Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
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,…
Continue reading ➞ A few scribblings on creating a White Garden
A beautiful cycle ride along the towpath from Teddington Lock, past Petersham Meadows, Richmond and on towards Kew, with Syon House on the opposite bank. 12km enjoying the start of autumn. Clocks back this weekend, and the coldest October day in 10 years, so hats, gloves and scarves were the order of the day. Isleworth,…
Continue reading ➞ Kew Gardens – a taste of Autumn in late October
Great Comp Garden Autumn Extravaganza A trip out to Kent today, to these RHS Partner Gardens near Sevenoaks. Their Autumn Extravaganza hosted a collection of plant nurseries and other artisan purveyors, on their immaculate lawns and in a Marquee right outside their back door. Well, that was the reason to visit today though these gardens…
Continue reading ➞ Great Comp Garden Autumn Extravaganza
Love Your Conifers Part II Just adding to the list of conifers out there, in here - and once again there's nothing dull about these beauties. And there's one for pretty much every part of the garden, in sun or shade, miniature marvels or larger powerhouses, each and everyone adding structure and all year round…
The Savill Garden was our first port of call today, an impressive collection of gardens within the larger vision of Windsor Great Park. I wanted to have a look at the rose garden in particular, a swirling design of tapering interlocking beds, the colour of the roses intensifying towards the centre (peaking with Munstead Wood,…
A visit to a couple of nurseries today, including the Wyevale offers at Syon Park and Osterley and some lovely finds - with a promise to return for more, particularly at Syon Park where there is a large and varied seasonal discount section including shrubs, herbaceous and a myriad climbers. Quite happy too, brandishing my…
Continue reading ➞ After a little shopping, time for some concentrated planning…
We've been here before, the double borders created by Piet Oudolf at Wisley, combining perennials with grasses, wave after wave - and the equally dramatic planting around the lake, concentric arcs of repeated blocks, catching the low autumn sun. The Piet Oudolf Borders pre-date the Glasshouse and are relatively mature now, evolving along their considerable…
Continue reading ➞ Piet Oudolf & Tom Stuart-Smith at Wisley
My Diary.. Busy, busy this week - gardening on Monday and Tuesday despite the poor weather - much clearing of leaves and aerating a very compacted lawn and then a trip to London for the excellent RHS Shades of Autumn show. These pictures are from the show - there have already been slideshows but they…
Continue reading ➞ Diary Notes
Sissinghurst, now owned by the National Trust, the former home and exceptional gardens of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson From 'The Gardens of England and Ireland' by Patrick Taylor The garden at Sissinghurst, famous as it is, has become for many people more an idea, a myth, than reality. Yet to visit the garden (especially when it…
Continue reading ➞ Late summer at Sissinghurst
The Teddington Gardener 