A petition has been doing the rounds; created by Professor Dave Goulson, it aims to put an end to the indiscriminate spraying of chemical pesticides in urban areas…
Read moreDay 212: Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy'
Here’s a fancy knotweed – Persicaria runcinata ‘Purple Fantasy’. I can’t remember quite where I first saw it – perhaps in one of the glorious container displays by the porch at Great Dixter – but I knew it would soon be in my garden…
Read moreCool in the shade
A July heatwave, following a June washout. Having been caught dragging its feet, the year seems now to be charging full tilt towards high summer; baking heat, parched lawns and rock hard, bone juddering soil. We’re not quite there yet, though, and before the hot colours arrive en masse to dominate in the latter part of the month, I’m allowing myself a week or so to wallow in cool pastel shades.
Read more