I have developed a strong antipathy for the term ‘winter interest’ in garden writing. Do we truly have nothing better to say about winter gardens or the plants growing in them than to damn them with faint praise? I have been guilty myself, but now repent wholeheartedly. To term something ‘winter interest’ is to reject … Read more
My family heirloom vase waits all year for sweet pea posies. Anyone who has spent a few growing seasons with me will tell you, sweet peas are my totem plant, a generational touchstone and possibly the most satisfying cut flower in my summer garden. It used to be that every year, right around Valentine’s Day, … Read more
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 have been invented … Read more
This week I got to see the 28th Annual Orchid Exhibition by Smithsonian Gardens and the U.S. Botanic Garden, and since I’m no orchid expert (understatement alert), can I just rave about the setting? Because the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery is the perfect place to show off … Read more
Does YOUR town have English ivy covering trees in its most prominent public spots? Well, MINE SURE DOES, which I finally got sick of looking at and decided to do something about it. At LEAST here in our historic town square. (Why do it? This link explains the many ways that English ivy can harms … Read more
I’ve been visiting the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Rosemoor in Devon, UK, for 20 years or more now. Over that time I’ve seen many changes, some grand and some subtle. Best of all I’ve been able to enjoy the sight of trees growing and maturing. On my very first visit I fell in love … Read more
Video: Pollinators in My Front Garden In a recent post I revealed the uptick in “pollinator action” in my townhouse front garden, thanks to suggestions that GardenRant readers made (to this post) for more critter-friendly annuals than the coleus I’d been growing in pots but which attracted nothing. And finally (after a winter of technical … Read more
An Easter Treat: There’s only one flower which makes me catch my breath on sight. Well, at least that’s as far as I can remember at this time of year. And last night it was this: Tulip Pastel Parrot Cabanna (I think) It looked quite boring in bud then – turned into this! Wonderful. Now, … Read more
The bubbling fountain came last, the watery finish to a wonderfully sunny day spent playing in the dirt. Sure, spring had officially arrived a few days earlier, but to me the first full day of useful sunshine is what really counts as spring, not some moveable number on the calendar. To lean slightly into the … Read more
“I don’t like yellow.” A strange comment, especially from someone whose garden was awash with golden daffodils and zingy yellow primroses. Royal View I believe that the fashion for disliking yellow, a fashion quite entrenched in certain parts of the UK’s gardening community, originated from a comment made by the then Prince Charles (now King … Read more