Many of us will be planning New Year’s resolutions: to live 2015 happy with who we are – happy that we’re not all the same, perhaps – but our plants can’t make resolutions and are dependent on us for at least some of their happiness. How do we make 2015 a happier year for them? Continue reading “Make your plants happy in 2015”
Identifying plants: it’s not that easy!
I’m not keen on plant labels in private gardens, unless they are well incorporated into the overall design, such as the lovely, hand-drawn herb labels I often see and admire. As a photographer, plant labels are a mixed blessing, often obscuring the shot or making it look regimented or untidy.
But they’re extremely welcome when I want to be able to name a plant, for example if I’ve just taken a picture of it, or I want to grow one or recommend it to a friend. Continue reading “Identifying plants: it’s not that easy!”
Table runner of succulents
Collection of succulents, displayed as a table setting, at the Southport Flower Show 2014. Continue reading “Table runner of succulents”
Heucheras: ground cover stars
Am I strange to think of heucheras as some of the most useful garden perennials for areas of light shade? Their flowers may be demure, but their often evergreen, variegated leaves provide wonderful ground cover. You may know them by their folk name: coral bells. Continue reading “Heucheras: ground cover stars”
Want quick results in your garden? Or are you a patient gardener?
Most industry research tells us that today’s gardeners expect instant results, particularly if they’re new to gardening. Not a problem: if you have the money to throw at a garden, you can almost certainly achieve quick results, if that’s all you aspire to. Just plant or pay someone to plant big, expensive plants – lots of them – when they are all in bud and just about to bloom.
Whether the garden will stay the same for long without intervention is another question! Continue reading “Want quick results in your garden? Or are you a patient gardener?”
Poppies: lest we forget
Hellebore heaven: Sunshine Farm
It was in Philadelphia, at my first Garden Writer’s Symposium, during the lunch this bright, generous group of garden experts holds to welcome newcomers to their wonderful event, that I first met Barry Glick. I may be maligning him, but it’s my firm belief that he was just pretending to be a fresher so he wouldn’t miss out on any of the fun. I was prepared for a few surprises, but not quite this one. Continue reading “Hellebore heaven: Sunshine Farm”
Susan Rushton 