Shadow Play with Plants

Bright sunny days make for delightful garden visiting but for an amateur photographer like me, inexpertly using a smartphone camera, the exaggerated contrast between sun and shade is quite a challenge.  So on a few recent occasions I have searched out planting that deliberately accentuates shadows for decorative effect and taken some rather neat photographs. Of course, in the UK only...

Show gardens versus the real thing

Summer is the season of  the flower and garden shows starting with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and many of us will have seen pictures of the show gardens on television, if not in person.  Not to worry if you missed it, there are plenty more shows, local and national, coming up in the next few months where highly designed,...

Does your front garden cut the mustard?

We all want to walk or drive home and be greeted by a garden that looks like it belongs, emphasises the best in the house and is beautiful in its own right.  Soil, sun and personal preference will all influence the final choice of plants but firstly you need to consider the three reasons why your front garden is different...

Visiting gardens & shows for ideas

One of the most enjoyable gardening activities is taking time out from cutting, weeding and mulching to visit a garden well stocked with year-round colour or a flower show, even though the gardens here need to be taken with a pinch of salt.  Even more so if you pick a sunny day and add the chance to buy one or...