There’s something quite other-worldly about the appearance of mushrooms in autumn, not least the alacrity with which they can materialise overnight…
Read moreDay 301: traffic signals
British summertime bit the dust over the weekend, giving us an extra hour in bed and all the confirmation we needed that the darkest days are coming….
Read moreDay 300: Amsonia hubrichtii
Gazing at Amsonia hubrichtii in its full autum colour is like staring into the heart of a fire – not, in spite of appearances, an actual ‘burning bush’ (that honour goes to Euonymus alatus, the winged spindle), rather a herbaceous perennial …
Read moreDay 299: calathea
Calatheas, some say, make for a fairly trouble-free houseplant, but I’ve always found them to be a little particular…
Read moreDay 298: smoke bush
The purple smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria ‘Palace Purple’) wears its autumn colours well. Bright scarlet travels up the stalk of each leaf, creeps up the veins…
Read moreThe Gardens, weeds & words podcast, Series 2 Episode 2
The qualities of boldness and of courage are often linked to the action of going somewhere new, though I have a suspicion that wisdom is to be found in the examination of unknown ground under our feet. In this episode I’m joined by Berlin-based photographer Grant Simon Rogers to discuss seeing and storytelling in the landscape, and how these influence his work.
Read moreDay 297: buying bulbs
I should already have bought my bulbs. ‘Should’, however, is a mild triggering word for me, never one to enjoy the experience of being told what I ought to be doing…
Read moreDay 296: canopy’s last hurrah
The woods are in denial, and even the sky joined in today. Together they made a fair approximation of a late summer’s day, only being let down by an October sun…
Read moreDay 295: dock day
Every year contains within its span a handful of days when the weather is perfect for weeding…
Read moreDay 294: whispering corn
Those of us who garden never quite lose that sense of wonder that something as small as a seed can be transformed within the space of a single growing season into a plant as tall as a person…
Read moreDay 293: rose hips
The hedgerows are full of rose hips – the hedges and many shrubs in the garden too, where a tangle of wild rose has romped through them. The shrub roses themselves... not so much..
Read moreDay 292: red mistletoe cactus
Lurking among the ferns in the living room, and doing a very good job of blending in, is Pseudorhipsalis ramulosa ‘Red Coral’…
Read moreDay 291: a favourite acer
Is it possible to have a favourite acer? It seems an especially difficult feat at this time of year, when every maple seems bent on outdoing its relatives in the autumn colour stakes…
Read moreDay 290: somewhere inbetween
The bench outside the back door has taken on something of the character of the waiting room or way station – a limbo where plants come to rest, temporarily, before going to their long-term homes…
Read moreDay 289: violas and pansies
When is a pansy not a pansy? When it’s a viola, of course. Or something like that – truth is, all pansies are violas, though not vice versa, and there’s some waffle about pansies having one downward facing petal and four upward…
Read moreDay 288: woodland floor
The woodland floor in October has something of the lucky dip, or raffle about it, booted feet shuffling through an al fresco tombola drum, stick your hand in and pull out a prize…
Read moreDay 287: spindle berry
From the soggy remnants of summer, the rich colours of autumn are just beginning to appear. Most notably outside my kitchen door, where a golden carpet of Oriental bittersweet leaves has appeared overnight…
Read moreDay 286: ice and fire
Rarely moved to deprive the garden of flowers, I now feel duty bound to cut what I can for the house. Autumn has turned filthy, and shows no sign letting up for at least the next week…
Read moreDay 285: a time to sow
In spite of the weather doing its best to bluster, here in Kent October continues relatively mild. There is warmth yet in the soil, and a fresh crop of seedlings and weedlings has appeared over the last few days…
Read moreDay 284: remember your place
Clusters of bright berries are here already, bathed in golden October sunshine, and it’s hard to escape the feeling that the guests for your evening’s dinner party have turned up just after lunch…
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