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Daily Flower Candy: Convolvulus sabatius
Mention the name bindweed and the first thing that springs to mind is one of gardeners’ greatest horrors, hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium). Undoubtedly beautiful in flower, hedge bindweed is a thug...
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A Year in the Vegetable Garden
We would not describe ourselves as vegetable gardeners, at least not yet, but since we completed a project to build raised beds in our London garden almost a year ago we have been experimenting with...
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Finding Serenity in Stoke Newington
For as long as I can recall my uncle has lived in Stoke Newington. Known affectionately as ‘Stokey’ by locals, this appealing enclave in north London began its existence as a small country village in...
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Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2015: Design Heaven or Style Circus?
Just two days to go until the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show opens to the public and I’ve finally had five minutes to see what the world’s biggest flower show has in store. As with Chelsea, the jury...
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“Some Like it Hot …
….. and others do not. I am one of the others.” The Frustrated Gardener, July 2015 Visiting Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 35 degrees of heat is not an experience I can recommend or would care to...
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Afternoon Delight
After a night of tumultuous storms, Saturday, the day of our friend Karen’s annual beach hut party, dawned bright and fresh. We made our way to Whitstable on the train and, by way of Regent Street, to...
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Jolly Hollyhocks
Long standing followers of The Frustrated Gardener will know that I have something of a crush on hollyhocks (Alcea). So it was no surprise when my heart went all aflutter at the sight of The Botanic...
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All Systems Go!
Here at The Watch House we are steadily building up to our second annual National Gardens Scheme open weekend on August 1st and 2nd. Unlike last year, when the whole exercise was an unknown, we are...
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Rained Off
There is probably something amiss in your life if Mondays are a day when you look forward to taking a rest. Mulling over why my weekends have become such a maelstrom of activity, I realise that, as...
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The Stage is Set
The stage is finally set for our open weekend on August 1st and 2nd. Any changes I make from now on will appear too obvious, so it’s simply a case of deadheading, sweeping and watering to maintain the...
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An Eye for Irises
It’s a case of eat, sleep, work and repeat this week. The weekend cannot arrive soon enough. Considering what to write about tonight I realised that I had never shared the photos I’d taken at Chelsea...
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Storm and Pestilence
I should have known better than to mention either of the words in the title of tonight’s post as, lo and behold, we were delivered a month’s rain on Friday and there’s been more of the same today. Both...
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Que Sera Sera ….
… Whatever will be will be, as the song goes. I have reached a point now where all I can do is clean and tidy in preparation for our house guests. The garden is in good shape, although we could have...
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Sun Worshippers
Opening our seaside garden for the second time we were not sure what to expect, but the sun shone and the visitors came, and came, and came. In the space of four hours we welcomed over 120 lovely...
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The Watch House NGS Open Weekend 2015
I must have done something very good in a previous life (heaven knows I am struggling to be good in this one) to deserve the weather we enjoyed this weekend. I would describe it as nigh-on perfect:...
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Daily Flower Candy: Viper’s Bugloss
Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of echiums. I love their jewel-coloured flowers, the way they attract bees to the garden and their incredible range of stature; from sprawling...
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Daily Flower Candy: Lilium ‘Scheherezade’
The number of occasions during the day when I feel I am starting to lose my marbles is increasing steadily, to a point where I genuinely wonder if senility might be imminent. I have always been a...
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Beaded
Its been a sultry week here in London. Moisture has been heavy in the air, reluctant to fall, forming a dull haze over the Thames valley. Reluctantly this afternoon a white sky found the energy to form...
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In The Garden This Week: Clashing Colours
Royal blue and orange, canary yellow and purple, candy pink and red, fresh lime and magenta – our coastal garden is packed with clashing colours during August. I love, cherish and celebrate them all....
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Agave Agony
A sun-soaked stroll along the beach between Broadstairs and Ramsgate, picking up chalk pebbles and gnarled flints, ultimately leads us back to The Italianate Glasshouse in King George VI park. Through...
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