London Open Garden Squares Weekend – 8th & 9th June 2013

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An article from The Telegraph about this coming weekend and the annual Open Garden Squares Weekend. Maybe a little late for entry into 10 Downing Street, but other treats I think... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/open-gardens/10088452/Open-Garden-Squares-weekend-embrace-a-greener-London.html Open Garden Squares Weekend is the London Parks & Gardens Trust's highest profile event and, since 1998, has become a regular fixture in…

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Two beautiful magnolias (I want to say ‘Steel Magnolias’ but it just doesn’t work..)

Categories General comment, Magnolia, Plants for a shady garden?, RHS WIsley2 Comments on Two beautiful magnolias (I want to say ‘Steel Magnolias’ but it just doesn’t work..)

Wandering through the winding paths of Battleston Hill (RHS Gardens Wisely, Surrey) this first week of June, I wasn't expecting pristine Magnolia blossom, despite the chilly countenance of Spring setting most flowering calendars out by a week or three. Taking a new path on the lower slopes (the gardeners have been extending the network of…

Continue reading ➞ Two beautiful magnolias (I want to say ‘Steel Magnolias’ but it just doesn’t work..)

What do Red Rum, Tequila, Manhatten, Towering Inferno and slippers have in common?

Categories General comment, herbaceous, Summer gardenLeave a Comment on What do Red Rum, Tequila, Manhatten, Towering Inferno and slippers have in common?

Lupins - Masterpiece (purple) and Beefeater (red) - two outstanding, robust and free-flowering cottage garden plants from West Country Lupins (their website noted below). Strong of stem, these sturdy plants giving several weeks of flower in the early summer. Fantastic colour combinations in varieties such as Towering Inferno, Manhattan Lights, Persian Slipper, Tequila Flame and…

Continue reading ➞ What do Red Rum, Tequila, Manhatten, Towering Inferno and slippers have in common?

Madame Alfred Carriere is enjoying herself, this year

Categories David Austin roses, General comment, Plants for a shady garden?, Roses, Summer gardenLeave a Comment on Madame Alfred Carriere is enjoying herself, this year

Now I have a north-west facing garden and roses are not supposed to fare well when the sun skids around the plot so quickly, leaving much in shadow and much else, with just a couple of hours to make do. The Noisette climbing rose, Madame Alfred Carriere, is reputed to be one of those roses…

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Piet Oudolf, pom-poms and fish fingers

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A double border, 147 m long and 11m wide, designed by Piet Oudolf using large swathes of herbaceous perennials, grasses and shrubs - plants repeated along the length of this extravagant piece of theatre, running down to the lake and Glasshouse. Today, the pompom heads of Allium Purple Sensation provided the fun and drama, bouncing…

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Orange/Totally Awesome

Categories Rhododendron & Azalea, RHS WIsley, spring flowering, Spring GardenLeave a Comment on Orange/Totally Awesome

The name tag for this gorgeous and beautifully impressive specimen is lost somewhere in the neon skirts of this rhododendron/evergreen azalea (I forget, is it that 'all azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas?). A meandering walk through the pathways of Battleston Hill at RHS Wisley and some real treats along the way.…

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Peonies – which to choose & how to look after them…

Categories General comment, herbaceous, Spring Garden, Summer gardenLeave a Comment on Peonies – which to choose & how to look after them…

Crocus, the online plant retailer, builder and planter of many  Chelsea show gardens etc., have just sent out their June Plant Care newsletter featuring peonies. I've included it in full here as I think it covers a lot of ground. Admittedly dense text, without their pictures, sorry. Do persevere... Long-lived and beautiful at every stage,…

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The Red Peony of Constantinople, no less…

Categories General comment, herbaceous, Open to the public, RHS WIsleyLeave a Comment on The Red Peony of Constantinople, no less…

Paeonia peregrina, on the Rockery slope at RHS Wisley today, basking in warm sunshine (truly). The Byzantine Peony or The Red Peony of Constantinople. Marvellous!An extremely important plant for breeding (the RHS Encyclopedia of Perennials tells me), its unusual combination of pigments being largely responsible for the development of coral-coloured flowers in hybrid peonies. Spreading…

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California dreaming (no lyrics this time)

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The Californian poppy, Eschscholzia, blooming its head off in one of the Alpine Houses at the Royal Horticultural Society gardens at Wisley, Surrey. I remember that our neighbour (in Olden Times), Mr and Mrs Greenall, grew these very successfully in north London - their garden wrapped around the corner of the road - a closely…

Continue reading ➞ California dreaming (no lyrics this time)