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…
Fragrant plants
My own personal and private Hanami – Cherry Blossom Festival at Kew (a look back to 2015) @kewgardens #CherryBlossom #Hanami
Another look back through the archives, though Kew Gardens themselves and several of the individuals that work there still have posted some tantalising glimpses of the gardens are they are now. Not an option for me sadly, so will make do with a trip down memory lane. The warm weather we have enjoyed over the…
A view from Kew past, this day 2017 – a blossomtastic Spring morning in these Royally Botanic Gardens
It certainly pays to make an early start, especially on such a bright and beautiful morning - and even more so when school holidays are upon us and Kew Gardens becomes a beautiful flower-filled playground and a great spot for a family picnic. For someone as bah-humbug as I about having unpopulated pictures - flowers…
Colour on a dull day, just not today: A banquet-kaleidoscope-smorgasbord-gallimaufry of early Spring colour and scent … (or Where’s Thug?)
Another look through the Teddington Gardener Archives, mid-March 2016, and as the title says, a jumble of images, woodland and glasshouse, Wisley and Kew and a welcome reminder of Thug, the Petersham Cat, still missed. Ah, well, you've got me - one huge gallery of images and barely a note to cover the…
Camellias, mostly – a beautifully colourful tour through the woodland landscapes at RHS Wisley – another stroll down memory lane
Another stroll down memory lane given that these gardens, like most across the country, are closed while Covid-19 runs amok. This time, almost exactly two years ago. Definitely no 'crowds upon crowds' now or any time soon. I promise to limit my re-posts, though with cherry blossom time really just around the corner, and…
Roses, what else? Two new arrivals but many obituaries …
Lady Emma Hamilton Familiar readers of these pages, and anyone who has met me to talk about roses, will know how much I admire the roses from the stable of David Austin in Shropshire, and I am looking forward to seeing Silas Marner and The Country Parson, new introductions to be showcased at Chelsea this…
Continue reading ➞ Roses, what else? Two new arrivals but many obituaries …
A break in the weather and time to get to RHS Wisley – woodlanders, rock gardens and alpines, many roses and more …
The weather has been decidedly un-summery these past few days and further North, it is set to be one of the wettest on record. Us softy Southerners, by geography if not by birth, have it a little brighter but still, dank, damp, humid and overcast. Still, I wanted to see the new retail space and…
A return to Penshurst Place and Gardens, Kent – and this time we definitely have peonies ….
A return, after a years' absence, to the walled gardens at Penshurst Place in Kent. This time around, the famed 100m long peony border was looking fine, colourful and fragrant, growing lush and up through the wire grid, and with a long way to go before it will run out of steam. With the rain…
Kew Gardens – the Woodland Gardens providing welcome shade, dappled and deep and a rich tapestry of leaf, flower & fragrance
A reprisals of a piece from June 2015 at Kew Gardens, as I am hosting a Shade-themed workshop today and have rescheduled several pieces to fill out the subject and which will form the basis of my updated notes. A talk on the beauty and possibilities of gardening in the shade - indeed on a…









