Thought I’d assemble a quickie post for those who enjoy a snowdrop or two at this time of year… And for those who might think a snowdrop, is a snowdrop, is a snowdrop!
It’s Snowdrop Time!
Where is Your Inspiration Destination?
I was asked a question last week which set me thinking; where outside of my workplace would I head to for inspiration?
Well I have to say that I do work in an inspiring place. It’s an art gallery and museum, and a real hive of activity and creativity. It is situated in a shallow, sculpted valley with a ribbon of water through its middle, and the surrounding hills are cloaked by farms and woodland.
‘Capability’ Brown’s classical bridge in the landscape at Compton Verney. © Gary WebbIn its midst sit a cluster of strong, mellow toned stone buildings commissioned by a wealthy Lord; all linked with renowned architects of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The venue is sprinkled with native and exotic plants and is a wildlife haven, playing host to a wide range of birds, badgers and rare bats; even visiting deer and otters add to the scene.
After-all said and done though, Continue reading
Christmas – Decoration Inspiration at Baddesley Clinton.
I enjoyed a little outing to an NT property yesterday called Baddesley Clinton, near Warwick. It was a blustery, cold rainy day, and not ideal for my usual garden stroll around the moat and fish pools. On this occasion however, it was another feature that triggered the visit – Christmas decorations, to be precise, and lots of them!
Reading the Landscape
Although a long time follower of ‘Capability’ Brown, I moved my focus recently to the first ‘official’ landscape gardener Humphry Repton. This may be a temporary flight of fancy, who knows, it has certainly opened my eyes though to some new ways of talking about and experiencing designed landscape. Here’s what happened…
My shift of focus was to contribute to a Gardens Trust project titled ‘Sharing Repton’. As with Repton’s approach, the Garden Trust’s ambition for this project is no less striking or far reaching, and won substantial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund earlier this year.
Firstly and for the uninitiated, Continue reading
Beningbrough Hall, Gardens & Gallery
I don’t review or write about garden visits very often, but with a little time away last week I was able to explore some new gardens, and this particular property was so good I couldn’t wait to post some pictures and tell you about it!
It is of course the beautiful Beningbrough Hall in North Yorkshire, which has been cared for by the National Trust since 1958.
This venue goes a few steps further however, offering for our entertainment a partnership with the National Portrait Gallery no less. Continue reading
Garden Blogging
What a weird and wonderfully trying winter and early spring season we gardeners have enjoyed, endured and experienced. I have to say that it was so good earlier this week to walk in the first real sunshine of the year and to get the first real hint of warmth from the sun.
Phone cameras Continue reading
Rousham Park and Garden
I’d like to cast my mind back to a past visit in 2012 to Rousham Park and Garden. Such was the quality of the garden I was moved to write about it on my return home, and as the article turned out to be quite popular, I thought I’d update the article and post to my current blog – I hope you like the changes!
Gertrude Jekyll Garden
Last week an opportunity presented itself to visit one of those gardens that has sat on my must-see garden bucket list for a very long time. Historically speaking, it is an important garden for being planted many moons ago by none other than renowned planting designer Gertrude Jekyll. However, it’s not the garden alone that made this visit special but the location in which it was born. I shall explain…
This relatively compact walled garden accompanies a castle on the tidal island of Lindisfarne, Northumberland. Continue reading
Good Gardeners
During a sort through my gardening books recently, I couldn’t help but open up a few covers and thumb through a few pages, as you do…. Naturally, a few historic maps and illustrations caught my eye, including the Stanley Spencer image shown below. Whilst pouring over the image though, I couldn’t help but take in a few well chosen words on its opposing page – it would have been rude not to…
It is a book called Gardens of Continue reading
Gardening Ways 