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Hostas and Heritage
It was a nice surprise to return home from Cornwall to find the latest Plant Heritage Journal waiting on my doormat. Some weeks ago I was asked very politely if I would mind a photograph of Hosta...
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34 Cross Road, Walmer: A Garden For All Senses
Living and gardening by the coast, I find my senses become attuned to a very specific set of sensations: the sound of seagulls, restless wind and tourists dispossessed of their volume control; the...
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Watergate House, Fordwich: A Modern Romantic Garden
The town of Fordwich has the distinction of being the smallest in England. Situated on the River Stour, which connects Canterbury with the English Channel, it was to Fordwich that the Normans shipped...
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The Magical Landscapes of Disneyland Paris
There is something especially delightful about going on a holiday that one hasn’t organised. Perhaps it’s the element of surprise, or the ability to shirk responsibility for anything that goes awry....
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Tulip Time At The Watch House
What a peculiar spring it’s been, and we are only two-thirds of the way through. March began with The Beast from the East and Storm Emma, followed by a second bout of snow and gales two weeks later....
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Introducing … Scilla peruviana
The adage ‘it takes all sorts’ applies just as accurately to plants as is does to people. Some plants hide their light under a bushel whilst others come out all guns blazing; some are solid marathon...
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Chelsea Flower Show 2018: Show Garden Preview
I have landed on my feet this year, at least as far as the Chelsea Flower Show goes. I’ve had access to the show on Sunday and on Monday afternoon; a privilege afforded to very few. Unfortunately...
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Chelsea Flower Show 2016 Retrospective: The LG Smart Garden
There are only so many hours in the day following a Chelsea Flower Show, and much to my chagrin I did not get around to writing about Hay Joung Hwang’s debut show garden in 2016. There’s no better...
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Chelsea Flower Show 2018: O-mo-te-na-shi no NIWA – The Hospitality Garden...
Three cheers for Kazuyuki Ishihara: another Chelsea gold medal to his name and ‘Best in Show’ for his Artisan Garden entitled O-mo-te-na-shi no NIWA. Although the charismatic Japanese landscape...
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Open for the National Garden Scheme: Denne Manor Farm
I’m taking a short break from my Chelsea reporting to bring you news of a superb new garden opening for the National Garden Scheme here in Kent this weekend. I visited Denne Manor Farm back in late...
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Dentists and Indulgences: The Return from Chelsea
There is nothing quite like a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show to galvanise one into action vis-à-vis one’s own garden. I returned home on Tuesday night brimming with ideas but with an ominous...
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Chelsea Flower Show 2018: The Supershoes – Laced With Hope Garden
I usually draw my Chelsea coverage to a close at the same time the show ends, partly through fatigue, and partly because there are other subjects about which to write at this busy time of the year....
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Chelsea Flower Show 2018: The Silent Pool Gin Garden
I love a G&T, so much so that I have an entire garden named after my favourite drink. Naturally I was very happy to discover another garden inspired by the juniper-infused spirit at this year’s...
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Whatever the Weather
The elements just keep on giving this year. In the space of three months we’ve had record cold and record heat; now record rainfall, at least in some parts of the country. As for East Kent,...
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RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2018: Preview
Liz Patterson, Show Manager for the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, will have been glued to the weather forecast for the last fourteen days. Last year’s inaugural show, in the magnificent park surrounding...
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Chatsworth Flower Show 2018: The Show Gardens
Tuesday in Derbyshire dawned grey and dank. I had only packed my Man from Del Monte outfit, so arrived at Chatsworth looking a trifle too tropical for the tepid conditions. I was not about to carry a...
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Reflections on a Busy Week
What a rollercoaster ride last week was. It began with visits to two very fine private gardens, open by appointment for the National Garden Scheme, and ended with a frantic day of potting up and...
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The Rhythm of the Jungle
There were points during February and March when I thought my garden might never regain its former glory. The Beast from the East had ravaged every plant with any sensitivity to cold, wet or wind. In...
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Where Have All The Coleus Gone?
When a plant does well in my garden, I want to grow more of it. As a gardening strategy, this makes perfect sense. So often we struggle on, trying to grow things that are not best suited to our...
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Plant Profile: Buddleja speciosissima
I am a sucker for a rare or unusual plant. Give me a packed table at a plant fair and I will spot the rare treasure from a mile off. The plant may not be pretty, cheap, or suitable for my garden, but I...
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