The life and loves of a time-poor plantsman
First of all, thank you for your patience whilst I have been away on holiday and taking a short break from blogging. It’s been many years since I’ve had a whole fortnight away from work, and I can heartily recommend it. It’s been almost as long since I’ve travelled long-haul for a holiday, and I […]
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Who would have imagined that a garden jam-packed with common-or-garden Busy Lizzies would win a gold medal the prestigious Hampton Court Palace Flower Show? Or that such a garden would land Best in Show and the ultimate horticultural accolade, The Tudor Rose Award? Well, thanks to talented designer Matthew Childs and a partnership between […]
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Do you live in a town or city centre? Is your garden small, overlooked or in shadow for part of the day? Is digging your soil like cutting bricks or carrying out an archaeological dig? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’ and you’re attempting to make a successful urban garden, then […]
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I am on holiday and therefore I must relax: at least that’s what Him Indoors keeps telling me. The problem is I don’t find sitting by pools or lounging about in the least bit relaxing. It’s not as if I haven’t tried it. I am a get-up-and-go kind of boy, and will be until my […]
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In 2005, Singapore announced plans to distinguish itself as a ‘City in a Garden’. The projects that followed, such as The Gardens by the Bay, have attracted global attention, rivalling our very own Eden Project in terms of scale and ambition. The city’s long established botanical gardens have always been one of my favourites, brimming with lush […]
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Bismarkia nobilis (Bismark palm) is, without question, one of the most photogenic plants in the world. This mighty palm with its architectural, pleated leaves hails from Madagascar, where I first saw it growing in the wild in 2008. The concertina fronds spiral dramatically away from the hirsute stems which bear them. Add a dash of […]
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The sharp eyed among you will have noticed that I travel a lot. Whilst it’s not always as glamorous as it sounds, it takes me to all sorts of interesting places and into some astonishingly beautiful hotels. The new breed of five star Asian hotels are in a class of their own when it comes […]
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