Apologies if you tried to access my website recently. It crashed for the first time ever, owing to increased traffic. I’m not sure if everyone was trying to read my RHS Chelsea report – or if it was just a glitch. I like to think it was my enormous popularity, but…. Anyway, normal service has… Read More »
Gardening
Return to RHS Chelsea Flower Show
I always feel as if I’m stepping into another world when I cross the threshold of RHS Chelsea Flower Show, sponsored by The Newt, Somerset. The entrance to the preview day is via the Thames Gate, so I get off the tube at Sloane Square, and walk towards the river. It’s 8.15am and there are… Read More »
Hello spring, where are you?
Everything is in place to enjoy my spring garden – everything, that is, except the weather. From howling gales to torrential rain, we’ve had it all over the last week, and I think there is more to come. Ever the optimist, I am going ahead and making preparations for sunshine and calm conditions. I have… Read More »
Spring joys
The garden is blooming despite – or maybe because of – the torrential rain over the last few months. What bliss it has been to get outside over the Easter weekend, and start enjoying my little courtyard again. The star of the show is undoubtedly my amelanchier larmarkii tree. In full blossom for just a… Read More »
Stirrings…
Already mid-February, and after a slow start, when January seemed interminable, the year suddenly seems to be accelerating, with new hope springing up along with green shoots. I’ve had the house to myself for the last few weeks, and I’d made a list of all things that I wanted to do while I was home… Read More »
Hello 2024
Things may be looking a little sparse in my garden right now, and they are certainly rain-battered, but against the odds, the first signs of life are stirring. I’ve placed a garden table by the kitchen doors. It’s a favourite old French metal one, on which I group together my smaller pots of bulbs. Admittedly,… Read More »