to reduce the number of planted pots to save on watering and work. With this in mind I'v...
11th June 2012 • Read More »Since reviewing the River Cottage Herb Handbook (highly recommended) I've been making much more of ...
9th June 2012 • Read More »I was sent some grafted cucumbers by Suttons Seeds and they are looking in fine fettle with tiny cu...
8th June 2012 • Read More »The cool weather during most of May might not have been welcomed by us, but the lettuces clearly lo...
7th June 2012 • Read More »My late mother and stepfather gave me the bronze sculpture of the ballet dancer looking at her foot...
5th June 2012 • Read More »The Tripod Seat (£225 from www.burford.co.uk) is simple and ingenious and I'm assured your head ne...
3rd June 2012 • Read More »Horniman Gardens TodayThe Horniman Museum gardens in Forest Hill, South London have had a major re...
31st May 2012 • Read More »Chris Beardshaw very bravely decided to risk bringing back rhodos to Chelsea despite their being mu...
26th May 2012 • Read More »I’ve recently been following a blog written by a couple of friends who have been sending back won...
26th May 2012 • Read More »Nigel Dunnett's Blue Water Garden is an interesting working of an old idea - the harvesting and use ...
25th May 2012 • Read More »The Taiwan orchid growers held nothing back with their orchid display in the Great Pavilion. What c...
25th May 2012 • Read More »Sarah Price has an extraordinary skill for conjuring up naturalistic plantings that look like the...
25th May 2012 • Read More »The L’Occitane Garden was as subtle as it’s neighbour (Diarmuid’s vast pyramid) was in-your-fa...
25th May 2012 • Read More »Even Jo Thompson's gorgeous garden with its very inviting and shiny caravan could not persuade me to...
24th May 2012 • Read More »I could imagine going to a fantastic party in a garden like this - lots of space for the guests to...
24th May 2012 • Read More »Although I wasn't initially too keen on the way the cedarwood had been used (reminiscent of chopping...
24th May 2012 • Read More »The Bradstone Panache Garden was one of the Fresh Gardens that really attracted my eye because the ...
24th May 2012 • Read More »Had a laugh-out-loud moment when I went to the ladies loo and discovered that one had had a horticu...
24th May 2012 • Read More »Well, Diarmuid has done it again with his 'mine's bigger than your's garden'. Last year I really ...
23rd May 2012 • Read More »The contrast between the glossy rigid trunks of the multi-stemmed Prunus serrula and the foaming fl...
23rd May 2012 • Read More »Two of my favourite plants were definitely in the subtle palette. Andy Sturgeon’s M&G Garden ...
23rd May 2012 • Read More »Last week The World Vision Garden at #rhschelsea took shape to mesmerising effect. The garden’...
23rd May 2012 • Read More »It was all very lovely at Chelsea –subtle colours softly intermingled with one another in pleasi...
22nd May 2012 • Read More »@clevewest has done it again winning best in show at the 2012 Chelsea Flower Show. &n...
22nd May 2012 • Read More »#rhschelsea - The 2012 Chelsea Flower Show is finally upon us and I'm hard at work preparing my rep...
22nd May 2012 • Read More »Set up in memory of the much-missed gardener and garden writer Elspeth Thompson, the Gardening Agai...
21st May 2012 • Read More »I’m kicking myself that I didn’t buy anything from Plant Belles, a Devon company that makes ...
21st May 2012 • Read More »A little bit of Spain was recreated in a corner of the showground and even on a wet English day it ...
20th May 2012 • Read More »This garden based on the Roald Dahl story involved the children learning traditional skills as well...
20th May 2012 • Read More »There were some wonderful school gardens at the Malvern Show with the standard getting better each ...
19th May 2012 • Read More »The cool damp weather may not have suited me, but it was perfect for the magnificent display of mec...
19th May 2012 • Read More »This wonderful display of echiums stopped me in my tracks – a bit of me longed to buy E. wildpre...
18th May 2012 • Read More »I’ve long been a fan of the copper tools from implementations and Jane was showing prototypes of ...
18th May 2012 • Read More »Thank goodness that the weekend weather at Malvern was glorious – which is more than can be said ...
17th May 2012 • Read More »Last autumn we moved many of our pots and containers on to the lawn so that the builders could work...
17th May 2012 • Read More »Garden Africa is a wonderful charity that works with people in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland and...
16th May 2012 • Read More »Update from Chelsea - Alongside the meaningful Lupinus mutabilis two colourful flowers in The Worl...
15th May 2012 • Read More »It always amazes me the way the goldlace primula plants transform from scruffy winter survivors to ...
13th May 2012 • Read More »Toby Buckland is opening a plant centre at Powderham Castle in Devon, following the launch of his ...
11th May 2012 • Read More »After three years, the woven silver birch edging to the path through my woodland garden had all but...
9th May 2012 • Read More »Cordless Strimmers I tried these 3 strimmers for light tasks in our garden (edges, round trees)...
8th May 2012 • Read More »The Plant Company is an independent nursery in West Sussex with a great selection of high quality...
7th May 2012 • Read More »Rootgrow, the company that produces beneficial micorrhiza to get our plants off to a flying start, i...
5th May 2012 • Read More »As well as being Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you) Friday is day one of The World Vision G...
4th May 2012 • Read More »The Tecni Trellis is an attractive and very discreet trellis system that is ideal for use on con...
3rd May 2012 • Read More »Oh the joy of tulips, especially in grey weather. The one advantage of the rather gloomy April weath...
1st May 2012 • Read More »The 15 Dicksonia antarctica and Dicksonia fibrosa tree ferns – which are each about 70 years old...
29th April 2012 • Read More »With torrential rain and gales every other day (or more) it is quite hard to believe in drought rig...
28th April 2012 • Read More »I recently went to a talk by Paulo Arrigo who runs Seeds of Italy the British offshoot of Franchi Se...
24th April 2012 • Read More »I’ve been using Growpots to grow tomatoes for several years now and am convinced that ...
22nd April 2012 • Read More »'It's life Jim but not as we know it.' You may find it hard to believe that the bubbling broth I'v...
18th April 2012 • Read More »I went on my annual trip on Monday to collect peasticks from the cobnut farm that keeps their prun...
15th April 2012 • Read More »In the lead up to the Chelsea Flower Show, TEG is going to follow the progress of the World Vision...
13th April 2012 • Read More »It is one of those springs where everything is in flower at once. Because of the dry weather (we h...
12th April 2012 • Read More »Isabelle Palmer set up her internet company the balcony gardener when she found it (more…...
10th April 2012 • Read More »Walked out the front door and had a Mediterranean moment - the scent of mimosa in the warm spring s...
7th April 2012 • Read More »The tomatoes I sowed on Valentine's day were moved from under the Growlight and potted on over the ...
5th April 2012 • Read More »My ten year old myrtle tree succumbed to the heavy snow in the winter with two of its three branche...
3rd April 2012 • Read More »Individually the flowers of Jury's Yellow camellia look just like something created out of buttercr...
1st April 2012 • Read More »This white hellebore has recovered so well from being dug up and transplanted in the autumn that i...
30th March 2012 • Read More »I'm having my own little festival going round the front door with pots of beetroot red 'Woodstock...
28th March 2012 • Read More »I've sown a mini meadow under the apple and apricot trees using the Empathy mini meadow with benefi...
27th March 2012 • Read More »Now I know that it's only the south and the east of the country that is short of water, but mulc...
25th March 2012 • Read More »With plenty of bare soil in evidence Titus the Cat and the neighbourhood moggies look upon the pota...
23rd March 2012 • Read More »My autumn-sown sweetpeas always do really well, but inevitably they start to wind down just at the ...
16th March 2012 • Read More »On 24th March Sarah Raven (in association with The Flower Council of Holland) will be demonstrating...
14th March 2012 • Read More »I’m slightly concerned that I’m in danger of developing galloping galanthophilia. I’ve previo...
13th March 2012 • Read More »I am now the proud owner of one of this season’s hottest plants, Hellebore ‘Anna’ – bred by...
12th March 2012 • Read More »In general I’m more of a browser than a buyer these days, but while wandering round the local ju...
10th March 2012 • Read More »I managed to get to Great Dixter for its first ever winter open weekend (it doesn’t open proper...
8th March 2012 • Read More »I’m really not sure what I think about these tulips that I spotted outside a florists in Bruges w...
6th March 2012 • Read More »I recently spotted these delicate laser-cut metal silhouettes on the garden wall of (more…)...
4th March 2012 • Read More »I do hope you love our new title banner as much as I do. It has been designed by Hannah Mc...
2nd March 2012 • Read More »The first RHS London Show of 2012 was a taste of things to come in the garden – (more…)...
1st March 2012 • Read More »I always think that setting potatoes to chit is a bit like putting eggs in an incubator – they j...
28th February 2012 • Read More »I recently showed a pot of Iris reticulata in the greenhouse that defied my advice that they need ...
25th February 2012 • Read More »Our seed potatoes have just arrived and I’ll be putting them in seedtrays to chit. We ordered For...
24th February 2012 • Read More »Crocus tommasinianus does it to me every year, one week there’s just a tuft or two of leaves, the...
22nd February 2012 • Read More »The autumn sown sweet pea plants are looking very good in the coldframe and they seem perfectly con...
21st February 2012 • Read More »Not so long ago my leaf heap was a neat and orderly affair, but as I’ve tidied beds and paths it h...
20th February 2012 • Read More »The November planted garlic and shallots are looking good although I am worried about the lack of c...
17th February 2012 • Read More »Ever since Germaine Greer said that hanging baskets reminded her of heads lining the road to the Fo...
16th February 2012 • Read More »Until recently, poor Jacqueline was being slowly throttled by a far-too-enthusiastic Stauntonia, a ...
14th February 2012 • Read More »Today's view including Titus, the Snow Leopard....
13th February 2012 • Read More »I spent a very productive afternoon in the greenhouse listening to Radio 4 and restoring order. New...
12th February 2012 • Read More »I love anemones, and none more than the cerise-flowered La Sylphide and the rich blue Mr. Fokker. I...
11th February 2012 • Read More »When I tasted Strawberry Malwina at a press event last year, I knew it was a variety I had to grow....
9th February 2012 • Read More »The deep frames surrounding the window panes either side of the front door are perfect for displayi...
8th February 2012 • Read More »Unlike Snowdrop Valley, I can’t claim to have an entire valley carpeted with blooms, but I do ha...
7th February 2012 • Read More »Charles Dowding (my new gardening god) is running a course on No-Dig Vegetables at Great Dixter on...
4th February 2012 • Read More »Snowdrop Valley, near Wheddon Cross on Exmoor, is usually open to visitors from the end of Februar...
31st January 2012 • Read More »I’ve been busy in the greenhouse this week and I’m finding the Sophie Conran trowel (£14.95) f...
29th January 2012 • Read More »I’m not sure how appropriate they will be for my seaside garden, but for those at higher altitude,...
27th January 2012 • Read More »I find that the best way to succeed with hardy annuals is to sow them in the autumn – that way the...
25th January 2012 • Read More »Last autumn I dug up a clump of vulnerable cyclamen seedlings and potted them into individual cell...
24th January 2012 • Read More »At some point last year I distinctly remember writing that Iris reticulata generally need replanting...
20th January 2012 • Read More »The first hellebores are in bloom and are particularly welcome as I had to dig them all up in the ...
14th January 2012 • Read More »There’s always a time around Christmas when I wonder what possessed me to buy so many bulbs - an...
11th January 2012 • Read More »When we had the new roof put on the house I asked the builder to leave me any slate offcuts. I now...
9th January 2012 • Read More »Some years I succumbed to the charms of the winter honeysuckle with its delicate and fragrant wint...
30th December 2011 • Read More »Last year I accidentally left 2 large pots of carrots unharvested in the autumn and found they rem...
29th December 2011 • Read More »The Paris flower market on the Ile de la Cite made me nostalgic for the days when Covent Garden Flo...
24th December 2011 • Read More »I’ve just returned from an overnight visit to Paris. I walked past Notre Dame and took this phot...
23rd December 2011 • Read More »There’s nothing like a drought alert to open the skies. We’ve had the heaviest rain in many mont...
22nd December 2011 • Read More »Just because I can summon up a few nice photos for the blog doesn’t mean that my garden is in a s...
20th December 2011 • Read More »It’s always a bit of a dilemma with Paperwhites – I love bringing them in the house but Andrew ...
18th December 2011 • Read More »I know that it is Pennisetum that is commonly known as Fountain Grass but at this time of year the ...
16th December 2011 • Read More »A mid-summer photo that has crept into the wrong blog post? No, I took this picture this morning. T...
14th December 2011 • Read More »Like everywhere else, French taste has its highs and lows, especially in rural areas. I was charmed...
12th December 2011 • Read More »At this time of year you can take a return trip on Le Shuttle for the day or overnight for a mere ...
10th December 2011 • Read More »I’ve learned to love the large fatsia that grows against the garden wall. When I moved here it...
8th December 2011 • Read More »No sooner had I planted the pots of tulips than along came the squirrels to dig them up – fortunat...
6th December 2011 • Read More »I don’t know whether it’s because it’s in partial shade, but the Pennisetum Hamelyn doesn’t...
4th December 2011 • Read More »Our builders have been amazing and the transformation of the house is nearly complete – what loo...
30th November 2011 • Read More »Outdoor Freesias are another Sarah Raven success story. They have flowered all summer and are st...
29th November 2011 • Read More »The early October sowing of sweet peas is coming along nicely. I’ve followed Sarah Ravens advi...
27th November 2011 • Read More »One of the very enjoyable results of this frost-free autumn is that the nasturtiums are still in p...
25th November 2011 • Read More »Among the many plants benefiting from this extended autumn is the lemon verbena bush. I’ve bee...
23rd November 2011 • Read More »Rather than leave a clump of cyclamen seedlings at the mercy of the builders boots, I transplanted t...
21st November 2011 • Read More »It doesn't seem like a year since my last seed harvesting. I’ve saved quite a lot of seed this...
19th November 2011 • Read More »Hellebores don’t generally like being moved, but a combination of builders scaffolding and their...
17th November 2011 • Read More »The raspberries aren’t that unusual for early November, although they are in particularly fine c...
15th November 2011 • Read More »My lemon tree has moved inside for the winter and I was amazed to count seventeen lemons on it (fift...
13th November 2011 • Read More »Keen gardeners (aren’t you all?) will understand how thrilled I was when my winning raffle ticke...
9th November 2011 • Read More »For the second year running this fair snuck up on me, but at least this time I knew before rather ...
6th November 2011 • Read More »This is always my favourite of the shows at Vincent Square – it is full of late autumn colour an...
4th November 2011 • Read More »I’ve decided that having the builders replacing the roof requires a certain degree of fatalism a...
2nd November 2011 • Read More »Standing on the rocky shore and watching whales just 30m away was one of the highlights of the tri...
31st October 2011 • Read More »It is impossible to visit South Africa without being aware of the vast chasm between the richest a...
29th October 2011 • Read More »Grootbos Nature Reserve, about an hour’s drive east of Cape Town is a wonderful combinat...
27th October 2011 • Read More »We saw this magnificent fan aloe at the Harold Porter Botanic Garden just east of Cape Town. With ...
25th October 2011 • Read More »The most impressive garden that we visited in the Western Cape was Babylonstoren near Franschoek. ...
23rd October 2011 • Read More »The Chalice Vine (Solandra maxima) is not a South African native, but it is a popular plant in gar...
21st October 2011 • Read More »On our way up the West Coast in South Africa we passed through a small town called Darling where...
19th October 2011 • Read More »Ever admired the patterning on a gazania flower? It is very striking, but it’s also functional...
17th October 2011 • Read More »It was quite reassuring to occasionally come across something that was easy to identify. This lo...
16th October 2011 • Read More »I just love the way this palm tree is hung with weaver birds nests. They are very sociable and a...
15th October 2011 • Read More »This is one of the places in the Western Cape where it is hard to know where to look next – ...
13th October 2011 • Read More »I’m still working my way through my wildflower photos from the Western Cape attempting to identi...
11th October 2011 • Read More »I’ve always known that South Africa is the home of the pelargonium, but even so I was amazed by ...
10th October 2011 • Read More »Scaffolding presents pruning opportunities that working from ground level or on a ladder does not....
8th October 2011 • Read More »Every gardener knows that builders and gardens are not the best of companions. With this in mind...
6th October 2011 • Read More »I may have been excited to see Thunbergia scrambling way up into the trees, but when I mentioned i...
4th October 2011 • Read More »One of the surprises during our time in South Africa was the number of ostriches in fields and in th...
3rd October 2011 • Read More »We were sitting enjoying our lunch in the restaurant at Grootbos Nature Reserve near Cape Town, whe...
1st October 2011 • Read More »A timely packet arrived from Unwins Seeds this morning with a selection of their Gro-Sure range of...
26th September 2011 • Read More »Our fruit cage is cobbled together from various metal poles and some distinctly scrappy netting, e...
26th September 2011 • Read More »With its red and yellow flowers like a row of brightly coloured pennants, you can see exactly why ...
25th September 2011 • Read More »Each August I sit down with my friend Jo and we indulge in an orgy of tulip ordering. I was part...
24th September 2011 • Read More »More words of wisdom from Sarah Raven. She has found that the most durable way of labelling plants...
23rd September 2011 • Read More »This easier-to-grow alternative to wildflower meadows (especially for gardens) really has come int...
22nd September 2011 • Read More »The soil at Sarah Raven’s Perch Hill garden is heavy clay, so it is top dressed with copious qua...
21st September 2011 • Read More »Not just for a posy or to look at either – you can safely add the petals to your salads or puds ...
20th September 2011 • Read More »Even with my South African flora in my hand I am little the wiser in the face of such glorious abund...
17th September 2011 • Read More »...
15th September 2011 • Read More »The diversity of the Cape's flora is something I've known about theoretically for a long time but no...
15th September 2011 • Read More »Muggins managed to leave her Cape Flora behind in England, so until I get a chance to pick one up ...
14th September 2011 • Read More »If I can get the technology to cooperate, my next few blog entries will be from South Africa. We...
13th September 2011 • Read More »Having heard recently that modern strains of freesias do not have the fragrance they used to (it�...
12th September 2011 • Read More »I was in Dorset recently and on the lookout for gardens to visit. I had seen some photographs of...
11th September 2011 • Read More »If you love gardening, plants or gardens then gardening blogs are a great place to turn for insp...
10th September 2011 • Read More »If it’s coverage you are after with an annual climber, it’s hard to think of a rival for Cobae...
8th September 2011 • Read More »It’s that lovely time of year when I go into the garden each evening and pick a positively Medit...
6th September 2011 • Read More »I came across this idea on a visit to New Forest Lavender. A home-made woven hazel compost bin h...
4th September 2011 • Read More »Cucumber ‘Delizia’ is a new variety from T&M with a very thin, translucent skin, a good fl...
3rd September 2011 • Read More »If you find yourself in the Bristol area then give yourself a treat by visiting this garden outs...
29th August 2011 • Read More »The tomatoes in the greenhouse are providing us with pickings every other day. Just about enough...
27th August 2011 • Read More »It’s not often that you see something really different in the world of nasturtiums – but this ne...
25th August 2011 • Read More »Did you know that the COP in Copella stands for Cox’s Orange Pippin? Neither did I until I was l...
23rd August 2011 • Read More »Colin Randall, T&Ms veg expert is no fan of Swiss Chard considering it a very inferior vegetab...
21st August 2011 • Read More »Traditionally a dianthus (or pink) cutting is called a slip – possibly because they are pulled f...
17th August 2011 • Read More »I learnt this week that plant breeders have no interest in breeding either dianthus or freesias fo...
11th August 2011 • Read More »Zinnia ‘Queen Lime Red’ has subtle and interesting colouring while its partner, ‘Queen Lim...
9th August 2011 • Read More »Digitalis ‘Illumination’ is a cross between the common foxglove and its half-hardy Canary Is...
7th August 2011 • Read More »It was Thompson & Morgan’s Press Day on July 27th. We garden writers get to wander among the t...
5th August 2011 • Read More »Apparently this use of allium heads has puzzled lots of the visitors to the flower garden at Arund...
3rd August 2011 • Read More »Within the walled garden at Arundel and adjoining the Collector Earl’s Garden is the Organic Flo...
2nd August 2011 • Read More »Andrew & I had a day out in Arundel and visited the new Collector Earl’s Garden in the Cas...
31st July 2011 • Read More »I’m not referring to the work being done to prepare the site for the Games, but to my recent vis...
29th July 2011 • Read More »In an effort to stop the courgettes taking over the entire raised bed I planted them in a polycarb...
27th July 2011 • Read More »Here’s an interesting contrast. I was really impressed by the quality of the planting in the...
25th July 2011 • Read More »Never was a flower more aptly name than Ipoemea ‘Heavenly Blue’. There is something about th...
23rd July 2011 • Read More »It's RHS Tatton from your Northern Correspondent, Daniel Carruthers. Capturing this garden in i...
21st July 2011 • Read More »The following items should not be put on your compost heap : Citrus fruit peelings - they repe...
20th July 2011 • Read More »Having studied the types of compost bins available you might be wondering what can I compost ? Wh...
18th July 2011 • Read More »Where will you put it? There is no point in putting your compost bins in the furthest, least access...
16th July 2011 • Read More »I’m not a great fan of sculpture in the garden (unless it’s very old and beautiful or a Henry ...
14th July 2011 • Read More »One of the strongest themes at the show was of gardens that looked more like fragments of coun...
13th July 2011 • Read More »There was a world of plant temptations at the show, most of which I managed to resist on the bas...
12th July 2011 • Read More »I’m gradually becoming more disciplined about resisting the temptation to buy plants that requir...
11th July 2011 • Read More »Shepherd’s Hut makers, Court & Hunt have decided to branch out from the practicality of ...
11th July 2011 • Read More »The Deptford Project’s Small Garden was about raising the profile of community based food projec...
10th July 2011 • Read More »#rhshamptonLaser-cut galvanised panel There’s a lot going on with garden walls these days, both ho...
10th July 2011 • Read More »#rhshampton Tucked away in the Grow Your Own marquee was a glorious garlic garden (@thegarlicfarm...
9th July 2011 • Read More »The Small Gardens are always a good source of garden design ideas because the scale is often more ...
9th July 2011 • Read More »Initially I thought this was one of the Conceptual Gardens that had slipped its moorings and ended...
8th July 2011 • Read More »What a joy to see two gardens that used a vibrant and intense palette of colours. It’s not tha...
8th July 2011 • Read More »The slate slab with its three waterspouts was clean-lined and a perfect water fe...
7th July 2011 • Read More »The reflecting ball in the ‘Excuse me while I Kiss the Sky’ conceptual garden was simple and...
7th July 2011 • Read More »I’ve given myself 24 hours to digest what I saw at the Hampton Court Flower Show (#rhshampton) a...
6th July 2011 • Read More »We spent a day at Wisley last week and in the model vegetable garden I noticed that they were plan...
4th July 2011 • Read More »Last weekend I visited the annual opening of the private gardens behind some of the 17...
2nd July 2011 • Read More »I’ve done three small successional sowings of peas this year and they really are doing excepti...
30th June 2011 • Read More »Now that most of the roses are going over there is far more green than colour in the gar...
28th June 2011 • Read More »Our largest olive tree is absolutely smothered in flower buds this year – now all we need is som...
26th June 2011 • Read More »The tomatoes have all set four trusses and I have pinched out the growing tips as they are bumping ...
24th June 2011 • Read More »Our usually sheltered garden took a bit of a bashing the other night with a loud crash heralding...
22nd June 2011 • Read More »Not the prettiest in my view but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We had a visit yesterday f...
21st June 2011 • Read More »Other than a brief trip to Amsterdam next week for work and to visit the Canal Gardens of Amsterdam,...
20th June 2011 • Read More »Sorry about this, I’ve been at the Google Translate again. We spent five days in M...
18th June 2011 • Read More »Anyone considering spending a few days in Rouen couldn’t do better than to stay at Clos de Jouve...
16th June 2011 • Read More »According to Google Translate that means ‘our first honeymoon’. We went to Normandy for a lo...
12th June 2011 • Read More »If there seems to have been a bit of a gap in the posts, and not as much as usual about the garden...
10th June 2011 • Read More »Amsonia is a modest and undemanding beauty in the border This patio clematis from Raymond Evison ...
6th June 2011 • Read More »...
5th June 2011 • Read More »© Daniel Carruthers This year has been a good year for rhubarb insofar as there's a glut of it i...
2nd June 2011 • Read More »© Daniel Carruthers I'm not entirely sure you could call this a recipe so let's stick with 'how to...
31st May 2011 • Read More »...
28th May 2011 • Read More »...
27th May 2011 • Read More »Why not see a few more modern gardens from some of the other shows....
27th May 2011 • Read More »...
26th May 2011 • Read More »...
26th May 2011 • Read More »The B&Q garden was a showcase of fine, well-grown plants, so why-oh-why is it that every time ...
25th May 2011 • Read More »I loved the garden designed by James Wong and David Cubero for Tourism Malaya last year, but this ...
25th May 2011 • Read More »The lovely (and extremely modest) Cleve West has deservedly won the Best in Show award for his g...
24th May 2011 • Read More »‘Never!’ would probably be his reply – and it’s true that his Wonkavator is highly theatri...
24th May 2011 • Read More »Abutilon x suntense may be a bit of a straggly shrub but it flowers magnificently in the dry shade...
24th May 2011 • Read More »Through the eyes of an artist © Daniel Carruthers Chelsea goers can see our adopted garden, Th...
23rd May 2011 • Read More »Gardening Leave is a charity that helps traumatised ex-servicemen and women reconnect with life by ...
20th May 2011 • Read More »A good friend, Tony Howard, is the head gardener at an impressive private garden that has been s...
16th May 2011 • Read More »I don’t know whether you are familiar with the Edward Lear illustration of a curving plant stem ...
14th May 2011 • Read More »I still love the common Viburnum opulus - one of the few plants I inherited in this garden - it's ...
13th May 2011 • Read More »© Kate Dundas All garden’s have a focus but an original Barbara Hepworth is slightly different...
11th May 2011 • Read More »The pheasant eye narcissus have really multiplied this year and I love the way these late-flowerer...
11th May 2011 • Read More »One of the Purple Dream tulips (above middle) has 'broken' with dramatic white markings - this i...
11th May 2011 • Read More »When I went to collect my peasticks the other day I passed one of the local cherry orchards positi...
8th May 2011 • Read More »Brown Sugar is a new favourite, it's not quite as tall as Cairo which had metre long stems and r...
6th May 2011 • Read More »...
5th May 2011 • Read More »Suddenly everything is in flower – all at once - and as much as I am enjoying the wonderful weat...
4th May 2011 • Read More »I rather like this little pot-sized sieve designed by Sophie Conran for Burgon & Ball (£16.95...
1st May 2011 • Read More »Just to clarify, it’s rock plants, not rock music. Following on from my enthusiastic postings ...
29th April 2011 • Read More »West Green House at Hartley Wintney in Hampshire is a hugely entertaining garden that is always ev...
27th April 2011 • Read More »Garlic pest repellents and feeds have been used by professional organic gardeners for a while now,...
25th April 2011 • Read More »Wild violets are such good value – they self seed around and at this time of year pop up in cont...
24th April 2011 • Read More »Erythronium ‘Pagoda’ is aptly named with its delicate recurved petals. Just wish the floweri...
22nd April 2011 • Read More »Each year I love the spring display of grape hyacinths in my old blue enamel bowl. This year I p...
18th April 2011 • Read More »The ledge next to the front door is looking a picture with the little prunus Kojo no Mai, the purp...
17th April 2011 • Read More »Twilight Garden by Lia Leendertz. I like the idea of a book that encourages us to appreciate ou...
15th April 2011 • Read More »Garden Designers at Home by Noel Kingsbury. Peek over the fence into some of our most respected ...
14th April 2011 • Read More »It’s that time of year when the postman’s knees are buckling under the weight of the newly-pub...
12th April 2011 • Read More »I had 45 minutes to whiz round the RHS Flower Show at the Horticultural Halls in London last week....
8th April 2011 • Read More »Is the first online gardening school. It offers high quality gardening education at home. John Bro...
7th April 2011 • Read More »My young tomato plants are now growing so fast that I have had to move them out from under the Gro...
2nd April 2011 • Read More »The latest edition of Alastair Sawday’s ‘Special Places to stay in Britain for Garden Lovers�...
24th March 2011 • Read More »...
20th March 2011 • Read More »I’m very disappointed with my first sowing of the much-heralded new blight-resistant tomato ‘L...
18th March 2011 • Read More »The Great Wall of Otley © Kate Dundas It’s March, the sun is shining in Leeds so spring must be...
12th March 2011 • Read More »...
6th March 2011 • Read More »Last year I interviewed Roger Harvey of Harvey’s Garden Plants near Bury St Edmund’s in Suffol...
5th March 2011 • Read More »When I attended the Garden Press Event a couple of weeks ago I saw many interesting things includi...
1st March 2011 • Read More »Despite the dire weather earlier in the winter it seems that there were places of shelter where cr...
25th February 2011 • Read More »I’ve temporarily moved my hurdles that keep critters off my raised beds and used them to corral ...
21st February 2011 • Read More »I finally got round to using the garlic fumigating candle in the greenhouse. You might like to...
19th February 2011 • Read More »I could stand it no longer! Everything in the garden looked SUCH A MESS that I decided I had to ...
17th February 2011 • Read More »Checking back to the same time last year it is interesting to see what was out this week last ye...
15th February 2011 • Read More »Final Designs, Fine Tuning & Fine Art Chelsea might be four months away but the garden, "York...
13th February 2011 • Read More »Evidence is mounting that the cause of the decline in bees in associated with the use of neoniciti...
11th February 2011 • Read More »Now I remember why my last cat was a standard issue tabby. Young Titus, the Bengal cross, is sho...
7th February 2011 • Read More »I spent a couple of useful hours giving my overwintering plants a bit of much needed tlc. Given ...
31st January 2011 • Read More »Things are definitely on the move. Walking round the garden it is great to see the first proper si...
29th January 2011 • Read More »In the winter months why not visit the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Even if the weather is a ...
25th January 2011 • Read More »The pyracantha‘s name is of Greek origins: pyr means fire and acanthus means thorn, so this spec...
20th January 2011 • Read More »But I couldn’t resist sharing this picture of the wreath on a front door down the road. It made ...
16th January 2011 • Read More »The major excitement of New Year’s Day was picking beetroot, cavolo nero, mint and carrots fro...
9th January 2011 • Read More »No sooner had the snow departed than the rain arrived. There was a brief respite on New Year’s D...
7th January 2011 • Read More »I managed to get the garlic and shallots planted before the weather changed and now its turned cold ...
5th January 2011 • Read More »Highland cows are well known for being perfectly happy outdoors, no matter what the weather does a...
3rd January 2011 • Read More »
