I am spending a few days at West Dean College, teaching two courses in a row with a day off in between. Today I can have a lie in, admiring the ceiling in my beautiful tower room, taking the time to feel all Rapunzel like. I will go for a few walks, eat the gorgeous… Continue reading Supermoon gazing at West Dean Gardens
Tag: Garden
Plant of the month – July 2016 – White lavender
Order:Lamiales Family:Lamiaceae Subfamily:Nepetoideae Genus:Lavandula Type: Hardy to tender, annual to perennial herbaceous plants or small shrubs Propagation: Cuttings or Seed (won’t come true in hybrids) Native to: Mediterranean Europe, Middle East and India Every year I have a new craze for my garden, a plant I never noticed before or didn’t use to like, which… Continue reading Plant of the month – July 2016 – White lavender
Lazy like a Sunday morning
I know that it’s not the exact title of the song (sorry Lionel), but it is how it feels this morning… I love a lazy, sunny summer Sunday morning breakfast in the garden. This 31st of July 2016 is a perfect morning on the South coast of England. The sky is a flawless intense cobalt… Continue reading Lazy like a Sunday morning
Plant of the month – June 2016 – Rosa ‘Jasmina’
Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Subfamily: Rosoideae Genus: Rosa Type: Perennial Propagation: Seed, plant propagation, cuttings, grafting Native to: Mostly Asia, some Europe and North America This rose is a spectacular rambler with such vivacity that I have to hack through it after the first flowering in order to stop it from invading the whole garden.… Continue reading Plant of the month – June 2016 – Rosa ‘Jasmina’
A list of slug-proof plants
As my garden is completely organic, slug pellets are prohibited. The organic status makes sure we have plenty of birds and lots of happy bees, but we also have a healthy population of snails and slugs. We also heard from the Hampshire Wildlife Trust that hedgehogs are dying by the thousands, killed by second-hand poisoning,… Continue reading A list of slug-proof plants