Garden on a windowsill

– Posted in: Bulbs, Garden Design

The January to March period in Britain is pretty dreary, its the dark getting you down as much as anything. Flowers growing on windowsills can make such a difference, and given my growing interest in bulbs, there is huge scope for making the most of light windowsills. We’ve got a nice long south-facing one in[...]

Lily Gluttony

– Posted in: Bulbs, Garden Design

I got “the look” tonight. It was delivered by the lady who walks here somethingorother-poo and it’s given to all of us who have too many lilies in life. You know “the look.” It combines a stare of disbelief, a roll of the eyes, a covetous sigh, and the growl of sheer, unabashed envy (the[...]

Losing the Lawn

– Posted in: Bulbs

My neighbor pulled beside me on my daily walk and rolled down her window. “Sorry,” she said apologetically, “but my lawn mower is on the fritz.” I ask you = Do I look like the type of person who loves a lawn? Do I strike you as the type who goes ballistic at the first[...]

Fritillary Gallery

– Posted in: Bulbs, Garden Visits

By Andrea Jones I love fritillaries – they are so elegant and graceful.  Most of the species below were photographed at the nursery of Jim and Jenny Archibald in Wales, JJ Archibald Seeds. Very sadly our friend Jim died of cancer in August  last year; so this was a particularly good opportunity to pay tribute[...]

Spring Contained

– Posted in: Bulbs

It was a serious fumble. In bulb-planting terms, it was as close as I ever want to totter on the brink of disaster. Are we all in agreement that autumn bulb planting is akin to gambling? You continue ordering bulbs until suddenly the game shuts down. In a good year, the stakes aren’t shut down[...]