We finally live in a world where it is not good enough for some businesses to simply state that they feel bad for the environment, but one where companies are entirely focused on supplying products or providing services in an entire sustainable way. Companies who's entire agenda is thoroughly entwined with sustainability and a balanced or environmentally positive approach to trade. It long hasn't been this way, so to see it not just emerge over the last decade, but thrive is so welcome. grüum is one such company, where recycled and recyclable packaging contain products with natural origins, s ..read more

In recent years my love of Snowdrops has broadened into an appreciation (obsession) with other harbingers of spring including Eranthis, Hepatica, Leucojum, Hacquetia and others. Eranthis (Winter Aconites) have been my main interest over the last couple of years as they repay quickly on investment and are robust as well as handsome. Last year I planted these Eranthis hyemalis 'Flore Pleno', a double form of the commonly grown species. What a cracker it is! I now have around 10 different varieties of Eranthis hyemalis and this one has quickly become a favourite. Flowers are bigger, fuller and a ..read more

All life is organised by Taxonomic Rank. This system is used to separate forms of life by their characteristics. In terms of plant knowledge and understanding, the most relevant Taxonomic Ranks to be able to navigate are the lowest ranks of Family, Genus and Species. Articles discussing each of these ranks can be read by clinking on their name. To understand the higher orders in simple detail though, it is also worth reading this and the following articles on Domain, Kingdom (this article), Phylum, Class and Order before jumping to the lowest ranks. To begin, let us look at the hierarchy of th ..read more

All life is organised by Taxonomic Rank. This system is used to separate forms of life by their characteristics. In terms of plant knowledge and understanding, the most relevant Taxonomic Ranks to be able to navigate are the lowest ranks of Family, Genus and Species. Articles discussing each of these ranks can be read by clicking on their name in the text, or to read in sequence, click on link at bottom the page. To understand the higher orders in simple detail though, it is also worth reading this and the following articles on Domain (this article), Kingdom, Phylum, Class and Order before ju ..read more

There are countless species of trees and shrubs that can be clipped and trained to form a hedge or hedgerow: most of what we are exposed to are larger species and varieties that tend towards forming larger hedges. That’s fine, as long as we want to create larger hedges, that might create shelter, define spaces, or block views; but if we want to simply frame beds and borders or create low hedges inside our gardens, selecting the correct plant for the job is essential for success. In 2017 RHS Wisley created a new mixed species Knot Garden using a number of smaller growing, or slower growing and ..read more

Following on from my exploration of plants looking good on the 31st of October with a Halloween theme (see bottom of page for link), I thought I would have a look at plants for the 5th of November - Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night. As such, I have looked for plants that are hardy in the UK (other countries with temperate climates are available), which look interesting on November 5th and have a name that relates to the theme. Here are my Top 5 plants; 1. Pieris japonica 'Bonfire' - (Andromedas/Fetterbushes, but typically called Pieris in the UK) There are lots of plants with Fire in the na ..read more

I enjoyed thinking through the plants I have selected here. I'm not sure if there are other similar posts from garden writers out there, though I suspect so. Will be interesting to see how many overlaps in plant selection appear (hopefully not many). Anyway, down to business, with a little double, double, toil and trouble... (always feels like it should be 'bubble, bubble' rather than 'double, double', but I imagine Shakespeare knew what he was thinking and it made sense to him at least). Thought that I would write about plants for a Halloween theme and set to thinking about plants in flower ..read more

I'll start this post, with a comment that I have given to people buying fruit trees many times over the years; 'Don't buy the tree that produces the fruit you already buy from your local shop or supermarket. The fruit they sell will be bigger, comparable in taste (though likely a little less tasty) and in far greater abundance than a plant you own will produce. Instead, buy less common, but equally or even more tasty and beautiful varieties for your garden.' I understand why people choose to grow a Braeburn, Golden Delicious or Cox's Orange Pippin, but there seems like little point to me unles ..read more

I am in the early stages of designing a pond to be created in the iPlantsgarden and my mind has wandered a few times (as it does generally) to plant selections that I may use. One plant that I have never grown, but always wanted to is Pontederia cordata, commonly called Pickerel Weed. It will be featuring in my new pond! Its exotic look and impressive stands make for quite the feature. I've seen it in damp soil and growing directly in water, where it seems to grow better and I know it is tolerant of very low soil oxygen levels and as such quite a robust thing indeed. You don't see it very oft ..read more

Every year I try to get out into the garden on Christmas Day to do a little, informal survey of what is looking interesting. It could be from flower or berries, decaying or particularly handsome foliage; anything really. It gives me a bit of an idea of what to look for in future years, still performing in December and I can consider the weather and general climate. In fact, recent trends have tracked with the weather patterns the UK is heading towards with hotter, drier summers and cool, but not often cold, wet winters. As such, there are typically quite a few plants in flower on the 25th of ..read more