How to Design a Garden

John Brookes completely changed the way people thought of garden design, shifting the emphasis from the growing of plants and the craft of gardening to designing and creating spaces for people. His designs catered first and foremost for the essential practicalities of what people needed in the spaces attached to their houses so that his …

It was the Worst of Times.

Karma came and, as the Americans might say, bit me in the butt! It was inevitable, I suppose, that when I only part quoted Charles Dickens' opening lines in A Tale of Two Cities last week, the words which followed would come to haunt me and ensure this past week was the worst of times. …

It is the Best of Times!

It was a beautiful day, bright and warm and without the chilling breeze of recent days. It was a perfect afternoon for gardening and as I worked - gently, I might say - I thought that this really is the best of times in the garden. The pace of plant and grass growth has slowed …

Beth Chatto’s Green Tapestry Revisited

There is an ageless quality about the Beth Chatto Gardens in Elmstead, Essex, something about them which is perennially attractive and pleasing. Though all gardens are a contrivance, Beth Chatto’s hand ensured the contrivance was never noticed, that all appeared perfectly natural, perfectly comfortable, perfectly right. This was her great skill, that of selecting and …

From Boardwalk and Dashboard

We took ourselves off to Youghal today as we had it in mind for some time to see the boardwalk on the seafront there. It has been there since 2015 but we were giving it time to settle in and be sure it was solid and safe to walk on! A friend posted a photograph …

Ferns – Book Giveaway!

Ferns for a Cool Temperate Climate –by Martin Rickard. The Crowood Press Martin Rickard’s new book on ferns will be the one-stop volume for those with an interest in these very attractive garden plants and if your gardening interests are only now leaning towards ferns, you will find no better book to guide you on …

Enjoying the Small Things.

After the recent days of very heavy rain and strong wind there was a certain trepidation in that first walk around the garden to check that all is well. There is always the fear that there will be damage and even though recent conditions were not really of that threatening a nature it still came …

The Forty First Day

George Frederic Watts exhibited a painting in 1886 under the title The Sun and after some work re-exhibited it in 1891 as After the Deluge. It was also known as The Forty First Day as it was to depict the scene which greeted Noah when he opened a window on the Ark to check on …

Making the Cut…

And the question is whether it will be the last cut of the year. A couple of dry days during last week allowed a run of the larger lawnmower on Thursday afternoon with a finish off run with the smaller mower on Friday, like that lager, reaching those parts where other mowers cannot reach! Although …

Wet Cold Fingers Season

Today was the first day of wet and cold fingers while working in the garden, a sure sign of a turn in the year. Winter gardening is not always a pleasure and there's a lot of it ahead! We had quite heavy rain last night and for the first time in months the ground is …