Category Archives: gardens

#30DaysWild Day 10 – Watching Bumblebees

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Catherine

For Day 10 of 30 Days Wild I watched hundreds of bumblebees collecting pollen and nectar from catmint flowers (Nepeta faassenii ‘Six Hills Giant’). I made a little video on my phone which I hope gives an an idea of … Continue reading →

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Day 5 #30DaysWild – Sparrowhawk and other creatures

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Catherine

There was a male sparrowhawk at the end of my garden this morning, and, after the kids had gone to school I watched for ages hoping it would return. So that was my 30 Days Wild for today – and … Continue reading →

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Chelsea Flower Show Part 1

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Catherine

A little late, but here are my thoughts on this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. I’ve been going to Chelsea for the last 4 or 5 years. I have to admit to being more interested in plants than in design, and I am … Continue reading →

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Rose Training

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Catherine

Over the Easter break I visited a garden that’s long been on my bucket list: Sissinghurst. It certainly lived up to expectations in many ways, but I particularly  loved seeing it at this time of year when much of the structure of the … Continue reading →

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Crab Apples

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Catherine

The wild crab apple, Malus sylvestris, is fruiting at the moment, and cultivated varieties are now available to order from fruit nurseries. This is one I saw at RHS Wisley recently, Malus transitoria. Although they are members of the apple … Continue reading →

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Autumn at RHS Wisley

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Catherine

I visited the RHS garden at Wisley at the weekend for the first time since the spring. I expected to come away with hundreds of photos of autumn leaves, but what really struck me was how beautiful the grasses and … Continue reading →

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Japanese Bitter Orange

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Catherine

An interesting plant spotted at Greys Court National Trust garden last weekend: Poncirus trifoliata or Japanese bitter orange. An unusually hardy citrus, and apparently quite easy to grow. It doesn’t sound particularly tasty, either to humans or wildlife, but with … Continue reading →

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Dahlias

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Catherine

Dahlias in all shapes and colours at Chenies Manor. The single ones are the most bee-friendly, though with the more complex flowers the centres can open and become more accessible to insects as the flowers age (as in the Karma … Continue reading →

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