Can I just say quietly, at the outset, that I have relationship issues with roses ? In my head, I see these beautiful flowers as the preserve of 'proper gardeners', and I don't fall into that category (being slightly more haphazard in my approach and infinitely less knowledgeable). And so I don't have any in…
Our front garden is a tiny affair - approximately 8x7m. When we first moved into our bungalow, it was just a patch of boggy grass. After a few years, I figured I couldn't look at the grass anymore and we hired a local landscaper to do some work for us. Tony was a friendly chap…
It seems, when other cherry blossom trees have flowered and faded and their petals lie strewn on the ground like confetti, that the one in our garden is only getting started. I'm not sure why that is exactly, but I kind of like it so. And although the spectacle comes round reliably every year, it's…
In recent years, snowdrops have grown hugely in popularity. Perhaps it's because they are so pretty, perhaps it's the Instagram effect. Perhaps it's simply because in the dark days of winter , when clumps of their delicate white flowers start to emerge from the undergrowth, they are so welcome. In response to their increasing popularity,…
As winter calls for snuggling up with a good book, I thought I'd share a few of my personal favourites. With common themes of nature, gardening and seasons, I love these books for their storytelling, illustrations, language and photography. 1.The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett I'm sure many of you will already know this…
Back in spring (seems like a lifetime ago now), I sowed a few cosmos seeds. They're a favourite of my father in law whose garden is always full of them come summertime. And sure enough, after a few weeks, they germinated and up they sprouted with their fern like foliage. Before too long, I planted…
A while back I sowed some 'Love in a Mist' (or Nigella) seeds. They took what seemed for ever to germinate and then, after weeks of seemingly nothing happening, the tiniest green shoots popped up through the soil and from there they started to grow. By the end of July, after weeks of sunny weather, …
