Sissinghurst – forever, for everyone? by John Sales
I thought this response to last week’s piece, Commercial at what Cost? from John Sales, the National Trust’s chief gardens adviser until his retirement in 1998, merited a separate post. Anne Wareham, editor John Sales: Your thoughtful piece about Troy...
Commercial at what cost? by Anne Wareham
I’ve thought a lot about what Troy Scott-Smith is up against at Sissinghurst and I gather he is appearing on Gardener’s World this week (8th July) to talk about it. These are some of my reflections about on Sissinghurst’s revitalisation and the...
Blog for Nothing? by Alexandra Campbell
An issue close to the hearts of many of us, I think. I wish I could pay all you generous contributors ££££s! Anne Wareham, editor ARE WRITERS BEING EXPLOITED IN BLOGGING…AND CAN WE DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT? by AlexandraCampbell A debate broke out about this on...
Taste and Themes at Chelsea by Daniel Bristow
Quite a few of us have ideas about themes and taste at Chelsea (see ‘Do themes help?). But we rarely hear a critical comment from a designer who is actually showing a garden at Chelsea. It takes bottle. Here is Daniel Bristow, (“Propagating Dan”)with...
Plume Puzzle by Adam Hodge
Jardin Plume is one of those gardens which not long ago got featured everywhere. So when Charles Hawes was in France for the Chaumont Garden Festival he made a long trek to go and see it. And I waited for his response with eager anticipation. He was disappointed. (Is...
Garden allusions, by Noel Kingsbury, Anne Wareham, and Yue Zhuang
This piece, originally posted as ‘Allusion in Gardens’ arose out of a discussion about my use of an informal box parterre at Veddw. The intention is to allude to the local field boundaries indicated on the Tithe Map of the area in 1848, creating a link...
You may do unexpected things – a book review by James Golden
This looks like an unusually exciting book. (It’s on order..) I’m begining to wonder if America has all the best gardens now? Anne Wareham, editor A review of The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques from Chanticleer by...
The Importance of Labels by Rachel The Gardener
I won’t generally label plants at Veddw, not just because of the excessive work and the inevitability of mislabelling, but because for me it destroys the aesthetic of a garden. A bit like labelling all the colours on The Fighting Temeraire, maybe. It was...
And the view from the UK by Mark Laurence
I think that ‘Planting’ is an important book, but I was also struck when I read James’ review that this was one of those times when the differences between the UK and America was quite significant. So I was very pleased when Mark Laurence offered...
Another lovely coffee table book: Monet’s Garden in Art reviewed by Paul Steer
Well, I’ve heard of quite a few people disappointed by Giverny. Maybe they’d do better to buy this book and enjoy renderings of the original garden on the page. Or not..? Anne Wareham, editor Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment. ~Claude Monet...
Re-imagining Nature – a review by James Golden of “Planting in A Post Wild World”
The beginning of this review will seems strange to many of our readers outside America, but don’t be put off. I think this book may be important for all serious garden thinkers. Or – does it echo themes which are already very familiar to UK...
Colour! by Nigel Dunnett.
Ever since the Popes (remember them? Hadspen?) foretold in 1999 that colour would be the big thing in the new century, colour has been perhaps the least considered aspect of garden design among thinkingardeners and their ilk. Though I confess that, unrepentant, it has...
Paradise Gardens by Toby Musgrave, reviewed by Tristan Gregory
Well, it’s getting near to Christmas and you’re still not sure what you want for Christmas. You have your own copy of Outwitting Squirrels and half a dozen extra copies for various stockings and for that emergency when someone gives you a totally...
Recent Posts from: Veddw
Making Veddw Garden: part 2: we arrive.
. I really had no idea what you had in mind, either. I think if I had, I’d have been freaked out. I don’t actually think you ever said “one day all this will be a garden”. I’d have thought you deranged.
Making Veddw Garden – a Love Story: part 1.
And out of what felt to be the ruins of my life, I turned to an ambition to make another garden.
Ambivalence about Snowdrops
Well, I’m sorry, but I didn’t have a happy Christmas. We were both full of cough and were quite unwell. I have not recovered, and I find myself quite unable to write anything new. So I dipped into The Bad Tempered Gardener to offer you a piece on those plants which gardeners obsess about at this time […]
I’ve fallen in love with these.
I love my garden, I do. It’s at the heart of my life. But just recently I’ve been drawn back and back to a windowsill with some sweet dwarf pelargoniums.
Favour the Ferns
Many years ago The Financial Times sent me to do a feature on the RHS ‘Flower Show’ at Tatton Park . I was totally naïve and had no idea what I was supposed to do or to write about. So my excitement was tempered by acute anxiety. The term ‘imposter syndrome’ could have been invented for me. […]
