Stylish Summer Containers

I'm hosting a workshop at Petersham Nurseries, part of a seasonal series we hold, discussing all things containers, planters, troughs, window boxes, bowls, urns ... for a long-lasting, hopefully interesting, fragrant, colourful, herby, floral, edible and beautiful summer-long display. I shall be looking back at some of the medleys we put together last summer, autumn…

Stylish late – late summer containers

I hosted a workshop a few weeks ago now, at Petersham Nurseries, with the title of 'Stylish late-summer containers. I promised the guests that I would create some notes and have been very tardy I doing so. I hope to remedy this here, jotting down a few of the points we covered, and details of…

Winter Containers

Stylish winter containers with ideas and examples from Petersham Nurseries; colour, texture, fragrance contrast and harmony for outdoor planting combinations

Petersham Nurseries 15 Years and going strong …

Celebrations this week for the 15th Anniversary of Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, marked with an evening banquet all around the theme of the honey-bee - floral installations, menu, even the wine, with Cire Trudon and their new honey-scented candle delighting the senses throughout the entire glasshouse. A memorable evening and so pleased to have been…

Green

  Well I thought I had created a monster gallery of pink, but it turns out that Green really has the stage. Again, all photographs from 2015, and pretty much everyone has the name of the plant embedded in the data. Very organised I was then, and how many photos, especially in July, August and…

White

Every shade of white .... no need for a white garden to be sterile, with coolness and warmth, blushes of yellow and pink, blue and lime. Keep the palette calm, with grey and silver foliage, add some soft yellows, blue-greys, to keep the colour scheme less static. Vary the shape, foliage, horizontals and verticals, for…

Dale Chihuly – Glass at Kew Gardens

                            I'll let the photos do the talking for this piece - Dale Chihuly back at Kew Gardens - last visiting in 2006 if memory serves and a welcome return. Several locations across the gardens and I don't think I saw them…

Forest Bathing …

Enjoying the natural beauty of Surrey today, with a 12 mile walk and picnic - beautiful scenery - Beech and Oak woodland, chalk downland, a stretch along the North Downs Way, Denbies Wine Estate, lunch with a view right over to The Shard and Canary Wharf - 30 miles away maybe? Some beautiful houses in…

Nymans, pure Romance …

  After dropping my Sister- and Mother- in law off at Gatwick Airport, a short drive down the M23 to Nymans, a National Trust Property of great charm. Romantic ruins, beautiful gardens, far reaching views across woodland and downs, formal gardens and naturalistic, some tragedy, some infamy, quite a lot of beauty. Sadly too early…