We have just wound our clocks forward for spring. It's time to shake off that duvet we have been hibernating under through the winter months. Flinging open those shutters, we can breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the vibrancy of the world springing back to life. Not to mention those long light evenings! Spring [...]
Mien Ruys Garden Earlier this month, a group of us garden designers had a sneaky trip to the Netherlands to visit Mien Ruys garden for a bit of garden design inspiration. Mien Ruys was an exceptional and inspirational garden designer and she is a true icon of mine. She studied garden architecture in Berlin in the 1920s [...]
I spent an inspirational day last week wondering round the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show with my Aunt and Uncle. It was jam-packed with inspiring gardens full of landscaping ideas, sublime planting schemes and new plants. These garden ideas can easily be taken and incorporated into our own gardens at home. The Red Thread Garden [...]
Too much of a good thing... I’m sure we’ve all guzzled on too many sweets and chocolates that have been cloying and hollow pleasure. They leave us feeling quite sick at the end of the day. In contrast, we may prefer to nibble on snacks with a more savoury note such as cheese, olives and [...]
If your winter garden is looking a wee bit drab and uninspiring at the moment, chances are that it was planned out over the summer months when folk are outside enjoying the sunshine. If you can make your garden to look good in winter, it is likely to look great throughout the year. Here are [...]
Last week green issues were making headline news. The nations of the world put their heads together at the climate change summit in Paris. They were attempting to come up with green initiatives for curbing carbon emissions and tackling global warming. Closer to home, we witnessed some of the effects of climate change. Storm Desmond [...]
I would say that the most memorable gardens I have visited are ones that evoke a real sense of spirituality. It is hard to put a finger on how the garden makers have achieved this. It doesn’t seem to bare any relation to the price of the materials used in creating the garden. One of [...]
A couple of years ago I created a rose garden in a cemetery in central Edinburgh. As a result, I have been fired up a passion for these enchanting shrubs that I know my grandmother always adored. She had a beautiful English country garden where she and my grandfather introduced me to a few of their [...]
Norway is renowned for it's spectacular landscapes, with it's mountains and fjords, reindeers and trolls. It has been high on my wish list of places to visit for some years now. Firstly, we started our trip in Oslo, staying in an Airbnb flat. This was in the achingly trendy and alternative suburb of Grunerlokka. It [...]
I do not normally leap out of bed so eagerly at 4 o'clock in the morning. However, clutching my ticket for the RHS Chelsea flower show I headed for the airport. I arrived in Gatwick before most folk had downed their coco pops. Striding out from Victoria, I could tell I was getting close. I could [...]
