Blog
Drought tolerant planting and the scent of chocolate: July in the garden
What’s looking good at the moment The paeonies are well and truly over and the smaller magenta flowers of Knautia macedonia have taken over. Adding a little pop of colour along the border. The lilac spires of Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Fascination’ are in full bloom...
Taking time to smell the roses after the rain: June in the garden
What’s looking good at the moment The paeonies haven’t quite opened yet, Paeonia ‘Buckeye Belle’ is often flowering by now but it’s a little late this year and even the bees are getting impatient (as can be seen in this photo). I know they are fairly fleeting as...
Puddles of water and blossom: May in the garden
What’s looking good at the moment There are now large pink puddles of blossom on the pavement, from the flowering cherry trees around where I live. It was beautiful while it lasted, although never long enough as far as I’m concerned. There is still a fair amount of...
Blossom, bulbs and books: April in the garden
What’s looking good at the moment I’m loving that Spring has finally sprung! Seeing all the crocuses, daffodils. primroses and the blossom on the trees. The Magnolia stellata is in full bloom outside of my front door, watching the star like flowers opening up every...
Crocuses, Containers and Cistercian Monks: March in the garden
What’s looking good at the moment The daffodils are starting to flower on mass, not just the one or two confused ones I saw flowering in January. There is something incredibly cheerful about a mass of yellow flowers marching across the grass. I’m lucky enough to live...
The Ghost of Henry VIII, preparing for a party and taking time to enjoy the roses: February in the garden
What’s looking good at the moment Nothing to me says spring is on its way more than seeing the first snowdrops pop their heads up above the ground,. I know it’s still winter but those first shoots appearing always makes me think that the garden is starting to wake up...
Planning for brighter days ahead: January in the Garden
What’s looking good in the garden? I have both Sarcococca confusa and the purple stemmed Sarcococca hookeriana ‘Winter Gem’ in the garden (I mentioned them last month). Now the Sarcococca confusa is in full bloom I’m loving the scent as I get out of the car or walk...
Filling the air with scent, cosy up with a catalogue and anyone for edimentals: December in the garden
What’s looking good in the garden? Now that all the leaves have dropped I can see the bare bones of the garden including all the textured bark on trees. Some trees I just want to run my hands over, particularly the shiny red-brown bark of Prunus serrula, with its...
Autumnal hues, more rain and its beginning to look a lot like …: November in the garden
I’ve noticed some apple trees not only have a few apples left but have also started flowering again, the weather really is causing confusion all round. Other plants in the garden have continued flowering on into the end of October and start of November. Particularly...
What’s looking good, tips and what I’m up to: June in the Garden
What’s looking good in the garden? Right now there are irises that have been flowering away in May still going strong. I’m particularly loving the blue of Iris siberica ‘Tropic Night’ and the purple of Iris ‘Purple Sensation’. Astrantias too are currently filling the...
Vivid Magenta: Applying Pantone’s colour of the year to the garden – part 3
While there are shades of Vivid Magenta (the Pantone colour of the year for 2023) for just about every season it can be hard to think about how to combine such a vibrant colour with other flowers and foliage in the garden. Do you favour the cool end of the red...
Vivid Magenta: Applying Pantone’s colour of the year to the garden – Part 2
Summer Colour The Pantone Institute has recognised that we all have a greater desire to be surrounded by living things. Whether personally decorating our homes with a love of house plants (still a big trend) or in commercial spaces adding living walls in office...