It’s finally spring proper and our garden is growing again in the most spectacular way. The…
Pulsatilla vulgaris
Finally, after many years, today I came up close and personal with one of my favourite…
From the streets: Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall urban planting
I first noticed the unusual oval shaped flower beds along the recently redeveloped Nine Elms Lane…
From the streets: American Embassy prairie garden – first winter
Chris and I often walk to Vauxhall from our Clapham flat to visit the new things…
And it was all yellow
When I first started seriously geeking out on gardening I kept reading again and again that…
Pot’s growing on in March: spring bulbs start turning up to the party
My biggest delight so far this month is the success of our perennial spring bulbs. Given…
Oh Beehave!
I was pottering around outside today in our little urban garden and while watering the ferns…
Allotment Month 28: harvesting parsnips, beating weeds, sowing seeds and signs of spring (at last!)
Currently I feel I have the measure of my allotment, how long that feeling will last…
Behind-the-scenes of McBean’s Orchids, Sussex
“We’re going in!” I hit the car breaks, indicated and abruptly swerved into the driveway. “ORCHIDS”…
Robot lawn mowers, battery operated gardening tools and other tech at the Garden Press Event
I attended the Garden Press Event for the first time this year and it was a…
Houseplant trends: the bigger the better
Over the last few years we’ve seen an explosion of interest in houseplants, largely driven by…
Surviving: checking the damage caused during the coldest week in eight years
The week during Storm Emma – the coldest week in our garden in eight years –…
12 plants that add COLOUR-POW to your garden in winter
If your garden doesn’t look something like the above right now, it’s time to act! Plan…
Mossy Rock (part two)
I know what you’re thinking moss fans, will he shut up about that bloomin rock what’s…
Fleeting flowers
The joy of the snowdrop, cherry blossom and tulip. The fritillary and daffodil, the allium and…
Collecting seeds from Leonotis nepetifolia
Over the last few years I’ve been growing Leonotis nepetifolia (thanks to Jonathan Gregson for correcting…
Pot’s growing on in February: Hellebores, Snowdrops and vigorous perennials forcing changes
It’s been three years since we set up our garden. For the first time a large…
How to make an Aeonium arboreum branch (Part Two)
A year ago I experimented with nipping out the growing point of my Aeonium ‘Zwartkop‘ to…
Spring is in the air in London
In the air but importantly, not quite here. Yet on mild sunny days the signs of…
Dr Nathaniel Ward’s Clapham home and garden to be demolished imminently
Three years ago almost to the day I wrote this blog post about discovering the existence…
Allotment Month 26: sprucing and rearranging
Toward the end of autumn I find the battle against couch grass and other weeds relentless…
Pot’s growing on in January: Planning for summer, sowing sweet peas, Eucalyptus gall wasp and houseplant love
After an incredibly busy end to 2017 when all thought of our garden went up the…
Mossy Rock (part one)
Some strange ideas run through my mind and I admit this is among the strangest. Last…
Add some zing this summer with the unnatural flowers of Zinnias
Zinnias are odd. Almost unlike any flower I’ve come across before, they just do not look…
An introduction to wild orchids the alien wonder beings
People tell you that magic isn’t real, that Utopia is impossible. They’re talking bollocks. I know…
There you are
For hours now I search for you Across chalky downs of grass Jewels a plenty everywhere…
12 Photos that shaped my year
The last twelve months have given me the chance to explore my design likes and dislikes…
From the streets: A walk in the winter sunshine
The interplay of nature and humanity is endlessly fascinating to observe. Nowhere is it more obvious…
Allotment Month 25: planning for the year ahead – parsnips, cauliflower, kale, carrots, apples
Can you believe I’ve had my allotment for two years?! The excitement of taking ownership still…
2 Littlebury Road: a year in photos
I could write an entire book about our little inner city garden flat in Clapham. Instead,…
How long do you spend planning your garden?
So here’s a question: throughout the year, how much time do you spend planning and thinking…
10 moments of exotic garden genius in Kent
One of the most enjoyable days for me this year was visiting my friend Philip Oostenbrink,…
Garden Blog of the Year
Exciting news! My little blog has only gone and won an award. A real one! LOOK:…
DAHLIAGEDDON
It’s mid-November and some of our Dahlias in the garden are still flowering, just. This follows…
Reforesting Yorkshire
Chris and I popped up to Yorkshire this weekend to celebrate my birthday and my mum’s,…
The Great Mystery: closer to nature with the awesome power of seasons
I had a rare day to myself on Sunday and I used it to wander around…
Propagating Hippeastrum from offset bulbs
Hippeastrum (incorrectly called Amarylis by shops for some reason) are amazing indoor plants that flower in…
Oh Autumn!
As an artist, through each waking day there are thousands of wonderful things that catch my…
Gardening jobs to do in October: harvesting, bulb planting, propagation by dividing, cutting and sowing
If like me, you may have been coasting along on a post-summer ‘put your feet up’.…
Dividing a Pilea peperomioides
How to divide Pilea peperomioides to give to your friends and family while keeping the Pilea…
Victorian plant fashion at Lanhydrock, Cornwall
A report from our brief visit to the immaculately preserved Lanhydrock house and garden owned by…
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Heligan, a garden established in the mid-18th to the 19th centuries by the Cornish Tremayne family…
Allotment month 22: wasted produce, autumn flowering apples and snails
I’ve barely spent any time at the allotment in September. Bad Wallington. This has been a…
8 Glasshouses to visit in London and why
London has some of the best glasshouses in the world and some of the most interesting…
NGS September Open Day – #DahliaFest
Chris and I have been huge fans of the National Garden Scheme (NGS) charity for a…
National Dahlia Society Annual Show 2017 at RHS Wisley
It’s been three years since I first set eyes on a dinner plate Dahlia at the…
My 6 easy care comfort house plants you thought were boring but are in fact fabulous!
Forget the fancy house plants you keep spotting on Instagram. You know the ones, stylish Pilea,…
Smudging seasons
Chris pointed out this week that the best sunsets happen at this time of year, something…