We recently had the pleasure of a sunrise visit to Parham House gardens. There is no better time to see a garden come to life then first thing in the morning. The peace and tranquility, the dew on the grass, the ebbing sound of the dawn chorus… More
A recent trip away from the office for a few days took us to Rovinj, Croatia. A beautiful old city dating back to 6th Century (or even earlier), it is a maze of cobbled streets where you can happily get lost in, stopping here and there for a gelato or cold beer in a small More
As garden designers, we often include bulbs in our planting designs. Bulbs are a great and cost effective way to bring colour and interest into the border, lawns, on banks and beneath hedges. Galanthus – Snowdrop –is the bulb that once flowers, brings a sense of optimism as it heralds the beginning of the year More
In winter time you really get to see the garden stripped back and the bare bones of it become visible. The structure becomes the predominant factor. This, coupled with some classic winter planting can brighten up a drab and dreary time of year. The careful placement of trees, shrubs and hedges help to create vista More
Inspiration is everywhere for a garden designer on holiday, lucky enough to be in Mexico over Christmas I got to see wild Salvias growing in the hedgerows, exotic agaves seeding on the sides of the roads and Tithonias wildly seeded in the central reservations- all plants that we have to grow as half hardies or More
I am like every other garden designer – When it comes to other people’s gardens, I am really quite nosey! One thing I like to do is nosey into people’s front gardens when I am on foot. I may peer through a hedge on a country lane and admire someone’s huge front garden and parking for 4 More
Today, as part of the National Garden Scheme, Ian Kitson’s award winning garden in Alfriston was open to the public. So, in our usual ‘don’t need an excuse’ manner, we tootled on down for a nosey about. First impressions? Crazy! Crazy paving! Made crazier by the fact no joints were mortared that exaggerated it’s craziness! More
Funny how often you see someone standing next to a feature plant and having their photo taken! So we thought we would join in the hords of visitors lined up for photo opportunities at Sheffield Park this past weekend! What do you think?! And yes, it was an educational trip, honest! Every year, thousands of More
A rare sunny Saturday was maximised with a visit to Nymans, a National Trust garden located in Handcross, West Sussex. Nymans is an interesting garden with a fascinating history. Four generations of the Messel family have been involved with the evolution of the proprty and are still involved today. As with lots of large estates More
A road trip with my daughter found us at Denmans, a garden designed by John Brookes. A well known, influential garden designer, he has also written many books that form an important part of my reference library. Even the old dated 1970s ones often get pulled out and flicked through, releasing that wonderful, unique old More
Furzey Gardens, sited in the heart of the New Forest was recommended to me by a friend as a fun garden to visit with children. My so-called child is verging on being an adult at the tender age of 13, but still, she completely immersed herself into the garden. The garden has a variety of More
I used the request of some more grasses for a client’s garden as a good excuse to travel down to Knoll Gardens in Dorset. Knoll is a specialist grass nursery and gardens, and is well worth a visit, not just for those in the business, but for the general visitor. The gardens are spread informally More
