Thames Barrier Park is one of those slightly random places in London that I tend to read about and never visit. Built in 2001, next to, you guessed it, the Thames Barrier, it's a really cutting edge bit of garden design and I've seen photos of it in magazines, online, and, frequently, in lectures at … Continue reading Peak bloom at Thames Barrier Park
Gardening
6 easy updates for a beautiful summer garden
When I first got into gardening, I was always slightly embarrassed by my own garden in the middle of summer. Springtime tended to be luscious and green, Autumn was russet-toned and lovely but in the very middle of summer... ...well, quite often not much seemed to be going on. Where were the flowers? Should the … Continue reading 6 easy updates for a beautiful summer garden
In the garden: June
Well, wasn't the last week of June utterly depressing. Like so many, I was knocked for six with the results of the referendum. I find the whole thing terrifying and bleak. The result itself, the reports of increased racism that have peppered the news this past week, the furious packpedalling of the Leave campaigners, the … Continue reading In the garden: June
East Dulwich in bloom
Last Friday, I took a walk through my local streets, camera in hand, to photograph some nice examples of hard landscaping for my recent garden design assignment. Does that sound interesting? It wasn't hugely. I soon found myself photographing roses instead. Over almost every front wall, it seemed, profusions of roses were blooming. Every colour, … Continue reading East Dulwich in bloom
In the garden: May
Oh May! Such a fabulous month in the garden. Blossom dripping off trees, new buds emerging in the beds, bees drowsily buzzing. May is probably my favourite month, horticulturally. Summer is almost upon us, but the greens are still fresh and green and the dew glistens on the grass in the mornings. In the last … Continue reading In the garden: May
In the garden: March
So, after 3.5 years living here, we’ve finally – finally – landscaped and planted the garden. Hurrah! I’ll show you proper photos next month as it’s still all looking a bit bare and unimpressive while the plants establish, but in the meantime, here’s a little look at some of the recent additions to our little … Continue reading In the garden: March
In the garden: February
Slipping in, just in time, on this fabulous extra day of the year to share some photos of the February garden, taken throughout this month. If you were to look at a year in gardening, February would be the month of planning. Reading the seed catalogues, choosing the fruit and veg for the year ahead, … Continue reading In the garden: February
Urban Jungle Bloggers: jungle animals
The almost-overwhelming temptation, for this month’s UJB theme of jungle animals, was to bring the chickens inside and create a little jungle for them to wander around in the kitchen. The downsides to this plan are many, the two most obvious being a kitchen floor covered in chicken poo and the inevitable demise of all … Continue reading Urban Jungle Bloggers: jungle animals
Identifying 6 common trees… …in Winter
I wrote this last year but completely failed to gather enough twigs to photograph and illustrate the article. Waddya know, exactly the same thing has happened this year, so instead I've unearthed some lovely old botanical illustrations which include the look of the trees bare branches and which, hopefully, illustrate the various differences. Perhaps next … Continue reading Identifying 6 common trees… …in Winter
A green, green Valentines: 5 DIY presents for plant lovers
Holy moley, the year suddenly seems to be flying by and we're into February already. And the start of Feb can mean but one thing: the imminent arrival of Valentine’s Day, that gigantic commercial event to make you part with lots of cash. I’m not normally a big fan of celebrating Valentine’s (could you have … Continue reading A green, green Valentines: 5 DIY presents for plant lovers
Wolves in London 