Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
Prunus serrula, a young specimen just inside the Victoria Gate of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew - Prunus serrula is rather better known, I think, than the Himalayan Cherry, Prunus himalaica, with its darker glossy bark. It is a small but vigorous deciduous tree of which the main attraction is the glossy, copper-red bark.…
Continue reading ➞ Prunus serrula – the competition from Kew Gardens
Narcissus romieuxii subsp. albidus A treat from the Alpine House at RHS Wisley, a tiny white narcissus - I thought I should continue with the pure white theme for a little while more, following on from the previous item on the Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger. Not one to be strewn across a grassy expanse, King…
Continue reading ➞ Narcissus romieuxii subsp. albidus – if you please….
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…
I'm hoping that by looking at lots of pictures of auriculas, that I won't need to go out and buy these beautiful and dramatic little beauties. And the more I find them in glasshouses (at Wisley, Kew, Harlow Carr), the more I hope to believe that they are temperamental creatures, needing all the mod-cons that…
Continue reading ➞ Primula auricula Gordon Douglas
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)
Calceolaria 'Walter Shrimpton' in the new Alpine House at the RHS Gardens in Yorkshire at Harlow Carr. Extraordinary optical illusion going on here.. ... there has to be a reason for these markings - and now I just need to find out what it is. A slightly smaller relative, Calceolaria fothergillii, pictured below.
I had hoped to get down to the Hillier Gardens this week, or at least to RHS Wisley but time seemed to be against me. And then I remembered that my annual membership to the Romsey garden also includes entry to Kew, which I happened to be passing, (after spending a couple of hours in…
Continue reading ➞ Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (Magnolia storm)
Our common cowslip, Primula veris, is looking delicious at the moment, with nodding, fragrant, deep yellow flowers. I have a book which recommends pickling the flower-buds (in layers, with distilled vinegar and a little sugar) for use as a piquant chutney. Hmmn. Another little beauty is this scented viola, Columbine, which stands no more than…
Continue reading ➞ A little afternoon sunshine and three plants, small in stature but big on impact
Unexpected sunshine this afternoon at the RHS gardens at Wisley in Surrey. More than a whiff of spring, with plenty of colourful bulbs coming through (the crocus especially), some stunning camellias and the odd rhododendron too. Hellebores are still going strong, the Alpine House as usual, is captivating. Old favourites - Edgworthia chrysantha and the…
Continue reading ➞ Sunshine at RHS Wisley, Surrey (Part I)
The Teddington Gardener 