This has been a rough old autumn. Not because of the weather, but because of the political climate. Never have I been more affected by news stories (see Direct Action). The personal has most definitely been political. So where do I seek refuge? You guessed it! There is nothing like a spot of digging to…
Tag: Tulips
Bridging the Gap with Biennials
I have extended my cutting patch this year, adding two new raised beds. I got a little bit overexcited by my new space and went on a spending spree with the marvellous Chiltern Seeds (whose catalogue of pure flower porn inspired a whole post of its own, Flowergasm!) You might have thought that two varieties each of…
Vintage Silk
As you may have noticed, I have a thing for bright and deeply saturated colour. But I have other weaknesses too. Back in autumn I was seduced by a certain supplier of tulip bulbs and gave into temptation. I decided to try some sun-faded tones: vintage silk alongside my usual velvet and satin. I selected…
Sissinghurst blows hot and cold
We had an impromptu Sissinghurst skip on Sunday, children, grandparents and all, so I thought I would share a few pics of what’s going on. Tulips I love this wonderful red-with-a-hint-of cerise-and-crimson lily-flowered tulip. I couldn’t find a label for the variety. It’s too pinkish for ‘Red Shine’ I think, so I’m opting for ‘Pieter…
EMERGENCY RESCUE!
The foul weather (swirling winds, torrential rain) meant I had to perform an emergency rescue on my tulips. These poor things were in danger of getting their necks broken. So was I. The rescue situation explains why some blooms are already at their creative peak (see my post from yesterday, Aging Beauties). Here is good old ‘Ballerina’:…
Ageing Beauties
I am infinitely more at ease with the way I look in my forties compared with my teens, twenties or thirties. I have heard women complain that they feel invisible as they age, but maybe I felt too visible when I was younger. Or visible for the wrong reasons. I was judged on what I…
Six Softies on Saturday
Inspired by all the other Six on Saturday posts which feature the dreamy tulip ‘Angelique’, I thought I would add a few soft and creamy ones of my own. Six on Saturday is where The Propagator invites garden bloggers from around the world to share six things going on in our garden right now. 1. Tulips ‘Jazz’…
Lighting the Touch-Paper in the Bright Border
The Bright Border has taken a while to ignite this Spring, but today, I think it took off. This border is not for the faint-hearted. It is fiery and fiesty; invigorating, rather than relaxing. Here are two of the euphorbias, E. amygdaoides var. robbiae, [health warning here] and E. griffithii ‘Fireglow’: ‘Fireglow’ deserves a close-up: And so does Euphorbia…
A Profusion of Pots at Perch Hill
I went for total indulgence in the hot spell last week. I reasoned that it was too hot for serious gardening, so I may as well visit other gardens and bask in the tulip displays. So on Friday it was Great Dixter and on Saturday I took the family to Sarah Raven’s Open Garden at Perch Hill….
A Perfect Day at Great Dixter
I’ve always felt that in any one year, there is one perfect ice-cream. Usually near the start of summer, or even late spring, often the first really warm day. You find the ice-cream van at just the right time, and its Mr Whippy is just the right consistency, and the 99 flake is just the…
Opening to the Sun!
Something magical happened on Saturday: the sun came out! And stayed out! You could hear gardeners around the country stampeding to their back doors to get their wellies on! But once I’d had a little potter around, a bit of weeding here and there, I decided I just had to sit in the sun. Here,…
