Roses

A Riot of Roses at David Austin HQ – An Access All Areas Tour of the Gardens, Glasshouses, Breeding Program, Trial Fields … and musings on Fragrance in the summer and autumn garden –

Categories David Austin roses, Fragrant plants, Open to the public, Pest control, Petersham Nurseries, Plants for a shady garden?, Pruning, Roses, Seasonal colour, Summer garden, Travel broadens the mind16 Comments on A Riot of Roses at David Austin HQ – An Access All Areas Tour of the Gardens, Glasshouses, Breeding Program, Trial Fields … and musings on Fragrance in the summer and autumn garden –

The Gardens at David Austin Roses, Albrigton, Shropshire They may have been battered by the rains but how beautiful are these gardens still! A veritable riot of colour, in beds and borders, along paths and clothing walls and clambering up and over pillars. Every conceivable space is festooned. Walls have climbers and ramblers flowering from…

Continue reading ➞ A Riot of Roses at David Austin HQ – An Access All Areas Tour of the Gardens, Glasshouses, Breeding Program, Trial Fields … and musings on Fragrance in the summer and autumn garden –

Stylish Summer Containers

Categories annuals, Architectural Plants, Bedding, Climbing plants, colour, container gardening, Fragrant plants, General comment, herbaceous, House plants, Hydrangea, Indoor gardening, Organic Gardening, Plants for a shady garden?, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, Summer garden1 Comment on 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…

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White

Categories Abstract Photography, Alpine, annuals, Architectural Plants, Autumn garden, Bedding, Bulbs, Camellias, Clematis, climbing plant, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, David Austin roses, Dry Garden, Flowering Cherry, Fragrant plants, General comment, Hellebore, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Iris, Japanese Maples (Acers), late summer border, Magnolia, Mediterranean Garden, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, Snowdrops (Galanthus), spring flowering, Spring Garden, Summer garden, White Garden, Winter Garden, Wisteria, Woodland Garden1 Comment on 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…

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15 Favourites ….

Categories David Austin roses, General comment, Roses, Summer garden4 Comments on 15 Favourites ….

A little more detail on my favourite roses - of course I'll have changed my mind tomorrow, and the next day, though No. 1 will always be Lady Emma Hamilton ... 15 favourite garden plants next methinks .... Lady Emma Hamilton - a deliciously fragrant English rose, of rich tangerine with golden centre, paling to…

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15 Favourites – Roses

Categories Climbing plants, colour, Cottage Garden, David Austin roses, Fragrant plants, General comment, Mottisfont Abbey, National Trust Gardens, Open to the public, Petersham Nurseries, Roses, Shrubs, Sissinghurst Castle, Summer garden, Travel broadens the mind7 Comments on 15 Favourites – Roses

My fifteen favourite roses

David C.H. Austin OBE VMH (1926 – 2018)

Categories David Austin roses, Roses3 Comments on David C.H. Austin OBE VMH (1926 – 2018)

I am saddened to hear that David C.H. Austin passed away on Tuesday this week, aged 92,  peacefully at home, surrounded by his family. A great rosarian, pioneer and perfectionist, he has been an inspiration to me pursuing a career in horticulture and my being an enthusiastic and vocal advocate for roses in general and…

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Winter Border Workshop at Petersham Nurseries

Categories Architectural Plants, Bulbs, Camellias, Clematis, climbing plant, colour, conifers, container gardening, David Austin roses, Dry Garden, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Exotic, Flowering Cherry, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, General comment, Grasses, Hellebore, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Japanese Maples (Acers), Magnolia, Mediterranean Garden, Mottisfont Abbey, November, Ornamental trees, Petersham Nurseries, Plants for a shady garden?, Rhododendron & Azalea, RHS WIsley, Roses, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Savill Garden, Seasonal colour, Seeds, shade, Shrubs, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Snowdrops (Galanthus), The Savill Garden, Trees, Trees for smaller gardens, Vegetables, Water gardening, White Garden, Wildlife gardening, Winter Garden, witch hazel, Woodland Garden1 Comment on Winter Border Workshop at Petersham Nurseries

I have a workshop this week where we will delve into turning our gardens, in the chill months ahead, into winter borders filled with interesting plants, colours and textures. Anchor plants with attractive foliage, the tracery and silhouettes of seedheads and dried stems and flower heads, and ornamental fruit, evergreen shrubs with scented flowers for…

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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…

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Yellow

Categories Abstract Photography, Alpine, annuals, Architectural Plants, Auricula, Autumn garden, Bedding, Bulbs, colour, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, dark foliage plants, David Austin roses, Dry Garden, Evergreen shrubs, Fragrant plants, Garden Design, General comment, Grasses, herbaceous, Japanese Maples (Acers), late summer border, Ornamental trees, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, Snowdrops (Galanthus), spring flowering, Spring Garden, Summer garden2 Comments on Yellow

  From the palest blush, soft cool primrose, sulphurous, acid, gaudy, bright, golden, and adorning the garden right the way through the year - this is a richly diverse palette and can be used to many an effect. I've been reading Gertrude Jekyll's book on colour schemes in the flower garden and she is extraordinarily…

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