The life and loves of a time-poor plantsman
Above, ‘Mid Century Modern’ designed by Adele Ford and Susan Wilmott We’re so accustomed to the British Summer being a wash out, it’s a wonder we haven’t all given up on creating that hot, Mediterranean garden of our dreams. We were promised global warming and were delivered a long series of soggy summers and boggy […]
Read MoreLooking for all the world like a giant loofa or an anaemic bearskin hat, this is the impressive flower of Banksia grandis. The proud plant it belongs to was displayed for everyone to admire at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show by Trewidden Nursery of Cornwall. Commonly known as the Bull Banksia or Mangite, it […]
Read MoreVisitors to the Olympic park via the bustling Stratford entrance were for two weeks greeted by the showiest of the London 2012 gardens, representing the Southern Hemisphere. To my mind these were among the most successful plantings, representing the British fascination with tender perennials dating back to the 19th century. Judging by the number of […]
Read MoreI expect it’s desperately unfashionable to say so, but I do love a nice Begonia. They are easy on the eye, diverse and sometimes dramatic, but normally easy to grow, appreciating a little bit of shade. So I was instantly drawn to Dibleys’ magnificent display of Begonias and Coleus at last week’s Hampton Court Flower […]
Read MoreSo, it finally stopped raining and I was able to spend a few enjoyable hours in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, soaking up the sights, the smells and the mud underfoot. Hampton Court flower show is our second biggest show after Chelsea, but Chelsea it is not. Although it’s a more spacious event, the […]
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