Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
Under the graceful ululations of the Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum Dissectum Atropurpureum) that is a joy of fine foliage, form and startling colour both in Spring and Autumn, something that must surely draw a gasp from every lucky passer by. Set within the bulky rockery of the Alpine Beds, adjacent to the Salvia Border and…
Continue reading ➞ The return of the snowdrop – Galanthus elwesii at Kew
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
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…
Giant willow mushrooms (and possibly toadstools), at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Very possibly to do with the just closing IncrEdibles exhibitions and events that have been gracing the gardens for the past many months. Beautifully crafted, intricate and probably realistic representations too. Of the artist, I will have to find out more.
Rosa moyesii My 400th post! Rosa roxburghii Random hippiness... pretty much sums up the blog, eh?
Cardocrinum giganteum, giant totems in the Woodland Garden at Kew, today. Quite amazing these, even the seedheads atop giant vaulting poles, are dramatic. I missed their flowering earlier in the year but these will decorate the Woodland Garden for weeks to come. I bought a single bulb from the RHS Spring Fair at Wisley and…
Continue reading ➞ Giant Himalayan Lily – Cardocrinum giganteum
Though I couldn't find a plant label for this magnificent stand of Heleniums in the Duke's Garden at Kew, it is most likely Sahin's Early Flowerer, with an Award of Garden Merit. Long ray florets are a mixture of yellow and brownish red in irregular streaks and surround a brown centre and it flowers from…
Tropical rainforest in the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Well, it was so hot and humid outside and I had finished one job nearby, and there was a parking space just by Victoria Gate (as if by magic). Had to pop in! Hot and humid inside too but a complete change…
Continue reading ➞ If you can’t stand the heat….
Meconopsis betonicifolia - Himalayan Blue Poppy A few blue poppies in the woodland margins at Kew, something seen out of the corner of my eye, deserving closer inspection (I was on the hunt for peony and rose). Meconopsis have a reputation for being difficult, in warmer latitudes especially - the various species grow best in…
Continue reading ➞ Himalayan Blue Poppy
The Teddington Gardener 