A visit to Kew Gardens last week was full of the earliest signs of spring. Birds carrying scraps of nesting material in their beaks, a carpet of Crocus tommasinianus in the grass, swelling buds on the magnolias, and the camellia walk in full colour gave me a tiny glimpse of what is to come. I… Read More »
Days out
Goodbye January
I had a trip to London last week. I was attending a work event at the Linnean Society next door to the Royal Academy. It is the world’s oldest active biological society, and somewhere I’d love to return to with an appointment to browse in the intriguing library. After my press launch had finished, I… Read More »
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022: the return!
Two Chelsea Flower Shows in one year is an incredible achievement for both organisers and participants. Last September’s Chelsea was a little subdued, perhaps, with everyone feeling their way in the Covid world, happy to be out, but still cautious. This May, things were back with a flourish, and a very special sense of excitement… Read More »
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021
This was my first visit to RHS Chelsea Flower Show. I have always wanted to go, but for various reasons, I’d never managed it, so I was very pleased to finally walk through the hallowed gates, which were suitably festooned with seasonal flowers and foliage. This year’s show was always going to be a bit… Read More »
A Visit To Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2021
I hadn’t been on a train since February 2020, and I was very excited as I set off for this years RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2021. It was an early start from my house in Lincolnshire, with my bag packed with phone, camera, notebook, sandwiches and flip flops for aching feet on the… Read More »
Days of Summer
So far this summer, we haven’t ventured away on holiday. I look at the reports of the quarantine and the queues and hear about the virus spiking in Europe, and at home, and so far, it hasn’t seemed worth the risk to us or to others, although it is very difficult to make sense of… Read More »