Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
The luminous Pat Austin I'm reading through David Austin's The English Rose for passages relating to this rose, introduced in 1995 and named for his late wife, Pat Austin. Writing on the choice of colour and introducing new colours in particular: 'Here we are looking not simply for a variety of colour, but for good…
Continue reading ➞ Shades of Copper and Flame…
The beautiful Damask rose, Mme Hardy, introduced in 1832, making this an outstanding old girl. Peter Beales in his excellent reference 'Classic Roses,' writes An elegant and sumptuous rose which can hold its own against any in the shrubbery. Flowers pure white, full double and quite large considering the number it produces. Centre petals are…
Continue reading ➞ White Lace & Emeralds
Meconopsis betonicifolia - Himalayan Blue Poppy A few blue poppies in the woodland margins at Kew, something seen out of the corner of my eye, deserving closer inspection (I was on the hunt for peony and rose). Meconopsis have a reputation for being difficult, in warmer latitudes especially - the various species grow best in…
Continue reading ➞ Himalayan Blue Poppy
Digitalis 'Foxtrot' I am utterly taken by the beauty of this muted, charming, fluted foxglove; something the plant breeders have got right methinks (something new and different but still a beautiful garden plant). Your marks? I'll give it a '10', darling.
My first flower from the 2013/14 David Austin Rose, Thomas à Becket. I am glad that DAR admit that it is a difficult rose to photograph - it was! To capture the richness of the red, with bright pink/carmine tones, all but this one of my picture rang an off-note. David Austin, in their website, write…
Continue reading ➞ Thomas a Becket – new to David Austin 2013/14
Introduced in 2000, this is a free-flowering shrub bearing soft-apricot-paling-to-creamy-white rosette-shaped flowers with a faint scent (its only shortcoming, this). Superbly healthy and growing to a fine 4' x 3'. Named for The Crocus Trust, hence the odd nomenclature for plant that is not obviously a crocus.
Ipomoea tricolor Heavenly Blue, and guest A beautiful, fast-growing twining annual with rich azure flowers and white throat. Hailing from tropical Central and South America, yet still choice a stopover for our native visitor. How adaptable is nature!
Brick pillars and slim wooden struts forming a gently curving pergola in the Family Beds garden at Kew. Matched specimens of climbing and rambling roses in perfect condition and trained to absolute perfection. In full flower, this will be Amazing. Climbing Lady Hillingdon Constance Spry Chevvy Chase Veilchenblau Alberic Barbier Climbing Cecile Brunner Alexander Girault…
Continue reading ➞ Roses at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Having been told this week by a customer that 'they never knew they liked orange so much', (there were lots of Ballerina tulips this spring, and much Geum in flower in her garden now), I think it is time to consider my 'relationship' with Orange. Maybe not give it up - the gorgeous David Austin…
Continue reading ➞ Pink is the new Orange
The Teddington Gardener 