Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
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
Cotinus obovatus, at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, richly decked in Autumn colours A spectacular rare shrub or very small tree native to North America with great autumn colour, Cotinus obovatus has outstanding foliage, with very large (up to 10 cm), oval leaves. In the autumn these leaves turn stunning shades of red, orange and…
Continue reading ➞ Autumn blaze – Cotinus obovatus
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…
The Most Beautiful Water Lily, Nymphaea Bimini Twist, photographed in the Lily House at Kew this week. Electric! "Nymphaea 'Bimini Twist' is an exciting new tropical waterlily hybrid that creates a new unique look with an abundance of petalloid stamens making for an exceptionally full flower. This tropical waterlily also has the benefit of vividly…
Continue reading ➞ Bimini Twist
The Duke's Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew A modestly sized garden, to be found behind the grass beds and beyond the Alpine House and Princess of Wales Conservatory. A wide lawn with deep, generous herbaceous borders enclosed behind tall brick walls. Impressive, bold block planting of some outstanding perennials including the brilliantly named daylily, Burning…
Continue reading ➞ Burning Daylight
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 