Is there any colour more elegant than black? When it comes to fashion black has long been a favourite of many designers, bringing an understated chic style to any outfit or collection. It is a truly timeless colour-think of the little black dress, the black suit and the black t-shirt, staples I can’t ever see going out of fashion. Within garden design the colour black is used in various
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I love Autumn! The crisp cool days, the fun of Halloween and the general calming down of the landscape around us. It’s a time when I often find myself reflecting on the year and taking time to re-evaluate and recharge my batteries. One of my favourite things about this time of the year is the transformation that happens in our gardens. The quieting down of colours and gentle dying down
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I know Autumn is fast approaching when the leaves start to drift off the trees and perennials are starting to turn delicious shades of gold and orange. It is at this time every year I always get the urge to start planning for next years flower display in the border. The look of this years design is still fresh in my mind and I always think Autumn is a
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I love autumn in my garden. Though many plants are preparing for dormancy, and most of the stronger summer colour is gone, there is something so restful and beautiful about the garden at this of the year. With temperatures becoming cooler we also tend to get some lovely crisp, sunny days which draw us outside and with a little thought we can create lovely spaces to enjoy even in the
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Is there anything better than picking fruit fresh from the tree? I think that every garden should have at least one fruit tree and one of the most delicious and fairly easy to grow ones is the Prunus domestica, or plum tree. I am a big fan of these lovely trees that not only look lovely in stature and leaf but also have a great yield of delicious fruit for
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There are a few plants for the garden that are instantly recognisable and firm favourites year after year. Lavender is one such plant and I think no garden can do without at least a few of these Mediterranean beauties. There are so many great things about these evergreen shrubs native to the old world- from across Europe, particularly the Mediterranean and across the Cape Verde and Canary Islands to Northern
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The summer garden always brings to mind one shrub that is instantly recognizable to most people; the Buddleja or Butterfly bush, as is is commonly known. The name immediately gives away what this shrub is all about and the softly scented flowers are often covered in butterflies which feed on its honey-scented nectar. This mostly perennial shrub has exotic origins in the far East and was brought to Europe in Victorian
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The author Alfred Mercier had a quote which said “What we learn with pleasure we never forget”. There is so much truth in this idea. I certainly know that the information I remember in most detail has been given to me in friendly conversation with an expert or in lectures which the talker has made fun and accessible. In this context there is truly no better way to learn about
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There is nothing more satisfying than that first cup of tea in the morning. The process of sleepily brewing, steeping the bags and slowly watching the colour deepen. To many of us tea drinking is a form of ritual, a moment of calm before the days starts. In essence tea is therapy. In many countries tea culture has become a form or ritual where not only the drinking of
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Considering modern trends what do we think of? Garden rooms, sustainability, green walls, urban greening. The idea of an ‘alpine rockery’ is not one that brings contemporary design to mind. For many of us, the design style of rockeries feels firmly lodged in the style of 1960’s to 1980’s when they featured heavily in show garden circuit and played a strong role in setting garden trends. Often used as a
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