‘Pick your own flowers’ is a beguiling idea. High up on the greensand ridge above the Kentish Weald near Maidstone, Kent, ‘Blooming Green (www.bloominggreen.co.uk)’ is England’s only ‘PYO’ cut flower business. Not surprisingly it is extraordinarily popular. The day I visited there
Love them or hate them dahlias are all the rage these days. It is astonishing that not so very long ago dahlias were regarded by many as flowers in the worst possible taste. It is thanks to the likes of
As one drives along the West Coast of the ravishing Isle of Mull it is hard to concentrate on the single track road ahead let alone spot the passing places for cars, such is the sheer beauty of the landscape.
Any gardener pounding the streets of London is heartened by the sight of floral displays in whatever form they take. Recently I wandered around the white stucco terraces of Pimlico designed by Thomas Cubitt in the 19th century to see what I
A thrilling highlight amongst the many memorable features of Parham House in West Sussex www.parhaminsussex.co.uk are the exquisite floral arrangements found in the rooms open to the public. Unlike other stately homes where a potted geranium or two, or even, dare
What is the optimum time for taking sensational garden photographs? It is not midday day on a gloriously sunny summer’s day but early in the morning just after sunrise when the quality of light is best. Some years ago the renowned garden
What brings together Ljubljana, Bristol, Turin, Norwich, Kent and Brighton, not forgetting London and Vienna? Answer: Chelsea Fringe, the open-access festival celebrating everything to do with gardens, plants, landscape and the environment. ‘I knew my life would massively change from