We didn’t think we were going to grow vegetables here. Certainly when we were only visiting every few weeks it would have been out of the question as without regular watering everything would quickly have died at worst, or failed to thrive at best. And with wonderful produce available seasonally in the markets around us what was the point … It is interesting how ideas … Continue reading Kitchen Garden? Or Potager?
A blissful midsummer’s weekend celebrating the best in garden writing I can’t remember when I first heard about the Garden Museum. I’ve been to a few of their wonderful events over the years, have supported Christopher Woodward’s sterling fund-raising efforts for development, and have become rather fond of the organisation and everything it stands for. One day, when I was clearly in the mood to treat … Continue reading The Garden Museum Literary Festival – a long weekend in Norfolk Part 1
The best advice given to the owners of any new garden is to live with it for a year as it is before making any changes. Whether because we were directly following that advice, or whether because we were up to our eyes and ears in building work, we have assiduously maintained the garden as it was when we first took ownership and not made any … Continue reading The first year; an important decision
Slightly off-topic, forgive me. And this is also a bit of a rant. But its that time of year when a huge proportion of British gardens are aflame with the fiery new shoots of Photinia (usually Red Robin) along mile after mile of recently planted suburban hedge. It is recommended for planting for spring colour, and it seems to thrive wherever it is planted. So we are seeing it … Continue reading The hedge I’ve grown to hate
We took over ownership of the French house at the end of November 2015, still pinching ourselves to be sure that this was really happening. Since then we have made a number of visits, enjoying unseasonably warm weather during December and then experiencing (not enjoying!) cold, wet, stormy weather throughout much of January and February. By the middle of March signs of spring were beginning … Continue reading The first spring
I am firmly in the research phase for the French garden, gathering inspiration, and recording ideas. Inspiration comes from a wide variety of sources, and yesterday we went to the Royal Academy in London to the exhibition Painting the Modern Garden Monet to Matisse. It was crowded, too hot in places, but very inspiring. Monet cultivated gardens throughout his life, from his early days … Continue reading Painting the Modern Garden
The Renaissance Gardener 