The life and loves of a time-poor plantsman
If my blog did not already have a title, ‘The Diary of a Plant Addict’ would be a strong candidate. I’ve had the most horticulturally indulgent week one could imagine, starting with the Chelsea Flower Show and ending with a three day stretch getting my own garden in shape for summer. In the middle came […]
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If I were to win the lottery, The Salutation is the house I’d want to live in. I’d spend every spring and summer there, before overwintering in Capri, or the Caribbean; I can’t decide which. It’s probably not a choice I’ll ever be called on to make, but I like to think about it […]
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It was fitting that Gardeners’ World, in the first programme of the new series, chose to highlight the miraculous resurrection of the gardens at The Salutation in Kent. In December 2013 a freak tidal surge in the English Channel inundated the grounds of Lutyens’ superlative Queen Anne style house, leaving up to 5ft of standing […]
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Having been utterly engrossed in our own garden for the last few weeks it was a relief to get out and about and start the summer holiday proper. Our destination was Great Dixter, the house and garden of the late, great Christopher Lloyd, nestled in the bucolic East Sussex countryside. The mellow Wealden house is a combination of […]
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It’s a sad irony that after waxing lyrical about The Salutation earlier this week, the gardens are now under water, drowned by this week’s tidal storm surge. Naturally, head gardener Steven Edney is devastated, sharing images of waist-high water around his precious glasshouses and prize specimens via his Twitter feed. I find it hard to […]
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With both gardens almost locked-down for winter it’s time to start writing about some of the places that have not yet made it on to The Frustrated Gardener. These half-forgotten visits are like blogging hay – sweet, fragrant and reminiscent of a time when the earth was warm and the sun high in the heavens […]
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My favourite architect by a country mile is Edwin Lutyens. Often described as a genius, he is most lauded for his Surrey country houses, war memorials and his masterplan for Imperial New Delhi. Castle Drogo in Devon is one of Lutyen’s lesser known and farthest flung masterpieces, and one I could never tire of visiting. […]
Read MoreFor the next two weeks, work brings me to Asia. I’ve been thinking about what to post whilst I am away, as funnily enough gardening is not one the activities on my agenda. However the beauty of plants is that they can be found everywhere, so armed with a field guide to the tropical plants […]
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In amongst the exuberant herbaceous borders and hot, tropical plantings of The Salutation in Kent there were also some carefully considered planting combinations to be found. I particularly liked this very photogenic pairing of Echinacea “Fatal Attraction” and an undentified ornamental grass, perhaps a species of Stipa. The dark stems and blood-red flowers of the […]
Read MoreEver since university, where our course leader Richard Bisgrove was an acknowledged expert on Gertrude Jekyll, I have been fascinated by the relationship between this famous plantswoman and her working partner, the great architect Edwin Lutyens. In my dreams I live in one of Lutyens’ legendary houses – Castle Drogo, Folly Farm, The Deanery in […]
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