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…

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,…

A guide to spring-flowering bulbs in the garden – planting ideas from January to May in kaleidoscopic style

  Bulbs in the spring garden. The text and images are timely in this piece, looking through the late winter and spring months January through to May, though it was originally written for a September story when the bulbs and corms would be available for planting. There are practical tips and hints planting of course,…

Spring-flowering bulbs for the Garden – many galleries and my notes for a Workshop …

I've a workshop planned this week as part of the School of Garden Inspiration syllabus at Petersham Nurseries. The subject is bulb planting in the garden, and more specifically, Spring-flowering bulbs that are available now for planting in the coming weeks and months. Some practical information and hopefully, some inspiration along the way. Without doubt,…

A gazillion Zinnias – the Trial Fields at RHS Wisley

Zinnias in abundance in the Trial Fields at RHS Wisley. Another over-bright afternoon - too sunny really to get the best out of these brightest of summer stars - but I was there and so were they, in great abundance too and stars many of them are, of the late summer border, still in the…

“We are the cosmos made conscious and life is the means by which the universe understands itself.”

“We are the cosmos made conscious and life is the means by which the universe understands itself.”  Brian Cox. Ah. Wrong 'Cosmos'... That other Cosmos is one of my very favourite 'filler' summer-flowering annuals -  I used it last year in the newly planted borders of the Roehampton garden, where it quickly provided colour and…