It was a weakness. The grass was mouldering, the cats next door just used it as a loo. The idea seemed so simple, so beguiling…… just put decking down. It was whispered on the wind and the vision it promised was one of sturdy, easy care beauty. A sea of golden decking to obliterate untidiness. Think of the hours got back by not having to mow the lawn, it said. Think of the the hours reclaimed by not having to moan […]
Categories: Uncategorized
I am old and cynical. I go to Chelsea not expecting to see anything interesting besides Laurence Llewelyn-bowen. He is fascinating in and of himself of course, but he is also the first clone I have ever come into contact with. There are at least six of him on view at Chelsea each year. I know this because one man could not be in as many places, talking to as many people in front of as many cameras as he is. […]
Categories: flower photography, flowers, Gardening, planting, RHS Chelsea • Tags: block planting Marcus Barnett, cirsium, cutflowers, garden, gardens, Marcus Barnett, planting schemes
I have been thinking about moving to Los Angeles. Not that this is necessarily a realistic possibility but sometimes a little day dreaming is required. I was imagining what it would be like to have endless days of balmy sunshine. Would it wonderful? Would you wake every morning with the cheer and enthusiasm which usually goes with a sunny day or would it become boring and interminable? I spoke to someone who said the year stretches out in one long, unbroken ribbon […]
Categories: blog, Euphorbia, flower photography, flowers, garden blog, garden photography, Gardening, macro photography, nature, plants, spring, Uncategorized • Tags: close up photography, flower photography, garden, gardening, gardening photography, nature, planting, plants, tulips
I have been busy doing nothing. I know this is an awful thing to admit as doing nothing, been wanted by no one, is the worst of all social failings. It also leaves no excuse as to why I haven’t been into the garden. ( I did go out once to see if the drain was over flowing again but I’m not sure that counts as gardening.) I’m beginning to feel a bit depressed by this inability to grasp the nettle. So, I have decided that […]
Categories: flowers, garden blog, Gardening, nature, plants, Uncategorized, wildlife • Tags: Canna, Eremurus, gardening, gardens, nature, planting, plants, wildlife
It has come to my attention recently that I am getting older and frankly, I don’t like it. I was therefore interested in the theory that the way to keep ageing at bay is to constantly disrupt the patterns of your life. Don’t get into a rut, change the routines. As Einstein apparently said – ageing is like riding a bike, if you stop going forwards you fall off. I am rather keen on my routines and I have read […]
Categories: flower photography, flowers, garden blog, garden photography, Gardening, nature, plants, wildlife • Tags: close up photography, flower photography, garden, gardens, nature, planting, plants
I went to visit a friend’s new house and garden a while ago. She’s never had a garden before and was understandably excited. It’s very long, narrow and enchantingly over grown. She’s a total novice and to her the garden looks lush, green and magical. To me it looked over grown and in need of lots and lots of work. I’m not saying it wasn’t pretty, because it was […]
Categories: flowers, garden blog, garden photography, Gardening, nature, plants, weeds, wildlife • Tags: flower photography, garden, gardening, gardening photography, nature, planting, weeds, wildlife
I went to RHS Chelsea today and I was wondering how many words about it will be written over the next few day. I thought I’d be as brief as possible – so here’s my Chelsea in 100 words, starting with the most common place and working down to the rare. Cow parsley (in its smart forms Ammi majus & Anthriscus), Iris, Cameras, black Aqueligia, Cirsium, high-heeled shoes, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (I can only assumed he’s been cloned) Foxgloves, Stipa, Roses […]
Categories: Uncategorized
I have started having a recurring James Lovelockian nightmare in which the world is plunged into a dystopian chaos. In this world computers are down and all the infrastructures we rely on have failed. A zombie like population converges on the few remaining natural resources. As a consequence I have started to train my children much like Sarah Connor in The Terminator films trains her son. I don’t know about guns so I have decided this year, now she’s nine, […]
Categories: Children, foraging, Gardening, nature, plants, Uncategorized, weeds, wildlife • Tags: children, foraging, garden, gardening, gardens, nature, plants, wildlife
that the back garden looks like it has started to sink in on itself. The neighbours fence has collapsed like a piece of soggy cardboard and lies about like a lazy drunk, half in our garden, half in theirs. A quick glance from the kitchen window and the grass looks surprisingly green. I try not to look too hard because I know that in reality it’s a horrible sticky mud sludge with a few bits of green grass clinging to […]
Categories: blog, flowers, Foxes, garden blog, garden photography, Gardening, macro photography, nature, Plant Photography, plants, Uncategorized, wildlife • Tags: foxes, garden, gardening, gardening photography, gardens, nature
sometimes gardening