Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life
Water laps almost up to an expanse of high quality oak decking, but we hardly see it because our eyes travel between the flowers and the seating area. The plants in the foreground include a mix of lilac scabious and agastache, red achillea and the glaucous leaves of cerinthe major (honeywort). Continue reading “Raised By Rivers Garden Designed By Nicola Oakey”
This bold, bright planting of tulips mades me think of how gardeners often paint with flowers. Just three varieties have been chosen for this colour palette in dark, mid and light tones for contrast.
The maroon tulips are tall, the orange ones are shorter, and the creamy yellow ones are shorter still, creating a colour block effect at the bottom. Above that is a radiant heart with the darker blooms seeming to float over the whole. Continue reading “BrightSquare: Mixing Tulips”
I was struck by the way this hybrid primrose gradually changes from almost the standard pale yellow to pink, the flowers becoming darker as they age. Each petal is heart-shaped with a bright yellow splash, which put together, forms a starry centre. Continue reading “Pink Primrose”
When I first saw this garden at one of our flower shows, unusually for me, I thought it was too colourful. Continue reading “BrightSquare: Garden”
Hops are one of the few plants that I’m allergic to – either the oils or the coarse hairs brought me out in a rash when I had to prune a vigorous vine that had overgrown its space.
I’ll not hold it against them as they’re attractive plants with shapely leaves, and it’s safe to say they weren’t out to get me. Or fairly safe, as it could be a tactic evolved to stop creatures messing with them. Continue reading “Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ (Golden Hops Vine)”
When I get the chance, I try to create a floral fabric design – something a designer might paint – from living flowers. Not that I deserve the credit for growing the flowers, cutting them or arranging them, mind you. By ‘create’ I ought to say spot the opportunity and take a picture.
Scampston Hall Gardens was designed by Piet Oudolf as a series of rooms, each in his characteristic style. The perennial meadow is a playground for pollinators, featuring Rudbeckia, Achillea, Phlomis, Verbascum, Helenium, Monarda and Geranium. Continue reading “Scampston Hall Gardens On A Sunny Day”
Susan Rushton 