Trees

Arabella Lennox Boyd – invention and boundless imagination in the gardens at Gresgarth Hall

Categories Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Autumn garden, Clematis, container gardening, Fragrant plants, Garden Design, General comment, Grasses, herbaceous, Kitchen Garden, late summer border, Mediterranean Garden, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Rhododendron & Azalea, Roses, Seasonal colour, Shrubs, spring flowering, Spring Garden, Summer garden, Travel broadens the mind, Trees, Water gardening, Winter Garden6 Comments on Arabella Lennox Boyd – invention and boundless imagination in the gardens at Gresgarth Hall

A garden, though visited in 2015, that has a hold on me still, with vivid memories of superb planting, striking vistas, artistry and sheer passion for the gardens and countryside around. The season 'up north' will be naturally a little later than here, 'down south' so while I visited at the beginning of July, climate…

Continue reading ➞ Arabella Lennox Boyd – invention and boundless imagination in the gardens at Gresgarth Hall

Postcards from Sussex – the extraordinary Arundel Castle and Gardens

Categories annuals, Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bee Friendly Plants, Climbing plants, colour, container gardening, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Dry Garden, Exotic, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, Garden Design, General comment, herbaceous, Kitchen Garden, Mediterranean Garden, Open to the public, Organic Gardening, Ornamental trees, Seasonal colour, soft fruit, spring flowering, Spring Garden, Summer garden, Travel broadens the mind, Trees, Tropical, Water gardening, Winter Garden2 Comments on Postcards from Sussex – the extraordinary Arundel Castle and Gardens

  To prevent a general revolt over a daily onslaught of postcards from June 2017, you'll be glad yo note I've left out at least four more galleries from David Austin Roses in Shropshire, the delightful Chastleton House and a mooch around Woodstock and Blenheim Palace. For the not so feint-hearted, please search for stories…

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A few scribblings on creating a White Garden

Categories Acid-loving plants, Alpine, annuals, Architectural Plants, Autumn garden, Bedding, Bulbs, Camellias, Clematis, Climbing plants, conifers, container gardening, Dahlias, David Austin roses, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Exotic, Flowering Cherry, Fragrant plants, General comment, Hellebore, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Iris, Magnolia, Mediterranean Garden, Mottisfont Abbey, National Trust Gardens, Ornamental trees, Rhododendron & Azalea, RHS WIsley, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, Sissinghurst Castle, Snowdrops (Galanthus), Spring Garden, Summer garden, Trees, Trees for smaller gardens, White Garden, Wildlife gardening, Winter Garden, Wisteria, Woodland Garden2 Comments on A few scribblings on creating a White Garden

  Creating a White Garden Straight out of the block, I'm talking about green. And grey, silver, and variegation. We'll get to white but a few thoughts first. ‘Green is the backdrop to the garden but in its range of shades and textures, green has much more to offer as any foreground interest. Grey dims,…

Continue reading ➞ A few scribblings on creating a White Garden

Dale Chihuly – Glass at Kew Gardens – May 2019

Categories Abstract Photograpy, Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bulbs, Climbing plants, colour, General comment, herbaceous, Mediterranean Garden, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Seasonal colour, Spring Garden, Summer garden, Trees, Tropical, Wisteria1 Comment on Dale Chihuly – Glass at Kew Gardens – May 2019

                            A look back to last year when the gardens and glasshouses were once again a home to the glass works by Dale Chihuly. Gone now of course even if the gardens were open, so please don't visit, when we can, expecting…

Continue reading ➞ Dale Chihuly – Glass at Kew Gardens – May 2019

A return to the gardens of RHS Wisley – a riot of colour and scent (well it will be and most definitely was last year)

Categories Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bulbs, Climbing plants, colour, conifers, Dry Garden, evergreen perennial, Evergreen shrubs, Fragrant plants, herbaceous, Japanese Maples (Acers), Magnolia, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Petersham Nurseries, Plants for a shady garden?, Rhododendron & Azalea, RHS WIsley, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, spring flowering, Spring Garden, Trees, White Garden, Wisteria, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on A return to the gardens of RHS Wisley – a riot of colour and scent (well it will be and most definitely was last year)

Closed still of course, so a look back to a tour I did this time last year. These photos bring it right back into focus, and I can so clearly remember the paths and turns taken. Fresh greens, bright flowers and scent. Enjoy.   Hawthorn, Bluebells, Azaleas and Rhododendrons, flowering Viburnums, a craft fair, tree-trunk…

Continue reading ➞ A return to the gardens of RHS Wisley – a riot of colour and scent (well it will be and most definitely was last year)

Forest Bathing … because for the great many of us, we simply can’t at the moment

Categories General comment, Open to the public, Spring Garden, Trees, Wildlife gardening, Wisteria, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on Forest Bathing … because for the great many of us, we simply can’t at the moment

Reprising a spring walk in Surrey last year, around Ranmore Common, through some glorious woodland. Forest bathing - simply being calm and quiet amongst the trees, breathing deeply, moving slowly. De-stressing. There was such a beautiful light filtering through the emerging foilage, the structure of the trees not yet obscured. Birdsong and unaccountably very few…

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Camellias, mostly – a beautifully colourful tour through the woodland landscapes at RHS Wisley – another stroll down memory lane

Categories Camellias, colour, Evergreen shrubs, Flowering Cherry, Fragrant plants, General comment, Hellebore, herbaceous, Magnolia, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Plants for a shady garden?, Rhododendron & Azalea, RHS WIsley, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, spring flowering, Spring Garden, Trees, White Garden, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on Camellias, mostly – a beautifully colourful tour through the woodland landscapes at RHS Wisley – another stroll down memory lane

  Another stroll down memory lane given that these gardens, like most across the country, are closed while Covid-19 runs amok. This time, almost exactly two years ago. Definitely no 'crowds upon crowds' now or any time soon. I promise to limit my re-posts, though with cherry blossom time really just around the corner, and…

Continue reading ➞ Camellias, mostly – a beautifully colourful tour through the woodland landscapes at RHS Wisley – another stroll down memory lane

A Grand Day Out – Loseley House & Gardens – Within the Walled Garden, a Rose Garden, Flower Garden, White Garden, Herb and Edible Garden, and then a Moat, Tudor House, Parkland ….

Categories Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bee Friendly Plants, Clematis, Climbing plants, colour, Cottage Garden, Dry Garden, Fragrant plants, Garden Design, General comment, herbaceous, Open to the public, Petersham Nurseries, plants for roses, Roses, Seasonal colour, Shrubs, Summer garden, Travel broadens the mind, Trees, Vegetables, White Garden, Wisteria2 Comments on A Grand Day Out – Loseley House & Gardens – Within the Walled Garden, a Rose Garden, Flower Garden, White Garden, Herb and Edible Garden, and then a Moat, Tudor House, Parkland ….

Thank goodness for that - only having lived within striking distance of this Tudor House, Walled Garden and Parkland just down the A3 between Guildford and Godalming - for nigh on 19 years - we got there! And we were not disappointed. This is a busy estate and a very busy wedding venue - so…

Continue reading ➞ A Grand Day Out – Loseley House & Gardens – Within the Walled Garden, a Rose Garden, Flower Garden, White Garden, Herb and Edible Garden, and then a Moat, Tudor House, Parkland ….

Dale Chihuly – Glass at Kew Gardens

Categories Abstract Photograpy, Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bulbs, Climbing plants, colour, General comment, herbaceous, Mediterranean Garden, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Seasonal colour, Spring Garden, Summer garden, Trees, Tropical, Wisteria1 Comment on 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…

Continue reading ➞ Dale Chihuly – Glass at Kew Gardens