Spring colour-bombs a riverside Nursery (can you guess which one?)

Flowers inside and out, flowers everywhere -  and a few grateful bees to feast on the early Spring bounty. A kaleidoscope of colour, bright, bold, brash and beautiful but we forgive this extravagant generosity - nothing clashes in the garden at this time of year, as the new season unfolds in our gardens. It's welcome antidote…

Spring things … a medley

If a picture paints a thousand words ... read on -

A few things that caught my eye today – an early Springtime collage

Just a little colour to mark the sunshiny day we've had hereabouts - with these heralds of Spring in all their Technicolor finery. Not an exhaustive gallery, I just caught a few pics at the top and tail of the day, but you get the spirit of the season. I'll see if I can do…

Kicking off the season at the RHS Early Spring Show 2017- snowdrops and iris and more springtime lovelies … Mostly snowdrops and iris (and an inflatable, stripy tank)

Avon Bulbs and Harveys both had amazing exhibits at the RHS Early Spring show the horticultural halls off Vincent Square in central London. Jacques Armand brought out the early reticulate and other diminutuve, early Irises. Dibleys, Streptocarpus and Pheasant Acre Plants, Hippeastrum. Plenty more of course, but here's a taster. https://www.avonbulbs.co.uk/ https://www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=69 http://jacquesamandintl.com/homepage/ https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-london-shows/rhs-early-spring-plant-fair Jacques…

Kew Gardens – Desert, Tropics, Mountains and Forest….

Through the gates on a bright, chill afternoon a couple of days ago and herewith a tour of the Princess of Wales Conservatory and Davies Alpine House by way of the Rock Garden and Woodland beneath the Temple of Aeolus. First stop, the Princess of Wales Conservatory and the Arid/Desert environments - There was a…

Technicolor Rainbows in the Alpine House at RHS Wisley

Never disappointing, the Alpine House at RHS Wisley. Particularly colourful in these early months as you can see. Rhubarb-pinks, bright yellows, true blues, glaucous greens, cochineal reds, zebra-striped purples and arctic whites - and packing a punch for such diminutive little stars. And this only January 14th (they were photographed on my visit yesterday morning).…

A Kew Gardens Miscellany – the Roses (some flower, lots of hips), a glide through the Davies Alpine House and of course, some autumn leafery (see the Ginkgos) …

An unexpected bit of free time today and lo! A parking space by the Victoria Gate which meant I had to stop - and (first things first) smell the roses. Gertrude Jekyll, Stanwell Perpetual and Madame Isaac Pereire brought High Summer right back on a mostly overcast mid-November day. Soul food. From the Rose Garden,…

Two Glasshouses at RHS Wisley – one large & tropical; one small, for all things alpine

The Glasshouse at RHS Wisley I think in blogging circles, this day of the week is known as Wordless Wednesday. Well, so much for that! By way of the briefest explanations, the galleries, above and below, are filled with images from my visit last week to RHS Wisley - but since the weather then and…

The Autumn Equinox – And to celebrate, a little tour of RHS Wisley

Rosa Florentina, in the Jubilee Rose Garden at RHS Wisley - this may be the autumn equinox but the roses aren't letting go of summer just yet. A little time since my last post but in my defence, I have had a holiday - a delicious time in Barcelona, if you must know - so…