Holly and Ivy in September… that seems wrong in a “Surely we’re not talking about Christmas yet?” sort of way – but this week’s dispatch is all about the wildlife. Just as the garden has that look that an old college friend describes as “having had one party too many”, it … Read More
When you’re drawing sweet peas and a load of bumble bees rock up for the hydrangeas… I had planned to report on the astonishing palette of colour in the sweet peas – one cultivated plant a palette of pinks and purples, the wild sweet peas the fashiony show-offs of the garden … Read More
I’ve taken to calling them coffee bees. First thing in the morning, when I wander out into the garden with my coffee, the poppies, just open, are abuzz with them. If I spoke bee, I’d probably find that the conversation was something work-related. As I take a moment before the … Read More
After April’s rain in May, sudden sunshine – and everywhere, purple… There’s a lot more to the irises’ purple than a first glance suggests. Glossy buds like tightly-rolled satin are almost-black in the shade. Big, blowsy petals need layers, some blue and pink, to build up their brilliance on waste coated … Read More