Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
Erddig, now in the hands of the National Trust, represents a House and Estate that had suffered successive generations (seven or more) of penury and all of the neglect that comes with well-intentioned but financially improverished ownership. Good intentions but lack of funds saw this beauty diminished until the NT took the helm and have…
Continue reading ➞ Postcards from Wales – Erddig
Strong winds and lashing rain as we left Shropshire and headed into Wales (by Welshpool - not that great a distance from our starting point at Wollaston Lodge) to visit the extraordinary castle and gardens at Powis Castle. More impressive than I was expecting too - the topiary and towering hedges yes, but not the…
Continue reading ➞ Postcards from Wales – Powis Castle and Gardens
Continuing our tour of the Shropshire countryside and making good use of our National Trust membership, next stop Attingham Park. Bringing a Regency mansion back to life, the National Trust have saved, conserved and then breathed new life into this house, the interiors and estate. A magical set of rooms inside the House - Upstairs…
Continue reading ➞ Postcards from Shropshire – Attingham Park
Well it has been a busy week - holidaying in the English & Welsh countryside, with sunshine and rain in equal parts and some beautiful castles, gardens, nurseries and stately homes to keep us company. Based for the the first part of this last week near Shrewsbury in Shropshire (the excellent Wollaston Lodge B&B http://www.wollastonlodge.co.uk/ )…
Continue reading ➞ Postcards from Shropshire – Wollerton Old Hall Gardens
Gardens Open Days are a delight, an opportunity to visit private gardens, all within a pleasant stroll of one another, representing a diverse collection of garden styles - gardens from (very) large and grand to postage stamp and intimate - attached to properties many centuries old or with just a couple of years under their…
Continue reading ➞ Gardens Open Day on Ham Common
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…
Continue reading ➞ A view from Kew – a blossomtastic Spring morning in these Royally Botanic Gardens
Avon Bulbs and Harveys both had amazing exhibits at the RHS Early Spring show the horticultural halls off Vincent Square in central London. Jacques Armand brought out the early reticulate and other diminutuve, early Irises. Dibleys, Streptocarpus and Pheasant Acre Plants, Hippeastrum. Plenty more of course, but here's a taster. https://www.avonbulbs.co.uk/ https://www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=69 http://jacquesamandintl.com/homepage/ https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-london-shows/rhs-early-spring-plant-fair Jacques…
Through the gates on a bright, chill afternoon a couple of days ago and herewith a tour of the Princess of Wales Conservatory and Davies Alpine House by way of the Rock Garden and Woodland beneath the Temple of Aeolus. First stop, the Princess of Wales Conservatory and the Arid/Desert environments - There was a…
Continue reading ➞ Kew Gardens – Desert, Tropics, Mountains and Forest….
Never disappointing, the Alpine House at RHS Wisley. Particularly colourful in these early months as you can see. Rhubarb-pinks, bright yellows, true blues, glaucous greens, cochineal reds, zebra-striped purples and arctic whites - and packing a punch for such diminutive little stars. And this only January 14th (they were photographed on my visit yesterday morning).…
Continue reading ➞ Technicolor Rainbows in the Alpine House at RHS Wisley
The Teddington Gardener 