Lila Das Gupta Growing in Greenhouses

I’m always on the prowl for exotic looking plants and the ones that caught my eye this year at the Hampton Court Flower Show were the ‘Disa’ orchids from Dave Parkinson plants. Dave used to grow salad crops commercially but … [ Read More ]

After the formal perfection of Chelsea Flower Show gardens, the relaxed atmosphere at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show acts as a welcome contrast. There’s plenty of room to spread out in this gorgeous setting, and providing a tornado isn’t … [ Read More ]

So, you’ve seen the show gardens and taken in the Grand Pavilion. Now what? Fancy building a Corten steel structure? Planning on filling the back garden with tree ferns? Or do you fancy inviting the cow parsley in? Unlike designers … [ Read More ]

Is it because you can’t buy plants at the Chelsea Flower Show that the urge to shop is so irresistible to most people? Seasoned colleagues tell me they deplore the commercialism of it all, while I keep my guilty secret … [ Read More ]

They say that behind every successful man there is a woman. And behind every successful Chelsea Show Garden there is a shed. Some contain exotic items like rose-water and lime leaves, others are cluttered with boxes of disposable plastic shoe … [ Read More ]

Today I’ve been turning my attention to plants at the Chelsea Flower Show: first of all there are new plants, and then, there are plants that are new to me! But with only 60ft to play with in London, I … [ Read More ]

They came, they saw, they splashed around in the water (at the Trailfinders Australian Garden), they recited punk poetry (John Cooper Clarke in the Foreign and Colonial Investments Garden), they served up celebrity pizzas (Jamie Oliver in the Children’s Society … [ Read More ]

I have my potatoes chitting in the greenhouse, ready to go out on Good Friday (the traditional day to plant spuds, this year 2nd April). My husband is feeling very pleased with himself because he managed to find a variety … [ Read More ]

I have a beautiful shrub in my front garden which is admired by all who see it in flower. So much so, that when it’s in full swing in May, I put a large name label on it so that … [ Read More ]

A belated happy 2010 to all visitors to this site. I’ve been off air for a couple of months, taking care of family life, and, in this last week, before the Siberian winds set in, preparing the soil on the … [ Read More ]