This boldly coloured azalea has been underplanted with green alkanet to cover its woody lower stems. You might remember this plant from my recent Is This a Forget-me-not? post. Continue reading “Plant Companions: Azalea With Green Alkanet”
Trick Or Treat?
Having stored up some brownie points by offering you a virtual treat yesterday, I thought I might get away with tormenting some of you today.
I found this rose growing on the land surrounding an art park in Austin, Texas, with its leaves spray painted blue and red. I could imagine this as an alternative greeting card, but there’s something of plant cruelty about it, assuming you agree with my sweetheart that there is such a thing.
If the rose was wearing an expression, I imagine it would be like the one old Rusty had that made us laugh so helplessly when he came back from the dog groomer looking like the spaniel version of a Chinese crested dog, closely shorn in some places and fluffed up in others, crowned with a bow. Continue reading “Trick Or Treat?”
What is Virtual Chelsea? A Guide to THE Gardening Event of 2020
Update: although the week is over, you can catch up with the highlights of Virtual Chelsea online.
As The RHS Chelsea Flower Show had to be cancelled this year, Virtual Chelsea is the Royal Horticulture Societies’ morale boosting invitation to every gardener to immerse themselves in gardening online instead.
So, to ‘visit’ the Chelsea Flower Show in 2020, you don’t need a ticket, your most comfy shoes, to book a hotel or fly to England, and you won’t need to jostle with the crowds for the best view. RHS experts have curated a wide variety of special gardening features to share online during the week when the Chelsea Flower Show would normally be taking place.
If you love gardening, you’ll love Virtual Chelsea, whether your garden is massive, small or just few houseplants indoors or on a windowsill. We can look forward to demonstrations from the potting bench, to insights from award winning designers and celebrity florists, to virtual tours of private gardens and leading nurseries, and to spending time with plants people who specialise in many of our favourite plants. Horticulture experts will host daily lunchtime Q&A sessions to help us navigate some of the many gardening pitfalls so our fingers can get a little greener. Continue reading “What is Virtual Chelsea? A Guide to THE Gardening Event of 2020”
Taking Pictures of Bluebells
Photographing bluebells presents several problems: they dance on their stems in a gentle breeze; they often grow in dappled shade which is magical on the eye but blinding to the camera; their blue appears a bit insignificant from further away; and they are usually a very different colour to how they appear. The first two shots are fairly accurate for colour. Continue reading “Taking Pictures of Bluebells”
Barcelona Bar, Ropeworks District, Liverpool
Though I lived in Liverpool as a student, I’m just a tourist these days, popping back to savour its distinct style.
In its latest iteration, Grand Central, a Grade II listed building in the Ropewalks District, has a Gaudi theme – black and gold on the outside with a Bazaar of eating places and bars within, including the colourful Barcelona Bar. Continue reading “Barcelona Bar, Ropeworks District, Liverpool”
Flower Friends
If you have a little time on your hands, you might enjoy my earlier posts on two of my favourite companion plants, Astrantia and Hardy Geranium.
White Clematis Growing Around A Doorway
One of the things about walking close to home is you see new things – this beautiful, white clematis, for example, growing almost in a heart shape around the entrance to a stone-built terraced house. Many a wedding venue would love to have a photo op like this! Continue reading “White Clematis Growing Around A Doorway”
Susan Rushton 