Fruit Trees

A late-September taste of the gardens at RHS Wisley

Categories annuals, Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Autumn garden, Bedding, Clematis, Climbing plants, colour, conifers, container gardening, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, dark foliage plants, Dry Garden, evergreen perennial, Exotic, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, General comment, Grasses, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Japanese Maples (Acers), late summer border, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, RHS WIsley, Roses, Seasonal colour, soft fruit, Tropical, Wisteria, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on A late-September taste of the gardens at RHS Wisley

A mid-week, late morning, late September tour of the RHS Gardens at Wisley. Blue skies peppered liberally with white clouds (today was a brighter, warmer clearer-skies day than yesterday, but probably overbright for my photographic skills so here we are ...) It is still quite definitely late summer, rather than full-on Autumn. Very few of…

Continue reading ➞ A late-September taste of the gardens at RHS Wisley

Petersham House Gardens – formal gardens, generous borders and a vibrant Cutting Garden

Categories annuals, Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Climbing plants, colour, conifers, container gardening, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, David Austin roses, Evergreen shrubs, floristry, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, General comment, Grasses, Hellebore, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Kitchen Garden, late summer border, Open to the public, Organic Gardening, Petersham Nurseries, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, Vegetables, Woodland Garden1 Comment on Petersham House Gardens – formal gardens, generous borders and a vibrant Cutting Garden

After a cycle ride along the towpath and the Thames sparkling in the sunshine, and nearly being late for taking so many photographs, a look in the Kitchen Garden first, which was the vegetable garden but has been co-opted into an additional Cutting Garden, as well as having the peony beds, Hellebores, many old roses…

Continue reading ➞ Petersham House Gardens – formal gardens, generous borders and a vibrant Cutting Garden

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire – summer, this time around

Categories Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Clematis, Climbing plants, conifers, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, Exotic, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, General comment, Grasses, herbaceous, Magnolia, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Seasonal colour, Summer garden, Travel broadens the mind, WisteriaLeave a Comment on Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire – summer, this time around

The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, run extraordinarily well by Hampshire County Council, is an exceptionally varied, beautiful, diverse, botanically curated landscape with so much to recommend, at pretty much any time of year (their winter garden is a beauty and possibly the best in the UK). An extended stay at Mottisfont and then the charms…

Continue reading ➞ Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire – summer, this time around

Mottisfont Rose Gardens

Categories Architectural Plants, Clematis, Climbing plants, Cottage Garden, David Austin roses, Fragrant plants, Friends, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, General comment, herbaceous, Iris, Mottisfont Abbey, National Trust Gardens, Open to the public, plants for roses, Roses, Seasonal colour, Summer gardenLeave a Comment on Mottisfont Rose Gardens

Overblown, blowsy, beautiful, fragrant, lush, a little ragged, absolutely in need of some serious dead-heading - but equally glamorous and hopelessly romantic, there are no rose gardens quite like Mottisfont. Soulful, they inhabit the walled gardens of this ancient priory, clambering through the many venerable apple and pear tress, hopelessly constrained by box or lavender,…

Continue reading ➞ Mottisfont Rose Gardens

Waterperry Gardens

Categories Alpine, Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bedding, Bulbs, Climbing plants, Composting, container gardening, dark foliage plants, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Exotic, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, General comment, herbaceous, Open to the public, Roses, Seasonal colour, Summer gardenLeave a Comment on Waterperry Gardens

I was at the HTA National Plant Show at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry yesterday, a tedious journey up and down the M40, especially back but I did make a grateful stop at the wonderful Waterperry Gardens near Oxford. Formerly Miss Havergal's School of Horticulture for Ladies (who trained the Land Girls and much more...) these…

Continue reading ➞ Waterperry Gardens

A snapshot from the RHS Gardens at Wisley

Categories annuals, Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Climbing plants, colour, conifers, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, dark foliage plants, David Austin roses, Dry Garden, Exotic, Flower Shows, Fragrant plants, Friends, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, herbaceous, Lawn Care, Open to the public, Orchids, Ornamental trees, Plants for a shady garden?, plants for roses, RHS WIsley, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, soft fruit, Summer garden, Tropical, Vegetables, Water gardening, White GardenLeave a Comment on A snapshot from the RHS Gardens at Wisley

With a friend visiting from Melbourne and cool, cloudy weather, an opportunity to explore RHS Wisley and with 20 Plant Societies - Delphiniums and Cacti, Hostas and Bonsai, Pitcher Plants, Heathers, Vegetables, Dahlias and more - no better excuse to spend three hours in these varied landscapes. We explored the Cottage Garden - gorgeous planting,…

Continue reading ➞ A snapshot from the RHS Gardens at Wisley

Cottage Gardens

Categories Architectural Plants, Bedding, Bulbs, Clematis, Climbing plants, colour, Composting, container gardening, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, dark foliage plants, David Austin roses, Dry Garden, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Flowering Cherry, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, Great Dixter, Hellebore, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Iris, Kitchen Garden, late summer border, Mottisfont Abbey, National Trust Gardens, nerines, Open to the public, Organic Gardening, Organic pest control, Ornamental trees, Petersham Nurseries, plants for roses, Propagation, RHS WIsley, Roses, Seasonal colour, Seeds, Shrubs, soft fruit, Spring Garden, Summer garden, Trees for smaller gardens, Vegetables, Wild Food/Foraging, Wildlife gardeningLeave a Comment on Cottage Gardens

Phyllis Bide – the perfect rambling rose for a cottage garden – informal flowers in a muddle of apricot and cream – and not a monster either, like Kiftsgate or Wedding Day… The Story cover photo is from the Welcome to Yorkshire Garden at RHS Chelsea this year. Proof if it were needed of the…

Continue reading ➞ Cottage Gardens

Petersham Open Garden 2018 – all the pictures!

Categories Art in the landscape, Bedding, Bulbs, Camellias, Climbing plants, container gardening, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Dry Garden, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Exotic, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, General comment, Grasses, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Iris, Japanese Maples (Acers), Kitchen Garden, macropetala, Magnolia, my projects, Open to the public, Organic Gardening, Organic pest control, Ornamental trees, Petersham Nurseries, Rhododendron & Azalea, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, soft fruit, Summer garden, Trees for smaller gardens, Tropical, Vegetables, White Garden, Wild Food/Foraging, Wildlife gardening, Wisteria, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on Petersham Open Garden 2018 – all the pictures!

Ten gardens, ten private passions, ten stories - all on show for Petersham Open Gardens, an event every two years where private gardens showcase their beauty and skills (and skulls in some gardens), for charitable purposes. And given the footfall today, the charity-benefitting coffers will be full to overflowing. Congratulations folk, one and all. I…

Continue reading ➞ Petersham Open Garden 2018 – all the pictures!

More from Petersham House Open Gardens …

Categories Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bulbs, Cutting Garden, David Austin roses, Evergreen shrubs, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, General comment, Grasses, Hellebore, herbaceous, Kitchen Garden, Lawn Care, Magnolia, Open to the public, Organic Gardening, Organic pest control, Ornamental trees, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, Spring Garden, Summer garden, Trees for smaller gardens, White Garden, Wildlife gardening, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on More from Petersham House Open Gardens …

A play with the camera first thing this morning, before the crowds, with a few at the end of the day, with the longer shadows. A cycle in along the river this morning and again on the way home, quite delightful. Hundreds of visitors for the gardens, four hundred? five hundred?, enjoying the double borders…

Continue reading ➞ More from Petersham House Open Gardens …