Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
Plant of the Year 2012 At long last, a package from Thompson & Morgan containing six plug plants of their perennial foxglove, three each of Illumination Pink (Plant of the Year at Chelsea 2012) and a new addition, Chelsea Gold. Thompson & Morgan Parentage from the little-known Isoplexis (Canary Island Foxglove) gives these exciting new Digitalis…
Continue reading ➞ Plant of the Year: RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Princess Alexandra of Kent, a David Austin introduction from 2007, large flowers in glowing pink with scalloped outer petals and a rich fragrance. The first decent bloom at Syon.Darcey Bussell tried hard, but a poor first attempt, and the solitary flower from Kew Gardens, well!Good things come to those who wait.
"Il n'y a rien dans ce monde qui n'ait un moment decisif" There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment - Henri Cartier-Bresson By which artful quote I mean, always have your camera with you. A long walk to the van this morning (parking à la maison is generally more hope…
Continue reading ➞ The Decisive Moment
Lady Northcliffe, (and as Christopher Lloyd writes in his excellent and still very current book on clematis, 'not Northcliff, (the sort of cliff that faces north)'. Also from Christopher Lloyd in his book, updated by Tom Bennett, 1989, writing on blue clematis: 'The deeper blue shades are more popular than the light. Here our choice…
Continue reading ➞ Clematis Lady Northcliffe
Just me and a few thousand roses - English roses, Austin roses, Hybrid Teas and Floribundas, Bourbon, Alba and Portland, Hybrid Musk, Gallica and Species roses, Old Roses of other denominations, Modern shrub and ground cover roses, climbers and ramblers & Fragrant English Climbers, wild roses and standards... 'The Teddington Gardener' is also 'Rose Man'…
Continue reading ➞ The Apprentice
David Austin have launched just four new roses this year at RHS Chelsea, including a repeat flowering rambler, The Albrighton Rambler that, to my mind, will be a best seller for the Shropshire firm. So pretty! So useful...Carolyn Knight is a sport of Summer Song, a rich gold to the parental burnt orange. Thomas a…
Continue reading ➞ Chelsea Quartet
Rebecca, a Raymond Evison clematis (The Chelsea feature for 2008 and named after Raymond Evison's eldest daughter. Clematis Rebecca has stunning large red flowers and flowers freely over a long season.) Today I have mostly been working with, and reading this evening about, clematis. The large, summer flowering varieties are coming into bloom in a…
Continue reading ➞ Clematis, Queen of Climbers
Apricot Foxx (pink/peach), Brown Sugar (pink/orange) and La Belle Epoque (brown) are all stunning tulips in this fine display, matched perfectly with Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra Maxima,' the Crown Imperial and a skirt of Narcissus Suzy (yellow with red centre). A rhythm of large planters along a wide terrace with a daring, close-colour harmony. Another brilliant…
Continue reading ➞ Apricot Foxx, Brown Sugar, La Belle Epoque & Crown Imperials
A woodland spot and an impressive stand of trilliums with purple flame-flowers above distinctive leaves. Trillium chloropetalum is one of the more robust trilliums and makes impressive spring clumps as here, at RHS Harlow Carr. Nearby were Trillium flexipes White and Trillium erectum, below
The Teddington Gardener 