Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
We're off to a good start - breaking ground today on my Mediterranean project in Kew. The first crop of plants have been delivered, including those I bought from North Hill Nurseries last week. The (growing) list includes - Caryopteris Heavenly Blue, Dark Knight, White Surprise (7), Euphorbia White Swan (3), Pinus Mugo Mops, Amelanchier…
Continue reading ➞ Plants and prospects for my new Kew Project
Hebe buxifolia nana - perfect tiny stacking towers of deep green, shiny leaves A dwarf 'boxwood' Hebe, a neat compact domes plant, growing no more than 30cm tall and wide, white flowers in the spring marking this out as something other than a clipped topiary box (Buxus). Native of New Zealand - my town garden…
Continue reading ➞ A hebe that thinks it’s a box
Edgworthia chrysantha The tightly-closed, felt-grey buds of this gorgeous shrub have opened to reveal their sunny side and clove-scented pompoms smother the bare stems. No need to add more as I have talked about this beauty many times before - just look it up in the search box in the side bar. If you do…
Continue reading ➞ Edgworthia chrysantha – my favourite
A favourite tree, in bloom intermittently throughout the winter months whenever a mild spell allows - the blossom and the mild weather are both always welcome. These pictures were taken last week, in the Japanese Landscape by the Chockushi-Mon. Bright blue sky and dazzling low winter sunshine adding to the delight of the pretty blossom.…
Continue reading ➞ Winter Cherry – Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’
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
I featured this plant on the 18th January, bemoaning the lack of information on the label and finding out just a little about what the index numbers might refer to. Happily more than a few questions have been answered by a friend who has been able to look up the details from the original plant-hunting…
Continue reading ➞ Berberis – A Dectective Story
Symphoricarpos orbiculatos - Indian Currant or Coralberry http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1890 I know this particular spot, with the waterfall next to the Davies Alpine House and have photographed something interesting, maybe something orange I seem to recall, here before - so I must have also photographed this shrub too, in leaf. It seems to have made no impression…
Continue reading ➞ Indian currant – Symphoricarpos orbiculatos
A label with minimal detail next to this shrub - near the Victoria Gate at Kew - a dense, prickly plant, chest high, abundantly berried with small, bright ruby lozenges. Berberis is a group of about 450 evergreen and deciduous plants from all parts of the northern hemisphere, Africa and South America. And this one…
Continue reading ➞ Berberis – and a mystery plant hunter….
Edgeworthia chrysantha - an annual pilgrimage A particular plant that I have sought out year after year on the lower slopes of Battleston Hill, the woodland gardens at RHS Wisley, though there are others (against the House, by the water lily canal and the red-flowered form further on into the woodland). Felt-grey padded chrysanthemums, each…
Continue reading ➞ Edgeworthia chrysantha
The Teddington Gardener 