Woodland Garden

Floating Hellebores …. sunshine and ice

Categories Abstract Photography, Art in the landscape, Hellebore, Petersham Nurseries, shade, Spring Garden, Woodland Garden2 Comments on Floating Hellebores …. sunshine and ice

First there was a wide pool of water with the floating heads of Hellebores, upturned to enjoy the sunshine. Garden gathered Anna's Red, White Tutu and the original, purple Tutu, Winter Moonbeam, a few hybrids...  then came the big freeze - and it seems, though this was March 2018, a cold snap is on it's…

Continue reading ➞ Floating Hellebores …. sunshine and ice

A timely guide to spring-flowering bulbs – choices, tips, techniques and planting ideas for a display from January to May

Categories Alpine, Bee Friendly Plants, Bulbs, colour, container gardening, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Dry Garden, Fragrant plants, Garden Design, General comment, herbaceous, Iris, Magnolia, my projects, Open to the public, Organic Gardening, Petersham Nurseries, RHS London Show, RHS WIsley, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Savill Garden, Seasonal colour, shade, Snowdrops (Galanthus), spring flowering, Spring Garden, Woodland Garden2 Comments on A timely guide to spring-flowering bulbs – choices, tips, techniques and planting ideas for a display from January to May

  More thieving from my back catalogue of articles, this one doubly so since it originally featured in September a few years ago, featuring images taken from 2014 onwards - and repeated again in April of this year. But spring-flowering bulbs are available now so this time of year is probably the most useful as bulbs can be…

Continue reading ➞ A timely guide to spring-flowering bulbs – choices, tips, techniques and planting ideas for a display from January to May

A few days …. all manner of early autumn – should I say late summer despite the current chill Bank Holiday weekend ahead? – herbaceous-ness, roses, dahlias, sunflower, more herbaceous perennials, heuchera and Solenostemon (finishing up with Crinkly Bottom….). 2015 here we come …

Categories Alpine, Architectural Plants, Autumn garden, Climbing plants, colour, container gardening, Cutting Garden, Dahlias, dark foliage plants, David Austin roses, Dry Garden, Fragrant plants, General comment, Grasses, herbaceous, Hydrangea, late summer border, Roses, Seasonal colour, Vegetables, Woodland Garden1 Comment on A few days …. all manner of early autumn – should I say late summer despite the current chill Bank Holiday weekend ahead? – herbaceous-ness, roses, dahlias, sunflower, more herbaceous perennials, heuchera and Solenostemon (finishing up with Crinkly Bottom….). 2015 here we come …

  Once more wandering through the archives of garden-visiting, photography and plant inspecting - at RHS Wisley right at the beginning of September in 2015 (four days hence and five years back). These gardens are not entirely the same now, in design, layout and content (what garden is?) but suspect that many of the plants…

Continue reading ➞ A few days …. all manner of early autumn – should I say late summer despite the current chill Bank Holiday weekend ahead? – herbaceous-ness, roses, dahlias, sunflower, more herbaceous perennials, heuchera and Solenostemon (finishing up with Crinkly Bottom….). 2015 here we come …

Kew Gardens – a look back in anticipation of looking forward to a visit soon …

Categories Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bedding, colour, conifers, Dahlias, dark foliage plants, David Austin roses, Dry Garden, evergreen perennial, Exotic, Fragrant plants, Friends, Garden Design, General comment, Grasses, herbaceous, House plants, late summer border, Lawn Care, Mediterranean Garden, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Roses, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Seasonal colour, shade, Shrubs, Summer garden, Trees for smaller gardens, Tropical, Water gardening, Wisteria, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on Kew Gardens – a look back in anticipation of looking forward to a visit soon …

  A look back to a visit in early August 2018 when the Pagoda was reopening after a refurbishment and the installation of the dragons. If you want a look inside the pagoda, or a look at the landscape from its heights, you can use tags or search functions. The gardens are open again after…

Continue reading ➞ Kew Gardens – a look back in anticipation of looking forward to a visit soon …

An Afternoon at RHS Wisley – the Double Herbaceous Borders, Cottage and Jubilee Rose Gardens, a touch of woodland and more …

Categories Architectural Plants, Bedding, Climbing plants, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, David Austin roses, Dry Garden, Fragrant plants, Fruit Trees, General comment, herbaceous, Hydrangea, Open to the public, Plants for a shady garden?, RHS WIsley, Roses, Seasonal colour, Summer garden, White Garden, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on An Afternoon at RHS Wisley – the Double Herbaceous Borders, Cottage and Jubilee Rose Gardens, a touch of woodland and more …

  Another - sigh -trip down memory lane though I have booked our timed visit for mid-July and hope the gardens might look something like this, from a visit a year or three ago. Always something to admire, some combination of plants, a design feature, something new you might not have seen before. And such…

Continue reading ➞ An Afternoon at RHS Wisley – the Double Herbaceous Borders, Cottage and Jubilee Rose Gardens, a touch of woodland and more …

RHS Wisley – woodlanders, rock gardens and alpines, many roses and more …

Categories Alpine, annuals, Architectural Plants, Art in the landscape, Bee Friendly Plants, David Austin roses, Fragrant plants, General comment, Petersham Nurseries, RHS WIsley, Roses, Summer garden, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on RHS Wisley – woodlanders, rock gardens and alpines, many roses and more …

  If like me you have rejoiced in the fact that the gardens at RHS Wisley have reopened, but chagrinned that the timed visitor slots are booked solid though to the middle of July, a little public service blogging here, reprising a trip to the gardens exactly a year ago. You needn't miss all the…

Continue reading ➞ RHS Wisley – woodlanders, rock gardens and alpines, many roses and more …

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

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)

Nymans, pure Romance …

Categories Acid-loving plants, Architectural Plants, Climbing plants, conifers, container gardening, Dry Garden, Evergreen shrubs, Exotic, Fragrant plants, Garden Design, General comment, herbaceous, Magnolia, Nymans, Open to the public, Ornamental trees, Rhododendron & Azalea, Roses, Seasonal colour, shade, spring flowering, Spring Garden, Travel broadens the mind, Trees for smaller gardens, White Garden, Wisteria, Woodland GardenLeave a Comment on Nymans, pure Romance …

  Lockdown continues and these gardens, as are all, are closed to the public and so it is back to the archives and this collection of photographs from early May last year. I've brought it forward as the Wisteria has really taken to the warm days we have enjoyed this past few weeks and is…

Continue reading ➞ Nymans, pure Romance …