General Interest


Naturalistic Planting is anything but, by Michael King

April 24, 2012

There has been a great deal of animated discussion recently about what a ‘meadow’ is in a garden context and I think this is a subject well worth clarifying a little better. It is clearly related in people’s minds to prairie planting, naturalistic planting, perennial planting and perhaps other confusing terms. Michael King, co-author with Piet [...]

The 9/11 Memorial Park in New York reviewed by Sheppard Craige

April 8, 2012

A poignant piece about a very particular site, sensitively written. Thank you, Sheppard. Anne Wareham, editor. Sheppard Craige: The still unfinished 9/11 Memorial Park in lower Manhattan has already been seen by more than a million visitors. It is a powerful minimalist composition of two large squares excavated in the earth by architect Michael Arad. [...]


Parks or Gardens? by Alison Levey.

March 14, 2012

We (Charles Hawes and I) have been puzzled for years about why people rave about Rousham. In fact so puzzled that we’ve been back more than once to try and work it out. Pleasant enough – apart from the miserable rose garden, grotty green stagnant pool, shredded hostas and a statue of a horse being eaten [...]

Mulch Love by Sean Swallow

February 29, 2012

Now here’s a little light relief, after all that Chelsea and farewells to the RHS. My apologies though – I intended to give you a longer break but WordPress published this despite me. (or my incompetence) Personally, it’s the weeds that keep me mulching… or absence of them..unlike Sean I hate weeding. And coming in [...]


Strictly Come Chelsea by Victoria Summerley

February 18, 2012

This piece is another act of dedication and concern from Victoria Summerley, who should have been packing for a much needed holiday rather than writing for us – and hopefully, for the RHS judges. (Her holidaying around means she will be unable to respond to any comments of queries on this piece) Her last piece [...]

RHS consulation on the judging at Chelsea – response by Victoria Summerley

February 15, 2012

The RHS has just held a forum to discuss and get responses to their thoughts about changing the judging process at Chelsea. Victoria Summerley attended on behalf of thinkingardens and here is her response and her suggestions. I hope that the RHS will take note of her thoughts. I have never found it quite so [...]


More on garden photography – by Laurent Kalfala and Gary Webb

January 24, 2012

The response to the pieces on garden photography was amazing – and I would encourage anyone who only read the original pieces to go back and read the comments. (see Rory Stuart and Charles Hawes) I also received two further pieces, which I am publishing here before we give the subject a long rest. Laurent considers [...]

We need more secret gardens by Andrew Leslie

December 22, 2011

The book ‘The Secret Garden’ was an important part of the childhood of many of us and has possibly inspired many people’s garden making. It provides the basis of this piece about the current aesthetic of gardens. This is our Christmas piece and I wish all our readers the Christmas that they long for and [...]


A Photographer’s Response to Rory Stuart by Charles Hawes

December 14, 2011

I was hoping we might hear from photographers in response to Rory Stuart’s piece, and we did -  and this one was clearly too long to go in the ‘comments’. This discussion clearly moves the ball next into the garden owner’s and the (current) garden editors’ courts. The enormous response we got from the last piece [...]

Garden Photographs – some problems, by Rory Stuart

November 28, 2011

Many of us have got great reservations about how gardens are represented in the garden media. Awards are given to gardens on the basis of pictures of them and the common description of garden magazines as ‘garden porn’ tells its own story. It would be very interesting to hear the response of garden photographers and magazine editors [...]


Tranquillity, trees and school trips by Alison Levey

November 9, 2011

Generally we associate gardens with peace and quiet, and I know that we inconvenience ourselves considerably at Veddw in not using noisy machinery when we open the garden – and we hate it when other people do use strimmers and hedge cutters when we pay to visit. Is noise inevitable everywhere in reality and our stereotypes [...]

Is it possible to critique a garden without understanding the designer’s intent? by Felicity Waters

October 24, 2011

A discussion piece – what do we want from a garden? how important is the designer’s original intention? Given that this piece is a critique of thinkingardens’ reviews I think we need some answers and thoughts from our readers. Let’s have some comments? Anne Wareham, editor Is it possible to critique a garden without understanding [...]


Garden History – issues by Sara Venn

June 13, 2011

The use of ‘historic styles’ in gardens raises some interesting questions and deserves some thought from thinking gardeners. As indeed does the import of styles from different countries and cultures. Sara Venn discusses some of the problems. Anne Wareham, editor It is frequently the case with garden history books that gardens are seen within their own culture [...]

Hort Park, Singapore reviewed by Jonathan Fothergill

April 22, 2011

Travel time, readers from UK and USA – here’s interesting in South East Asia – a great piece from Jonathan Fothergill on Hort park, Singapore. Anne Wareham, editor Singapore, famed for its cut orchids and its botanic garden, has a new kid on the garden block.  Billed as a ‘One-stop gardening hub’ the HortPark is [...]

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