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)…

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 -

A Petersham Flower Show – we had snow last week and now this – blue skies, sunshine and a bigger, brighter truly floriferous floral parade

Another bright and sunny day, breezy at times but absolutely feeling like summer. Starting off this morning in my garden, beneath the horse-chestnut tree now decked with white floral candles, my own tulip displays and then off to Petersham Nurseries. Plants upon plants upon plants everywhere - exactly as it should be. The Cutting Garden…

A rainy day at Wisley – but read on – there’s Cherry, Camellia, Rhododendron, Magnolia & more…

An exceptionally damp day, last Friday, at RHS Wisley in Surrey but undeterred was I, with my Driza-bone coat, wide-brimmed hat, umbrella and camera - it was business as usual ... Much opportunity for photography with ornamental cherries and Magnolias in blossom and looking fine; Camellias dotted throughout Battleston Hill and Seven-acre Wood; likewise some…

A snapshot of Spring – Alpine & Woodland – Kew Gardens, mostly

Here's another of those galleries, a tumble-jumble of images but all taken in the last week and mostly at Kew Gardens. I did pop over to RHS Wisley on Saturday for their Spring Plant Fair - and bought a selection of Martagon Lilies from Jacques Armandes International and some brightly (brave, they called them) coloured…

A banquet-kaleidoscope-smorgasbord-gallimaufry of early Spring colour and scent … (or Where’s Thug?)

Ah, well, you've got me - one huge gallery of images and barely a note to cover the 'who, what, why, where and when' of it all - The 'where'will be at Kew and Wisley and a few points in between, including those deliciously cool crocus on my own front step, delicately rain-dropped and rather…

RHS Wisley this time around, Alpine treasures and Butterflies in the Glasshouse

Butterflies in the Glasshouse at RHS Wisley and moving into the Alpine House next - Plenty of treaures in the Alpine House, Fritillaries especially on this visit Butterflies, first, in the Glasshouse at RHS Wisley - happily I timed my visit on one of the last days of this event (I feared I'd missed it)…

An early March visit to the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire – much to admire especially the Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) Collection …

That's it I'm afraid - one large (albeit labelled) gallery - a pictorial tour of the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Hampshire earlier this month (well, a walk around some of it, but most of that put under the camera lens).... The Hamamelis collection I stumbled across was in very fine fettle, the highlight of…

A little look at the 2016 London RHS Early Spring Show

Walking through Pimlico and the outskirts of Westminster, after crossing Vauxhall Bridge (see the Duck tours amphibious vehicle), heading towards Vincent Square and the horticultural halls hosting the first of the RHS London Shows this year.... The RHS Early Spring Show Beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine (yesterday), the first day of the show. Magnolias…