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At last the age old thorny problem of what clothes to wear when gardening has been solved by two lady gardening whizzes. Genus Performance Gardenwear  (www.genus.gs) was established just over a year ago by Sue O’Neil, a sexagenarian entrepreneur. It specialises in lightweight shower-resistant gardening trousers for men and women with the added bonus of

Sitting at a wedding or a charity event have you ever wondered what eventually happens to the floral decorations? The chances are that their final destiny is to be dumped into a landfill site. Three cheers for the imaginative ‘green’ charity ‘Floral Angels’ www.floralangels.com that restyles donated flowers from events, weddings, florists and retailers into bouquets and delivers them

Philip Johnson of wwww.johnsonssweetpeas .co.uk has been captivated by sweet peas ever since his childhood. ’I first grew them when I was 9 years old’. A doyen of sweet pea aficionados Philip is extraordinarily knowledgeable about sweet peas and more than happy to share his tips for growing this beguiling flower.  A bunch of sweet peas

‘Pick your own flowers’ is a beguiling idea. High up on the greensand ridge above the Kentish Weald near Maidstone, Kent, ‘Blooming Green (www.bloominggreen.co.uk)’ is England’s only ‘PYO’ cut flower business. Not surprisingly it is extraordinarily popular. The day I visited there were several extremely happy looking mothers with smiling children going home clutching splendid bunches of brightly

Love them or hate them dahlias are all the rage these days.  It is astonishing that not so very long ago dahlias were regarded by many as flowers in the worst possible taste.  It is thanks to the likes of the visionary Sarah Raven www.sarahraven.com that they are once again in vogue.  And are even

As one drives along the West Coast of the ravishing Isle of Mull it is hard to concentrate on the single track road ahead let alone spot the passing places for cars, such is the sheer beauty of the landscape.  But I defy any garden loving tourist visiting Mull not to be stopped in their

Any gardener pounding the streets of London is heartened by the sight of floral displays in whatever form they take.  Recently I wandered around the white stucco terraces of Pimlico designed by Thomas Cubitt in the 19th century to see what I could find spilling out of window boxes.  As anyone knows window boxes must look good

A thrilling highlight amongst the many memorable features of Parham House in West Sussex www.parhaminsussex.co.uk are the exquisite floral arrangements found in the rooms open to the public.  Unlike other stately homes where a potted geranium or two, or even, dare I say it, a forlorn vase of silk flowers is the norm, flower arrangements a

What is the optimum time for taking sensational garden photographs?  It is not midday day on a gloriously sunny summer’s day but early in the morning just after sunrise when the quality of light is best.  Some years ago the renowned garden photographer, Clive Boursnell  www.cliveboursnell.com came to Doddington to take photographs for a magazine article.  He declined

What brings together Ljubljana, Bristol, Turin, Norwich, Kent and Brighton, not forgetting London and Vienna? Answer: Chelsea Fringe, the open-access festival celebrating everything to do with gardens, plants, landscape and the environment. ‘I knew my life would massively change from the moment I dreamt up the Chelsea Fringe’ said Tim Richardson, the Founder-Director behind this