Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
English Rose, Summer Song, from David Austin Now here we have a rose with attitude! Quite unmistakeable among the catalogue of softer colours and quite distinct from the other 'orange' roses created by David Austin - Lady Emma Hamilton (of course), Pat Austin, Lady of Shalott. It is a rangy plant, even needing some support…
Continue reading ➞ Super Nova – Summer Song
Penstemon Dark Towers A change from the usual Penstemon, not so much on account of the flowers though they are delightful, but for the dark tints to the leaves and the branching habit of the stems. A wholly beautiful combination. Not as dark, perhaps, as the sticky toffee pudding I've just had, but just as…
Continue reading ➞ Dark Towers
Anemone Honorine Jobert I'm borrowing an excellent and quite perfect description of the Old Rose, Madame Hardy, 'White lace and Emeralds'. For this excellent Japanese Anemone, there has to be gold. White lace, emerald and gold. One extra photograph of this superlative plant in flower. Couldn't resist! My earlier post (9th September) gives a little…
Continue reading ➞ White lace, emerald and gold
Clematis alpina Blue Dancer, with these larger than average, very attractive blue flowers, giving us a second flush of flowers this week (the main show is in April/May). A foray into the back issue of The Telegraph now, for an article written by Val Bourne, which, whilst it does not mention Blue Dancer at all…
Continue reading ➞ Clematis alpina Blue Dancer….
Rose, Gertrude Jekyll There are few better ways to decorate a home than with flowers - a single stem of your favourite flower in a jam jar, can be just the thing. Then again, how about an armful of the most scented roses? A wide, deep vase full of leaf, bud and flower with an…
Continue reading ➞ Generous Gertie…
Colchicum Glory of Heemstede - the autumn crocus and the pure white variety... Colchicum speciosum 'Album' Naked ladies eh? That should increase the visitor numbers to this blog, though how disappointing to be confronted with the Autumn Crocus! Naked, because the flowers appear before the leaves. X-rated this is not. There are crocuses which flower…
Continue reading ➞ Naked Ladies….
Pansy Beacon Blue Such intense colours, on a plant that could go on flowering right through until next spring - unfazed by much that a typical winter can throw at it. Deadhead regularly keep in a sunny spot (but remember they don't like too much heat) trim back if the plant gets too leggy watch…
Continue reading ➞ Blue Lagoons
I'm going straight to Carol Klein here, writing in The Telegraph on 28th September 2002. This beautiful plant was a classic then, and for 150 years before that, and so it remains. How to grow: Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' Carol Klein on the unexpected joy of these classy white flowers that shine in the shade Anemone…
Continue reading ➞ A classic – Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’
The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire An extraordinary garden containing probably the finest Winter Garden in the UK and not looking too shabby late summer either. Few gardens offer as rich pickings as these, growing over 11,000 different types of plant, in over 40,000 plants and holding 13 National Plant Collections, set in a complementary…
Continue reading ➞ A garden for all seasons
The Teddington Gardener 