An article in the National Geographic describes the findings of a scientific study into the 1,600 square miles of radioactive wasteland created by Chernobyl. The headline news is that the wild animal populations, particularly large mammals, have increased since the disaster. It would seem that human populations have a bigger negative impact than radiation. My … Continue reading Holocausts and Hope
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Pond Love
Since last year I have been fighting a battle with Algae (blanket weed) in the pond. The pond sits in sun and the lilies don’t shade enough of the surface water to stop the dreaded blanket weed from thriving. High levels of nutrients within the pond from the tap water used to initially fill … Continue reading Pond Love
Gardening is a political act… Don’t do it in a bubble.
Henk Gerrritsen was a brilliant garden designer who never got to see his full potential. His gardens are about the battle between man and nature; a battle that man should enjoy losing. In his gardens he lets weeds takeover: Hogweed; Bindweed and Hemlock… because their beauty and their terrifying triphid-like features mesmerized him …I would … Continue reading Gardening is a political act… Don’t do it in a bubble.
Seedheads, Skeletons, and Structure.
The wonderful Piet Oudolf and the dutch perennial new wave have changed the way that we garden. It used to be that designers and landscapers looked for structure from evergreens, topiary, hedging and trees... Now dead perennials and grasses have been introduced into the mix. I left the chalk slope meadow this year because the … Continue reading Seedheads, Skeletons, and Structure.
Transparency+New Romantics= Revolution
It's the time of year when the tree surgeon comes to see me in the garden. We talked about hedges and trees and the badgers (they’ve dug up the newly cut meadow looking for leatherjackets,chafer grubs and worms). Then he remarked that to him my garden is a “see through” garden: where you look through plants … Continue reading Transparency+New Romantics= Revolution
