Purple Wellies

One woman's musings of plant lust for intoxicating blooms

All Together Under a Big Blue Sky

I should think myself lucky. I’ve toyed with the idea of moving to a bigger garden in the past, (and I do mean just that – garden not house) the dream of what could be, but then realism set in. Are you ever going to get this lucky again and do you really want the ominous task of moving half a garden or abandoning all treasures and starting again? I should count my chickens and be grateful for what I have.

The Avant Gardener

If, like me, you are an outdoorsy sort, then you will be itching to get gardening. Traditionally plots were cut back and put to bed in winter, with the exception of pruning tasks. The warmth of the potting shed beckoned for repairs, or browsing seed catalogues. Planning ahead, reflection and forethought are good but there are still jobs to do. Much is still flowering now in fact.

Dark Desires

Deepest, darkest black. A colour scarcely found in flora. Nurserymen and breeders are always striving to increase the narrow range of plants on offer with inky tones in order to fulfil our quest for dark desires of that something a little bit different. On face value many plants give the appearance of being ‘black’ viewed from a distance, but look more closely and you will see they can be made up of any number of colours in their leaves encompassing aubergine, claret, and scarlet, to name but a few.

Stretching the Limits

It’s that time of year again when I go off on the hunt for new treasures, sandwiched in amongst other activities, so as to give the appearance we are on holiday. We get in the car with the rest of the family moaning and groaning, “sorry where did you say we were going today Mummy?”, as I whizz them down narrow country lanes. “Only two nurseries today” on route to an English Heritage castle or museum or the like, not mentioning the thirty something miles in between!

Shedding Light on the Show

Fresh back from working with Gold medal winning and Best in Show landscape designers, Adam White & Andrée Davies (Davies White Ltd) on their Zoflora & Caudwell Children's Wild Garden, at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, I thought I would give you an insight into how you can make your garden at home a showstopper too.