Doddington Place Gardens

Near Sittingbourne, Kent.

Flowers at the ‘Nellie’ in Cape Town.

Posted: February 22nd, 2016

If you find yourself in Cape Town I highly recommend afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Not only is the array of cakes and biscuits on offer staggering in both its deliciousness and variety but the nine acre garden is also a delight. And it is just a few steps away from the Company

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Alstroemeria Ben

Posted: August 31st, 2015

plant nurseriesLilies of the Incas, Peruvian Lilies, or alstroemerias are beloved by florists due to their longevity as a cut flower. ‘”The perfect flower”’ is how our team describe them’ says Ben Cross, the fourth generation of his family to grow alstroemerias in a wholesale nursery near Chichester, West Sussex. His parents also work in the

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The Queen of Topiary

Posted: July 3rd, 2015

What’s not to love about topiary? Its whimsicality appeals to everyone whether they are gardeners or not. All manner of topiary can be found at the splendidly named Balmoral, one of the most original gardens made in England in the past few decades. Hidden away behind Benenden Church, in the Kentish High Weald, it is

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Winter Colour in Window Boxes

Posted: January 20th, 2015

Window boxes in towns and cities really come into their own in the dank winter months.  In the summer there are flowers to be seen at every turn, in parks, square gardens, window boxes not forgetting many florists displays spilling out across pavements.  But in winter the cheery sight of a window box brimming with colour enhances

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Glorious PYO English Flowers in the heart of Kent.

Posted: October 1st, 2014

‘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

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Why dahlias are today’s hottest trend.

Posted: September 19th, 2014

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

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Parham’s glorious flower arrangements worthy of Downton Abbey

Posted: July 9th, 2014

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

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