The journey to reach the small village of Chaumont sur Loire in itself is quite magical. Taking the slow road along the Loire valley, where houses are built into caves and ‘degustation’ of wine and cognac tempt you to stop every few hundred metres one feels a little bit like time has stopped. To say the area is steeped in history is a bit of an understatement. The Loire valley
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There are not many plants as striking as the blue thistle like Eryngium planum. The evergreen amethyst coloured sea holly is a real show stopper with its pretty purple tint and fascinating silver foliage. This plant is native to central and southeastern Europe as well as Asia and its name comes from the Greek word hruggion which translates as ‘a spiny leaved plant’. This plant is one that does well in most
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It’s that time of the year when the days are getting shorter, and the early morning air holds promise of frost. Early Autumn is a beautiful time in the garden, borders are exploding in final colourful displays and seedheads are starting to add structure and texture through the landscape. Unfortunately Autumn is also the typical time of the year when many people catch a head cold. The late summer and
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