Favour the Ferns

Many years ago The Financial Times sent me to do a feature on the RHS ‘Flower Show’ at Tatton Park . I was totally naïve and had no idea what I was supposed to do or to write about. So my excitement was tempered by acute anxiety. The term ‘imposter syndrome’ could...
Weeds, some questions…

Weeds, some questions…

Gardeners very rarely really think about this, being more likely to recognise something simply as a bad plant, which must be got rid of.

read more
Pattern

Pattern

Sometimes (not by any means always) the rigid balance of symmetry is a bit dead for me.

read more
Our German week

Our German week

What is biggest perhaps for me is that Gardens Illustrated turned this piece down

read more
Poles?

Poles?

So, we are currently looking at two rows of poles. And wondering whether to keep them…..

read more
Good plants, Bad plants

Good plants, Bad plants

There have been some winners and losers this summer in the plant population, and not much to do with the weather…

read more
Down with weeding: how living with weeds can make us better gardeners.

Down with weeding: how living with weeds can make us better gardeners.

How many of us love the outdoor housework known as weeding? Is this why we turn eagerly to the gardening pages every week – to discover what boring chores we should be tackling? Unfortunately, for many garden housework haters like myself, our efforts, or lack of, may be on very public display (unlike the state of our bathrooms, for example). The gardens to which we are all exposed in magazines, RHS shows and on television don’t help.

read more
Best garden in Monmouthshire? Hill House, Glascoed,

Best garden in Monmouthshire? Hill House, Glascoed,

You’d expect one of my favourite gardens of anywhere to be a friend’s garden: partiality may be unavoidable. But my pleasure is based on more than that – this is just a truly good garden and it will be open, perhaps for the last time, in July this year.  

And yes, Veddw is only half an hour away.

So, what’s so good? ….

read more
May pictures

May pictures

I know all you really really want are pictures to look at. So here, celebrating our opening on the 3rd of June (Sunday afternoons 2-5 -our last year!) are some Veddw pictures….

read more

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 10.8K other subscribers

Voted one of the UK’s Top 100 Gardens by Garden News

Recent Posts From: thinkinGardens

Otherworldly Gardens by Mary Keen

Otherworldly Gardens by Mary Keen

“The question to ask is, ‘what is here that is true, that is underneath the superficial things? What is here that matters?”

Autobiography of a Garden by Patterson Webster: a review

Autobiography of a Garden by Patterson Webster: a review

Autobiography of a Garden is about the garden making, Pat’s life, the history of the land, the ideas, the art, the plants and the devouring deer.

Garden regionally, get inspired globally by Marianne Willburn

Garden regionally, get inspired globally by Marianne Willburn

But to dream, and perhaps more importantly, to innovate, we should inspire ourselves globally:

Chelsea or Chaumont? by Catharine Howard

Chelsea or Chaumont? by Catharine Howard

“Have issue.  You were so adamant that you wouldn’t go to Chelsea again.  Discuss, please”.

Gifting the Ephemeral

Gifting the Ephemeral

. And now, knowing we won’t live forever, we’re thinking about what will happen to the house and garden when we die.

Hadspen aka The Newt in Somerset, by Anne Wareham

Hadspen aka The Newt in Somerset, by Anne Wareham

The garden is actually interestingly old fashioned. It’s not just the bedding but the relentless inclusion of every garden cliché, however brilliantly executed.

Politicising Plants

Politicising Plants

I don’t imagine you expected the world of horticulture and gardens to escape the decolonising agenda. But if you have concerns …

Tradition

Tradition

“Maintaining tradition is only really helpful when the result is positive…”

This site built by

Translate »