The Giant Houseplant Takeover at RHS Wisley

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Houseplants are tricky beasts. I'm pretty good in the garden, but when it comes to looking after plants indoors, I have something of a black thumb. When I saw RHS Wisley were putting on a their Giant Houseplant Takeover display in the glasshouse I was really keen to check it out and maybe get some tips. When you head inside the glasshouse, the main part of the exhibition is laid out straight in front of you. It's set up as a series of rooms inside an old Victorian house, as if it had been abandoned and taken over by the plants. I love the look of these kind of abandoned places, it's amazing to see how things can get reclaimed and ...

Where To Find The Best Snowdrops In Surrey

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Snowdrops are one of my favourite signs that winter is ending and spring is on its way. After a long winter, I love when February arrives and a visit to see the snowdrops has become one of our annual traditions. Although the best snowdrops I've come across have been at Welford Park in Berkshire, Surrey also has some wonderful spots to see them if you know where to look. Gatton Park Gatton Park in Reigate has to top my list for the best snowdrops in Surrey. The Capability Brown designed parkland is open on selected days in February for visitors to see the snowdrops. Runneymede and Ankerwycke The Ankerwycke yew is said to be where Henry VIII proposed to Anne Boleyn and each spring ...

Getting Your Garden Ready For Autumn

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This is a sponsored post When autumn weather wreaks havoc, with swirling leaves and rain-sodden ground, it’s a challenge to know where to start to get your outdoor space neat and tidy after summer. From protecting delicate plants to safeguarding valuable machinery and furniture, we have some tips to help.   Tidy the Beds and Borders Summer flowering is mostly done, the grass has slowed down considerably, and it’s time to prepare for the winter months.   Jobs to do before autumn sets in properly include:   Mow the lawn. The grass is still growing during early autumn and quickly becomes harder to cut if you let it get long in wet weather. Tidy the veg garden. Harvest any leftover crops (except those that can stay in ...

Introducing the Magical Hydrangea - 6 Months of Blooms!

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I'm very guilty of changing my favourite flower with the season, but the one I always come back to is the hydrangea. They're unashamedly bold, beautifully colourful, and dramatic. It's no surprise they're all over Instagram at the moment! I based my whole wedding around them, with hydrangeas in every colour filling the ceremony room. But the downside of every beautiful flower is a short blooming time, and I find myself waiting patiently every year for July, when my hydrangeas bloom, only for them to be looking past their best come September. So imagine my intrigue when I heard about the Magical Hydrangea - a hydrangea that blooms for 6 months of the year, from May to November, and which ages ...

A Family Visit to Kew Gardens in Summer

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After months of agonising, I finally took the plunge earlier this year and bought a membership for Kew Gardens. We live reasonably close, but given that I'm already an RHS and National Trust member, it seemed like it might be overkill. But 4 years of visiting the same gardens have left me craving somewhere new, and when the new Temperate House opened, it was the final push I needed to take the plunge. A single membership to Kew Gardens is great value for money if you have a young family, as you can bring in a guest with you for free, and children under 4 go free. So I bought my husband as my guest and we only had to pay ...

How To Have Fragrance In Your Garden All Summer Long

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Planning a fragrant garden is one of my key factors when choosing plants. I find smell such a evocative sense, and there is nothing like relaxing in the garden in the evening with a glass of wine, with the scent of flowers filling your nostrils and the sound of bees buzzing gently. Fragrance has the power to alter our emotions and bring back memories in a way that no other sense quite manages, and it's something that I'm very mindful of when choosing plants for our garden. Highly fragranced plants are the perfect choice to be planted near a seating area, where you'll get the most enjoyment from them and can really experience them at their best. Another great spot is ...

Spring Gardening Activities for Preschoolers

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This year Max has shown a real interest in what's happening in our garden and I'm really keen to make the most of that and develop his interest in gardening. I've planned out lots of things that we can do together in the garden this spring, bearing in mind that he's only just 4. But there are a surprising amount of things that a preschooler can help with in the garden...   Growing Potatoes in Bags We grew potatoes in growing bags a couple of years ago, and even then Max loved when we harvested them and we were able to pull out loads of potatoes. This year he's helped me to plant up 5 big growing bags of potatoes which we will ...

A Visit to the Snowdrops at Welford Park

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I love seeing the snowdrops start to peek through - their little white heads truly are the first sign of spring, and, after a long winter, they're always such a welcome sight. At the end of January, I found a diary note that I'd popped in the calendar from last year, reminding me to visit the snowdrops at Welford Park. Quite a few people had told me last year how spectacular their display was, and having missed out then, I was determined to make it this year. It wasn't quite as easy as that though! Welford Park isn't that near us, and the weather and illness seemed determined to prevent us from visiting. But last Saturday we finally made it.     If you've ...

How to Make A Christmas Wreath - An Easy DIY

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Disclosure: This post uses affiliate links marked *. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases For the past 3 Christmases, each December I've made my own Christmas wreath. Every year I get lots of comments on Instagram from people saying they wish they knew how to make their own, so I thought I'd write up a little guide as it really is so easy! In past years I've used wire wreath rings and created a base using sphagnum moss and florist's wire, but this year I bought a foam oasis base and it really does make the whole job so much easier. Plus, the water in the foam will keep your foliage looking fresh for weeks to come. What You'll Need Foam Oasis ...

Getting Closer to Nature with the Boxwild Christmas Gift Set

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Max loves getting outside and learning about nature - a trip to feed the ducks is one of our favourite activities. He loves scattering the seed and watching the ducks all come flocking over - his face just lights up (although he does have a tendency to get overexcited and shout "duck!" at them!). I've been spending more and more time with him in the garden lately, learning about the different plants and wildlife that we can see. I like to keep our garden bird-friendly by not dead-heading some of the roses, and not cutting down grasses until late winter, but putting out bird seed is a great way to supplement the food that they can find in the garden, keeping ...