These are my Top 10 colour combinations of 2018. Chartreuse and magenta? Vermillion and Violet? Fuchsia and tangerine? You saw it first on The Mindful Gardener!
Category: My cup runneth over
Pure Envy
Sarah Raven is the reason I am so obsessed by flowers. Anyone who has her catalogue plop through their door will know why. On the ‘Grow your own cut flowers’ Facebook page last week, the lovely LP posted a picture of the newest catalogue with the comment “Well this is dangerous”. We all knew exactly…
Cook little pot, cook!
My cutting patch is reminding me of ‘The Magic Porridge Pot’ and I have forgotten the magic words to make it stop!
I review my top-performing annuals and cut flowers this year, including Dahlias, Zinnias, Scabious, Nicotiana, Nigella and Cosmos.
Into the Jungle
My mum and I went on an expedition to the jungle. We didn’t fly there. We drove there in a little red mini. We went unprepared, without a mosquito net or insect repellent. But we were wearing plenty of sun-cream. We’d set out for Great Dixter. The expedition leader (me) failed to check whether it…
Club Tropicana
Let me take you to the place Where membership’s a smiling face Brush shoulders with the stars Where strangers take you by the hand And welcome you to wonderland From beneath their panamas Club Tropicana, drinks are free Fun and sunshine, there’s enough for everyone All that’s missing is the sea But don’t worry, you…
Highlights of Hampton Court
As I said in Worthy Causes at Hampton Court, my favourite three gardens were not show gardens. The ‘RHS Grow Your Own’ was my out-and-out favourite garden. Whilst it was largely about food production, there was delectable companion planting. I suspect this rather stunning living wall might need daily watering in summer… This garden had…
Floriferous
If there is one rose in my garden that out-flowers them all, it is ‘Royal Jubilee’. Do you like its perfect globes of flowers? Are you tempted to stick your finger or nose into that hole? Do you like the scalloped petals that fold over so protectively? It can look up, but it likes to…
A Rainbow of Roses
Yes, I did get carried away. No, I am not sorry! OMG, it was fun! It was Stevie’s fault really. I had collected five or six blooms and was getting him to sniff too, so we could compare ‘tasting notes’. And Stevie said, “we should get the super-taster in.” Super-taster/Super-sniffer daughter helps Stevie identify wine…
Pillowy Billowy
Peonies. I love peonies. There is no other flower you want to nestle into and actually go to sleep on. I thought I would just have a little post dedicated to my favourites for pillowy billowiness. First up is ‘Barbara’. She has been the queen of my rose garden this week. Barbara exudes competence and…
Portrait of a rose
If I had to choose one rose above all the rest, it would probably be ‘Munstead Wood’. It is a rose that looks beautiful from bursting bud to blown bloom. I have a thing for crimson roses that are just touched with plum. ‘Munstead Wood’ has the velvety texture of a Gallica rose. In some…
Origins
As this week has been our children’s half-term holiday, we travelled Up North to spend time with family in Yorkshire. On the way, we stopped off in The Peak District. I have been exposed to hiking since I was little, but never particularly valued it until I was a student at University in Leeds. Every…
Boing, boing, boing!
I just thought I would share a moment with Zig. This video expresses the essence of Ziggy. It also expresses how I feel at this time of year. The hedgerows are effervescing with hawthorn and cow parsley. The birds are burbling and chittering and pulling up great juicy worms. There are beetles, bugs and butterflies…
