Gardens – Susan Rushton

July 25, 2021February 27, 2022

Wooden Garden Benches: Smooth and Rough-Hewn, Traditional and Modern

Garden bench under a tree at Scampston Hall Gardens — Scampston Hall Gardens

The longer we linger in gardens and green spaces, the more we value a place to sit. Over the last 18 months one of our most useful garden accessories, the bench, has been widely used and appreciated as never before.

I’m celebrating wooden benches that range in character from beautifully finished to rough-hewn and from classic to contemporary, by way of quirky and downright artsy. If your imagination works this way, try removing the bench from one pictures and replacing it with another. Garden furniture is more than just practical: the style of each bench alters the way we see its surroundings. Continue reading “Wooden Garden Benches: Smooth and Rough-Hewn, Traditional and Modern”

July 21, 2021

Two From The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden lake with palm trees

The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is one of a select few in the US where tropical plants can be grown outside all year round. The garden is built around a series of lakes and a collection of palm trees and many of its vistas are superb. Continue reading “Two From The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden”

July 17, 2021

Colourful Pavement Garden In Lancashire, England

Pavement garden with lots of flowers

I’ve been fascinated by the use of containers clustered together to create the illusion of a garden since my first visit to Japan where the style is widespread. This fine example of a container garden is much closer to home.

Diminutive, but for me, as sweet as they come, it brightens up the entrance to a traditional stone-faced terrace that opens directly on to the pavement. Continue reading “Colourful Pavement Garden In Lancashire, England”

June 25, 2021July 2, 2021

Santa Rita Garden, Painting With Wine and Just Asking

Some of you may remember seeing the Santa Rita ‘Living La Vida 120’ Garden at RHS Hampton Court Flower Show a few years ago. Alan Rudden’s design won a Gold medal and Best World Garden. Boldly coloured burnt-yellow steel feature walls, chunky gabion walls of bright rough stone and seven pollarded strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo) were memorable features. Continue reading “Santa Rita Garden, Painting With Wine and Just Asking”

April 19, 2021April 19, 2021

Fun in a Fountain: The Muses by Craig Mitchell Smith

Metal and glass sculpture The Muses in the fountain at Missouri Botanical Garden — The Muses brightening up a fountain

For a few months, The Muses gleamed in the water feature at Missouri Botanical Garden as part of Craig Mitchell Smith’s Garden and Glass exhibition. The water feature is a circle of jets of water that shoot up from the ground, reach the extent of their energy, and bubble back down. Continue reading “Fun in a Fountain: The Muses by Craig Mitchell Smith”

April 8, 2021

Scampston Hall Gardens On A Sunny Day

Scampston Hall Gardens on a sunny day

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”

March 17, 2021March 17, 2021

Life In Colour: A Green Journey

Metal bench under an arbour at Gresgarth Garden — Place for pondering at Gresgarth Garden

I often share a series of images taken in a particular garden, but today, I’m leading you through a succession of green landscapes. You’d need a week to explore them all in real life, to say nothing of the seasons, but while we can only travel virtually, why not make the best of it? Continue reading “Life In Colour: A Green Journey”