Strictly Come Chelsea by Victoria Summerley
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...
RHS consulation on the judging at Chelsea – response by Victoria Summerley
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...More on garden photography – by Laurent Kalfala and Gary Webb
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...We need more secret gardens by Andrew Leslie
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...A Photographer’s Response to Rory Stuart by Charles Hawes
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...Garden Photographs – some problems, by Rory Stuart
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...
Tranquillity, trees and school trips by Alison Levey
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 it possible to critique a garden without understanding the designer’s intent? by Felicity Waters
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...
Garden History – issues by Sara Venn
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,...Hort Park, Singapore reviewed by Jonathan Fothergill
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...
On women, landscaping and show gardening by Sue Beesley
“I happen to like physical work and expect to pull my weight and a bit more. Unless it is actually beyond my strength, there’s nothing I can’t or won’t do. Some of my female friends find this inclination towards sweat and dirt a bit perplexing….”
Gardens Illustrated Award: comment by Anne Wareham
“Gardens are like theatre in that you have to be there to judge them. It is not enough to review a play by looking at the publicity photographs and hearing a second hand account. It is not good enough to judge a restaurant by looking at the menu and hearing what someone else thought. It is not good enough to judge a garden by looking at slides and hearing one person’s opinion of it.”
Can Gardeners be Considered Artists? by Gary Webb
“I tend to think that in professionally tended gardens, the natural occurrence of targets, job descriptions, over-loading, all commonplace in a busy workplace, can quite often mask and tie up the creativity that exists within a gardener …”
Recent Posts from: Veddw
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. […]
Snowdrop mania is coming…
In the UK, right now, the horticultural world is about to drive us all mad with snowdrops. Pictures of. Articles about. Gardens with them. Anything people can think of to bash us over the head with snowdrops.
Brilliant Brecon
Recently we made a visit to Brecon. This is not far from us, in case anyone was getting over excited about the possibility that I might have been travelling again. It’s in Wales, in the Brecon Beacons, recently re-christened Bannau Brycheiniog.
You should have been here Next Year
Charles made a complaint recently when we were walking in the garden.
When I complained about him complaining he told me that it was good for me to have complaints about the planting.
