Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
Cotinus coggygria Golden Spirit - an addition to the smoke bush family, adding to established favourites Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple (the darker leaves, framing the golden leaves of Golden Spirit), Flame and Grace. I have Flame in my own garden, a tall, oval leaved tower of blue-greenery which obscures the house beyond beautifully and is…
Continue reading ➞ Cotinus Golden Spirit
Dahlia David Howard, among grasses and late flowering salvias, catching the November sun.. The dahlias are almost over - the inevitable frosts are heading our way, to blacken the foliage and signal the time to lift and protect the tubers until next spring. This particular variety, compact and with already dark leaves and small, beautifully…
Continue reading ➞ A touch of orange – Dahlia David Howard
Arbutus unedo - the Strawberry Tree A slow growing, evergreen tree that deserves to be more popular here in the UK - it is already widely planted in the Continent, even used in street planting and is attractive on so many fronts. Evergreen, of course, is always useful - a flowering tree ticks more boxes,…
Continue reading ➞ Strawberry Tree
Cyclamen Latino - a beautiful houseplant for a bright cool room. Deadhead regularly, water sparingly, a touch of fertiliser now and then - and on and on they will go - whites, pinks, dark wine, scarlet, frills even and this unique flower, pure white with a clean bright streak. Art, this is!
Cyclamen africanum One of my favourite place in Kew, the dramatic clam-shell of the Davies Alpine House - though if I am honest, I prefer the more traditional layout at RHS Wisley, with a matched pair of raised benches and specimen pots sunk into sand. The plants are all at just the right viewing height…
Continue reading ➞ Cyclamen, three ways…
The rather beautiful Acer palmatum, Sango-kaku, in golden garb, photographed in the Woodland Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, yesterday In fact, this garden was full of delights - more maples, a marvellous Black Walnut, the totems of Cardocrimum giganteum mentioned earlier, Aconitums (flopped but still dangerously blue), Epimediums looking lush and vigorous...
Giant willow mushrooms (and possibly toadstools), at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Very possibly to do with the just closing IncrEdibles exhibitions and events that have been gracing the gardens for the past many months. Beautifully crafted, intricate and probably realistic representations too. Of the artist, I will have to find out more.
Rosa moyesii My 400th post! Rosa roxburghii Random hippiness... pretty much sums up the blog, eh?
Salvias in a long border at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, today - every imaginable colour and flower type... So many species, varieties and cultivars - I did begin to note down their names but honestly, so many had overgrown their labels, I rather gave up and immersed myself in the moment! For those interested in…
Continue reading ➞ Salvias, Salvias, Salvias everywhere!
The Teddington Gardener 