The life and loves of a time-poor plantsman
As we approach the festive season it feels like the world has very little to celebrate. The tragedy that has befallen Paris and its citizens will weigh heavily on our minds, along with earlier atrocities in that same city, as will the plight of those fleeing conflict in Syria. It’s only days since a plane […]
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Rare, fickle and recommended only for ‘expert’ gardeners, this is Illicium simonsii. It was not a shrub I was familiar with, but its butter-yellow flowers caught my attention today at BlueBell Arboretum in Derbyshire. Naturally I wanted to know more. Hailing from southern Sichuan, northern Yunnan and Burma Illicium simonsii grows slowly to form a small, […]
Read MoreYoung Boy, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival, Inle Lake It was exactly one year ago that we were in Burma, enjoying a magical holiday in this beautiful, friendly country. Twelve months later my memories are dominated by the great hospitality of the people, fleeting sunsets, gilded temples, monumental Buddhas, chrysanthemums biked down from the hill […]
Read MoreI am not sure what it is that attracts me to this rather gaudy plant. Everything about it shouts “look at me”, from its stumpy and bloated trunk to its lipstick-pink flowers. But it’s totally tropical, outrageously oriental and pretty photogenic to boot. Enjoy or shrink back in horror, I won’t mind either way!
Read MoreIt’s only when you first discover poinsettias growing in the wild that you really appreciate the futility of growing them as a houseplant. Here a butterfly enjoys a pitstop in Pyin Oo Lwin, Burma.
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Where has 2012 gone? Despite so many memorable occasions – the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics, our trip to beautiful Burma, the birth of this blog (!?) – the year has flown by and is almost at an end. Reflecting on 2012 provides a precious reminder of how lucky we are to have our health […]
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If, like me, you’re accustomed to gardening on dry land, Inle lake in Burma is a bit of an eye-opener. For here the fruits float and the veg ride the ripples of a vast, idyllic lake. The lake itself is situated about 2900ft above sea level, bordered on either side by mountains which bring frequent […]
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As we progress around Burma, attended to like two little kings (which always makes me feel rather uncomfortable) I am continuing to persist with the “free wifi” that’s so proudly proclaimed in every restaurant, hotel and airport. It may well be free, but there’s very little point in it if it doesn’t work….which is rarely […]
Read MoreOn the road to Mandalay, from the hill town of Pyin Oo Lwin, is Mandalay’s morning flower market. If, like us, you were expecting a Covent Garden-like covered market, then think again. This is a flower market on wheels. About 20 minutes from the city centre and occupying the sides and central reservation of a […]
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