Clipping plants into shape is favourite garden task, I like how it brings structure into the garden, even better if there’s some loose, wild planting nearby that makes a real contrasting shape. It’s traditionally done on Derby Day, the first week in June, though I find needs doing more often, to encourage a firm, crisp outline. […]
Archives for May 2016
Ideas to borrow from The Chelsea Flower Show.
Maybe I just wore the right shoes [these things matter when you’re walking round for six hours] or got there when the light was just right, but I particularly enjoyed The Chelsea Flower Show this year. It’s such a pleasure to see beautiful gardens at peak perfection, but this year it seemed even more special. […]
Chelsea flower show 2016 gardens
It has been a slightly giddy, over the top kind of day, made even more intense by catching the first train at 5.40 am this morning. But it was worth it just to be walking along the embankment and into the Chelsea Flower Show at 7a.m. when it was all relatively quiet and the light […]
Cut flowers and my favourite vase.
Having flowers in the house always feels like a treat. They’re cheery things, making a room more lively and fresh and if you’re lucky, they’ll do their best to perfume the room. It doesn’t take much, just a single bud in a vase, a fat bunch of bluebells from the garden, recently I’ve been cutting […]
Flowers and cake for a special wedding.
May is a fabulous month, suddenly the wisteria has appeared everywhere in full bloom and the road-sides are billowing with cow parsley, and from now onwards it’ll also be the month to remember as the anniversary of my daughters wedding, Family and friends helped get everything ready on Saturday, kitting out the marquee in a […]
Life in the earth
Not only are the plants in the garden making lots of fresh vibrant growth, there’s a lot of wildlife activity too. I’ve seen persistent little blue tits and robins flying round the garden gathering nesting material, whittling bits of string off the tree where the bird-feeders hung in winter, and rootling around plants…. this is […]
What to do in the garden in May
It’s hard to pick a favourite month for the garden, but with its’ fresh, vibrant growth, May comes pretty close to the best. I went to New Covent Garden Flower Market this week to put the final list of flowers together for my daughters wedding next week – I’ve got butterflies in my tummy just […]
Pretty, perfect peonies.
I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend, for those of us in the U.K. we’ve had an extra day which always feels like a nice bonus. It was lovely and warm with a fresh chill in the air, perfect gardening weather. I love this time of year, the garden is changing almost daily as plants […]