The popcorn plants on my allotment are (later than normal) finally flowering and I thought I’d…
Pot’s Growing On? Summer part two
After August’s overcast skies, in time for bank holiday weekend the sun is back for summer…
Exciting exotics at 24 Grove Park, Camberwell open on the NGS
We’re particularly spoilt for exciting gardens in South London with a lean toward the exotic as…
Shanks Pony Nursery in Vauxhall
One of my coolest finds in London has to be the discovery of Shanks Pony Nursery…
Make time for what you love
With work, gardening, friends and family, my life can quickly be filled with wonderful things but…
Allotment month 21: release the Dahlias! Black tomatoes, Zinnias, Brassicas and Pumpkins
You know that moment in sci-fi films when the warp drive or mega lazer is powering…
Box tree caterpillar plague in Clapham, London
It’s usually around this time of year, just as our good ship The Garden puts its…
Photo gallery: Malibu’s unexpectedly exquisite wild flowers
I had planned to write a more detailed article about Malibu’s national parks and wildlife. However,…
Our first NGS open day: a weather miracle, cake and allotment cut flowers
Opening our garden to the public to raise money for the National Garden Scheme (NGS) was…
Our NGS open day, this Sunday 1 – 5pm!
A quick reminder that we are opening our garden and flat, 2 Littlebury Road in Clapham,…
Allotment month 20: it’s in the flavour – new potatoes, carrots, Florence fennel, beetroot and more
Monty Don always says it’s important to pick only what you’re about to eat to reduce…
56 Photos of Californian Gardens: from Facebook and Google to Hollywood via Alcatraz
California is a magical place, Chris and I love it. One minute you can be in…
Pot’s Growing On? High summer in Clapham
Sorry for the lack of updates about our garden recently, I’ve been so busy opening my…
From the streets: California
Chris and I have just come back from a trip to LA, Vegas and Malibu visiting…
Solstice in the city – Clapham Common
I can be my own worst enemy sometimes, in fact, a lot of the time. I…
At the end of the earth, plants – Prospect Cottage, Dungeness
An upfront confession: I’ve never seen nor heard of any of Derek Jarman’s films. A film director…
Allotment Month 18: a visitor, weedageddon, cutflowers, vegetables and perennial produce
Who knows how the laws of the universe work. Across the entire site my allotment is…
15 sensational plant combinations you can try at home from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017
One of my bugbears around Chelsea time are the naysayers proclaiming the gardens are unrealistic and…
23 things at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017
The Chelsea Flower Show is nuts. People on stilts dressed only in flowers, cactus jackets, astro…
James Basson’s road to ‘best in show’ at Chelsea Flower Show 2017
There are some garden designers we see at RHS shows regularly. James Basson is one that came…
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017 – Press Day Highlights
It’s hard to take in the brain blitz that is the Chelsea Flower Show in one day…
Pot’s Growing On in May: getting ready for a show-stopping summer!
May? Mayhem more like. So much is going on this month I feel like Dorothy whizzing…
Dry winter and spring, what does it mean for summer?
Note: since the day I published this the heavens opened dumping over 4cm of water in…
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017 – what to expect?
In a few weeks the above Chelsea grounds will be filled with the wonders of the…
Plantaholics Anonymous
[Warning: major plant geekage ahead] One of the best things to happen over the last year…
RHS Wisley in late April
I made a painfully short trip to RHS Wisley at lunch today in between visiting nurseries…
The liberation of education
This blog post was originally titled “education = better vegetation” but the new rhyme is more…
Pot’s Growing On: winners and losers
I didn’t think there would be anything more nerve-wracking than having Monty Don coming around to…
Allotment Month 17: dahlias, prairie and produce
It’s year two for my allotment and the layout I created for it originally is really…
Spring-a-ling-a-ling
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be wondering how on earth it’s April when you thought…
7 easy pickings for grow your own keenos
I’m being thrown head first heading into my second season on the allotment and this year,…
Marrakesh (Part Five): Le Jardin Secret by Tom Stuart-Smith
One tip I’d like to share is: do not visit more than two gardens in one…
Allotment Month 16: surprise, surprise
Today I’m talking surprise appearances, broccoli and rhubarb starting to crop, my new cut flower bed…
The way of things
Early March has arrived and I popped over to Diana Ross’ house around the corner from…
Who died and made Lupins a ‘cottage garden’ plant?
It’s been niggling me for yonks: people calling Lupins “cottage garden” plants.
Let’s make green flowers our naughty little secret
There’s one thing I will guarantee right now: you are going to see many more green flowers…
Release the stress, embrace the mess
I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure recently for our garden to look good. In photos, in…
30 unreal photos of London garden design in the dead season
Winter is a fresh season. Everything is stripped back, cleansed and reset for the coming year. It’s…
And so, we fight
I recently learnt that one colony of our rare native Pasque flower, Pulsatilla vulgaris, was wiped out in 1992…
Pot’s Growing On: Waking from hibernation
Our garden is into its fourth year now and I’m continuing to play around with things, add…
Marrakesh (Part Four): Jardin Majorelle
Jardin Majorelle is best known today for being owned by Yves Saint Lauren, who famously saved…
Marrakesh (Part Three): Islamic tiled courtyards at Bahia Palace
The second oldest garden we visited was by far the most visually arresting of designs. It is immaculate…
Marrakesh (Part Two): blown away by ancient Islamic garden design at the El Badi Palace
I’ve wanted to visit Marrakesh for about ten years, drawn by its bright colours. What I hadn’t…
Will Apple images save planet Earth?
Over the last year I’ve been thinking of creating an app that uses people’s smartphone geolocation…
Marrakesh (part one): beautiful and bonkers, on the urban garden trail in the red city
My overwhelming impression of Marrakesh in Northern Africa is of a city greener than expected, filled…
Crossrail Place Roof Garden, Canary Wharf
At the weekend my Instagram buddy lamaisonbleue tipped me off to the fact the Crossrail Place…
Allotment: weed suppressant membrane – beating weeds organically
Month 13: my allotment has expanded a bit this year as I’ve taken on some unused…
Landscape design at Stowe Garden in Buckinghamshire
Back in November Chris and I had the opportunity to spend a sunny Autumn afternoon at Stowe…