Having been writing only last week on Instagram about a blue rose that isn’t really blue, it did me the power of good just now to wander into a rain soaked garden and discover that the black elder was living up to its name…
Read moreDay 161: the hedge
The hedge was planted just after we moved in, just a long row of twigs then – mostly hawthorn, but some beech, dog rose, hazel, one guelder rose and a european spindle…
Read moreThe Gardens, weeds & words podcast, Series 1 Episode 11
Have you ever noticed that everything tastes a bit better outdoors? Wouldn’t it be great if we could move seemlessly from our houses to our outdoor space, pulling food straight from the garden, preparing it and even cooking it outdoors? I talk to garden designer Victoria Wade about how she makes this possible for her clients.
Read moreDay 160: foxglove summer
As the cow parsley fades we could be forgiven for feeling a little downhearted. But, with impeccable timing, foxgloves appear…
Read moreDay 159: sunshine and rain
Sunshine and rain – typical June weather. People tend to forget how showery June can be…
Read moreDay 158: changing the scenery
When I was a child, I remember my dad coming home one evening with a cardboard theatre (I’ve a feeling it may have been from Pollock’s Toy Museum in Fitzrovia, but I might have made that up)…
Read moreDay 157: first cosmos
The cosmos are coming into flower. From a practical point of view, this is a huge relief, as they’re one of the few plants I sowed seeds for this year and they’ve been taking up space in the greenhouse…
Read moreDay 156: raindrops on roses
No kittens in this household, bewhiskered or otherwise, but thanks to this afternoon’s downpour there are plenty of raindrops on roses…
Read moreDay 155: Sicilian honey garlic
Sicilian honey garlic (Nectaroscordum siculum) has a bit of an identity crisis, owing to botanists booting it out rather unceremoniously from the bosom of the allium family…
Read moreDay 154: love-in-a-mist
My garden is absolutely full of love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) just now. It’s hugely gratifying, and looks as though the whole place has been artfully planted…
Read moreDay 153: worn brickwork and weeds
With so much going on in the garden just now (turn around, another flower pops out), it may seem a tad perverse I’m using today’s post to talk about an old wall and a patch of troublesome Boraginaceae…
Read moreDay 152: purple cranesbill
While hardy geraniums might not be the rarest or most sophisticated of plants, they have a special place in my heart, and none more so that the purple cranesbill Geranium x magnificum…
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