Happy New Year folks! And to start us off, a little tour from Petersham Nurseries. I shall be talking a trip out next week – Wisley perhaps, or a guded tour at Kew over their Snowdrop Collection – or somewhere else indeed – but all my days this year so far have been at the Nurseries and here the little ol’ place is.
The Garden Shop features first (above) with a range of plants that are happy (some more than othersit has to be said) to share our homes. Christmas has been cleared away and the displays pared down and some bright notes coming in with primrose, citrus, petite African Violets and some beautiful orchids. Oh, and everything else for the discerning gardener, inside and out.
Speaking of which, outside of the Glasshouse, the Cutting Garden, featuring in the next gallery, is a slumbering giant with hundreds (thousands I think) of bulbs planted in the past few months – Tulip, Allium, Fritillaria, Narcissus and all manner more – so I shall be delighted to post a few pictures when these come through. Some old favourites and many new names to try out. If I am organised, I will do what I intended to do last year, and take a series of images each week and then do a little video at year-end. It will be a magical time-lapse project, I hope.
The main nurseries have been put back into order after the fun of Christmas and there are plenty of potted spring bulbs, the first of the Hellebores, much evergreen shrubbery including some sensationally scented sweeties like the Sarcococca confusa and soon, the Daphnes. The first week of the year and already we are planning more Hellebores, more shrubs, a range of conifers, the first intake of perennials, alpine and wild flowers, the first herbs of the year and our roses for the season. Climbers, annuals, summer bulbs, fruit trees, ornamental trees, vegetables, seeds …. It’s going to be amazing.
The Cat is called Mother, being mother to two other resident cats and their antics this year can be followed on Instagram, an account set up originally for and named after our dearly departed Top Cat, thugthepetershamcat … And I had my lunch today at the red table, with the yellow and green chairs, so that’s why this image is included. Chill outside, but blue skies and pale sun.
And finally a brief little look inside the other Glasshouse – plenty of sparkle and the most amazing pots – quite my favourite images (though the Murano Glass is also speaking to me – )
My first photographic outing of the year and it had to be here (well, mostly because I haven’t been anywhere else …). I’m planning my garden wish-list for 2018, to explore as many new locations as I can this year – the treasure that is the National Garden Scheme really has to be plundered, many more RHS Partner Gardens, English Heritage properties and private, unaffiliated, gardens too – and some favourites that I can go back to in a different season. All this and a full-time job!
I’m making a list – and checking it twice – and will see how far I can get as the weeks and months pass by. I hope you will join me on my travels.
The Teddington Gardener 
Oh, I am just now writing about bare root stock.