Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
A brief photo-stop by the Thames at Isleworth yesterday, on my way to Syon - birds wheeling around, planes overhead and folk already out on the river... Pansies in the sunshine... happy plants My (current) favourite Rhododendron, a Yakushimanum (Yak. for short) hybrid named Grumpy. I will have to look out for the full collection…
Continue reading ➞ Syon, Pansies and the Seven Dwarfs..
New growth is pushing up through the dark earth, fresh flowers taking advantage of the leafless tree canopy overhead and searching for sunlight. Snowdrops, yellow winter aconites, the earliest oriental hellebores and the first few crocus of the season. All here at Kew - and there is more to come - carpets of crocus (they…
Continue reading ➞ Snowdrops, hellebores, crocus, winter aconites …
The Lark Ascending I'm chuffed that Lynn Hunt and The Dirt Diaries included some comments of mine on the new crop of David Austin roses set to conquer America in 2014 (not every UK introduction crosses the pond automatically and if they do, it is at least a year later than their original Chelsea debut).…
Continue reading ➞ The Dirt Diaries preview new US introductions from David Austin
Kew Palace Historically significant for its association with the Royal family, Kew Palace (formerly known as the Dutch House) is the earliest surviving building in the Gardens. It was built around 1631 by Samuel Fortrey, a merchant of Dutch origin, and is noted for its distinctive decorative carved brickwork and rounded gables. It was used…
Continue reading ➞ Kew Palace and the Queen’s Garden
A walk through Kew, enjoying a bright chill day that the BBC weatherman assured me would hold nothing but rain upon more rain. Plus there was a parking space by the Victoria Gate entrance, so there was no excuse to call in. My rules! I've recently explored (deep breath..) the woodland area by the Temple…
Rhododendron nobleanum album - at least two specimens on Battleston Hill at RHS Wisley were in flower when I last visited a couple of weeks ago - this old variety will flower anytime between January and March and perhaps even later, after the last frosts. Mid-January, it was the first of the rhododendrons I saw…
Continue reading ➞ Rhododendron nobleanum album – an early flowering beauty
Hermaphrodite Skimmias offer, if it needs to be said, the best of both worlds - self-fertile plants with flower and fruit. Here are two - Skimmia japonica Temptation and a form of Skimmia japonica subsp. reveesiana - Chilan Choice. Admittedly the flowers are not the Main Event that they are with, say, Skimmia rubella or…
Continue reading ➞ I can resist everything but (Skimmia) Temptation
This is my beautiful, but simple, orchid exhibition at home - just the two phalaenopsis (moth) orchids. I'm prompted to photograph them given the imminent opening, next weekend, of the annual orchid display at Kew Gardens, transporting an already tropical Princess of Wales Conservatory into a technicolour paradise. I urge you to go if you…
Continue reading ➞ Escape Winter – Orchids at Kew 2014
A gentle pavement expedition, a street safari, to see what the front gardens of this particular bit of Teddington might throw up, by way of Winter Interest. With a tide of concrete washing over so many front gardens, plants are losing out to car parking at an alarming rate, with consequences for wildlife, drainage/water runoff…
Continue reading ➞ Plant Hunting in Teddington
The Teddington Gardener 