Quirky, whimsical and imaginative touches at the Chelsea Flower Show
There are dozens of quirky, whimsical, imaginative items on display at the Chelsea Flower Show. The pity is that you can't buy some of it and get it home, although some retailers do ship.
But here are a few of the more interesting items that caught my eye at this week's show.
Copper garden sofa. This was part of a display...
Last days in Ireland spent in great gardens, Dublin delights
Our last few days in Ireland were spent, first, going down to Wexford and Waterford and seeing some lovely gardens on the way there and back, and then finishing up in Dublin with last minute shopping for gifts and, on the final night, a literary pub tour.
From Wexford, we visited Waterford to see the famous crystal factory and then...
Into Bodnant Garden
Bodnant Garden in Tal-y-Cafn, near Colwyn Bay, Conwy, is one of Wales's most famous gardens and one of the most well-known world-wide for the number of excellent plants that have been bred there and successfully introduced to horticulture.
We arrived around lunchtime, after a short trip down from the Lake District. When we arrived, the sun was shining, the sky...
My garden tours are a big hit
Over the past eight years, I have led 20 garden tours around the world. My first tour was a cruise around Italy and to Croatia, starting in Rome and visiting Florence and Sicily and Venice and seeing some spectacular gardens on the way - Villa d'Este outside Rome, Boboli garden in Florence, Villa Cimbrone in Ravello and the botanical...
Into Levens and the Lakes
Before leaving Manchester for the Lake District, we stopped to see the superb art of 20th century painter L.S. Lowry at the Lowry Museum at Salford Quays.
This spectacular complex, opened in 2000 by the Queen, was part of a major transformation of the former derelict dock lands.
Lowry painted dramatic landscapes of factories and mills with smoking chimneys and treeless...
Second Wales-Ireland tour begins in brilliant sunshine
After the Chelsea Flower Show, which was magnificent and so much fun, we headed back to Manchester to meet our new group to start the second garden tour of the Lake District and North Wales and Ireland.
Manchester, of course, was a much more sombre place because of the tragic event of last week than when we were there for...
Top new plants and flower displays at Chelsea Flower Show
It's always tricky to decide which are the key plants at the Chelsea Flower Show because there are literally thousands on display.
But it did appear that purple and blue were favoured for flower and foliage colours with sprinklings of white, particularly white flowers of lychnis and ragged robin flowers.
Irises are always a popular pick by designers along with verbascum...
What was missing at Chelsea this year . . . spectacular potatoes!
At the Chelsea Flower Show last month, I spent quite a bit of time searching for something rather unusual - a fabulous potato exhibit I saw there in the Grand Pavilion back in 2015.
I looked and looked, searched and searched, but this amazing potato exhibit was no where to be found.
From Llandudno to Portmeirion
After visiting Bodnant Garden, we travelled to the seaside town of Llandudno and checked in to one of the stately, old-world Victorian-style hotel on the promenade. I had been here with my father when I was 10 and I had very fond memories our time together there.
I was worried a little that this popular seaside town that was at...
Fewer feature gardens but Chelsea Flower Show still fabulous
It is always a joy to attend the Chelsea Flower Show. This year's show was no exception. It was a delight in every way with stunning display gardens and immaculate plant exhibits and a stunning array of garden sculpture and quirky decorative accessories.
There were fewer main display gardens than in previous years - eight compared to 15 or more...
Ode to Gelert and Powis revisited
From Llandudno, we again headed down to the village of Beddgelert to visit the grave of the dog, Gelert, who lost his life defending the children of Prince Llewellyn against a huge wolf.
When I was 10, I visited this site with my Dad who told me to be like Gelert - loyal and quick to defend but not like...
Into fantastic Powis Castle garden
Today, we travelled from Portmeirion to the town of Welshpool on the Wales-England border to visit the famous garden of the 13th century, Powis Castle.
Powis is not a castle like others we have seen at Harlech and Criccieth; it is more of a grand country mansion that acted as a medieval fortress and has castle-like walls and turrets. Unlike...
Golden memories of great Welsh garden Powis Castle
In May, I will be taking a group to North Wales to see some of the loveliest gardens there.
One of them is Powis Castle garden, just outside Welshpool.
I have been there twice before. The first time, I walked down the terraces from the house (castle) with its red brick walls and to the Orangery where I saw a magnificent...
In Dublin fair city where the gardens are so pretty
Dublin is not a huge city. It takes no time at all to walk from St. Stephen's Green to Grafton Street to the River Liffey and O'Connell Street and into the Temple Bar area. Trinity College is close by and St. Patrick's Church and Christ Church are easy to find.
From our hotel, The Long Hall, one of Dublin's most famous...
Into Altamont, one of Ireland’s great garden treasures.
Altamont is one of Ireland's loveliest gardens, largely due to the work of Corona North who continued the work of improving the garden started by her father.
Before we stepped foot in the main garden, we were dazzled by the Corona North border, which was stunning with a jumble of blue flowering perennials - geraniums, delphiums, nepeta as well as...
From Waterford to the glorious garden of Mount Usher
Waterford, which is said to be Ireland’s oldest town, dating back to the time when it was a Viking settlement, was a delight.
We toured the famous crystal factory and saw some amazing crystal pieces. We wandered the town and found some fantastic little pubs and great eateries.
Waterford is a very cute, calm, mid-size town with population of 50,000-plus. It...
Goodbye Wales, hello Ireland: Back to delightful Dublin
People ask me how does it feel to do back-to-back tours when you end up going to the same places twice and seeing the same things one more time.
My response is always the same: Fantastic.
But the biggest challenge is not comparing one moment with another. It doesn't work. You have to accept each day, each moment, as a unique...
