Month: May 2016

The shady garden in summer and into autumn … beginning an A-Z

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Another year and all set for another workshop dealing with the shadier aspects of summer in the garden - I've loved some of the gardens at Chelsea where shade was exploited to glorious effect, so will add to the gallery when I have a moment .... in the meantime, here is the original - due…

Continue reading ➞ The shady garden in summer and into autumn … beginning an A-Z

Meet Ausowlish, Auschimbley and Austritch – or rather my first look at Roald Dahl, Bathsheba and Imogen – 2016 introductions from David Austin Roses

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New from David Austin roses, Roald Dahl, pictured here at RHS Chelsea Flower Show - an English Musk Hybrid with the trade name of Ausowlish. A touch of Comte de Champagne, The Lark Ascending  - shapely like Skylark and a touch of Jude the Obscure ... Altogether a pretty, poised rose - From the David…

Continue reading ➞ Meet Ausowlish, Auschimbley and Austritch – or rather my first look at Roald Dahl, Bathsheba and Imogen – 2016 introductions from David Austin Roses

More to delight from RHS Wisley …

Categories Acid-loving plants, Clematis, Climbing plants, colour, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Fragrant plants, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Open to the public, Plants for a shady garden?, Rhododendron & Azalea, RHS WIsley, Seasonal colour, Summer gardenLeave a Comment on More to delight from RHS Wisley …

  Cool hostas for a shady spot; bright - and fragrant - Azaleas to share the limelight and much more besides - perennials and shrubs for sun and shade, a couple of climbers .... A snapshot of late May (the second May Bank Holiday weekend is upon us!) ...    

In my favourite Alpine House – RHS Wisley in Technicolor

Categories Alpine, General comment, RHS WIsleyLeave a Comment on In my favourite Alpine House – RHS Wisley in Technicolor

  In the Alpine House at RHS Wisley, a kaleidoscope of colour (I know I've used that particular description on more than one occasion but it works for the rainbow of colour on display quite perfectly). And in the gallery below, from their Plant Centre, more Alpine and Rock Garden stars ... Just galleries this…

Continue reading ➞ In my favourite Alpine House – RHS Wisley in Technicolor

P P P P Pick up a Pelargonium …..

Categories Bedding, Flower Shows, General comment, RHS WIsleyLeave a Comment on P P P P Pick up a Pelargonium …..

RHS Wisley has put on a fantastic display of Pelargoniums in the Glasshouse - such colour and fragrance (the scent in the leaves in this instance). Clearly they can be bright and bold, frilled, starbursting and bi-coloured but there are stunning varieties with simply beautiful foliage (oak-leaved and variegated for example) as well as those…

Continue reading ➞ P P P P Pick up a Pelargonium …..

Petersham Nurseries – Glorious flowers for a wedding and other beauties that caught my eye today (Agapanthus, Alliums, a Blackbird, Camassia, Corydalis, Cosmos, Euphorbia, Geum, Iris, a Viburnum called Watanabe)

Categories Architectural Plants, Bulbs, Cutting Garden, herbaceous, Petersham Nurseries4 Comments on Petersham Nurseries – Glorious flowers for a wedding and other beauties that caught my eye today (Agapanthus, Alliums, a Blackbird, Camassia, Corydalis, Cosmos, Euphorbia, Geum, Iris, a Viburnum called Watanabe)

A wedding being celebrated in the Nurseries today and my talented florist-colleagues Thomas Broom-Hughes and Flora Lawson have been busy creating these beautiful displays. Worthy of more than a few photographs I should say. The Cutting Garden provided an opportunity for a few 'captures' this evening too, as I left Petersham Nurseries. While the new…

Continue reading ➞ Petersham Nurseries – Glorious flowers for a wedding and other beauties that caught my eye today (Agapanthus, Alliums, a Blackbird, Camassia, Corydalis, Cosmos, Euphorbia, Geum, Iris, a Viburnum called Watanabe)

Kew Gardens – Early One Morning/Lazing on a Sunday Morning

Categories Acid-loving plants, Alpine, Architectural Plants, Bulbs, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Flowering Cherry, Fragrant plants, General comment, Magnolia, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Petersham Nurseries, Rhododendron & Azalea, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Seasonal colour, spring flowering, Spring Garden, Trees for smaller gardens, Wisteria2 Comments on Kew Gardens – Early One Morning/Lazing on a Sunday Morning

Kew Gardens once again opens its gates at 8am for Friends of Kew, right through the Summer. I took advantage of this early opening on Sunday before heading over to Petersham Nurseries and really appreciated the cool calm and quiet - there were other folk about but few and far between (it's a big place)…

Continue reading ➞ Kew Gardens – Early One Morning/Lazing on a Sunday Morning

A few more things that caught my eye – just no horticultural captions this time (think of it as an identity test)

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A bit of summer colour - bedding if you like - but colour and fragrance abound in boundless choice. Perennials in here too but this I'm doing on my iPod therefore a) I hope it works and b) I'm keeping it simple!

A few things that caught my eye – lots and lots of Acers and a kaleidoscopic ‘A to V’ (not quite Z) of both herbaceous and shrubbery loveliness …

Categories Acid-loving plants, Alpine, Architectural Plants, Auricula, Bulbs, Dry Garden, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Fragrant plants, General comment, herbaceous, Plants for a shady garden?, Seasonal colour, Shrubs, spring flowering, Spring Garden, White Garden, Wildlife gardening, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on A few things that caught my eye – lots and lots of Acers and a kaleidoscopic ‘A to V’ (not quite Z) of both herbaceous and shrubbery loveliness …

Some rather gorgeous Acers here, just plumping up for the season ahead with much colour and fine forms to admire. A collection that absolutely caught my eye along with the next little selection ... an Anchusa to Viburnum alphabet of nearly-summer beauties -