This beauty is Grevillea ‘Olympic Flame” with its exotic flowers that remind me of tropical birds of paradise or perhaps scorching uncut toenails. Take your pick. One image is definitely more attractive than the other. Which ever you decide upon, it is a fabulous shrub and hardier than its fancy plumage would suggest. I haveContinue reading “Grevillea ‘Olympic Flame’”
Category Archives: Away Days
Respite
The wilds of the last few days have diluted into dull murk with a smattering of hail. Last week was a washout workwise and I am twitching in my enforced respite. I am hopeful for the coming week, the last before my January sabbatical. And then respite of choice. Before we know it, spring willContinue reading “Respite”
Best
A frosty morn; a road trip with Hero, warmed by winter mixture; a coffee rendevous with Torrington Tina, Rusty Duck and Mrs Bun; a lesiurely wander around sugar sifted gardens, enjoying the familiar and admiring the new; chickens and fir cones and deer and ferns; icy rills and the ghosts of water lilies; soup, cheddarContinue reading “Best”
Kindness
Social media tells me it is World Kindness day. Sounds like a good thing. Although I doubt the people who should be taking note are paying attention. Still we must do what we can. Today we had a day trip to the big city, well a city anyway. We wore our best smocks held neatlyContinue reading “Kindness”
Lichen
Lichen and granite, mustard yellow and gunmetal grey, happily cohabiting on a grievously exposed sea wall. A few hours later, in much different circumstances, a friend’s easy chair and contrasting footstool echoed this perfect marriage. Life imitating life.
Walking
Due to the fact that my Mean Machine is still at the menders, I have had to walk to work for the last couple of days. Luckily these jobs have been relatively local and the sun was shining or I might not have been quite so nonchalent. This morning, on my trek to work, IContinue reading “Walking”
Precis
Ginger lilies, hummingbird hawk moth, Canna ‘Panache’, four lovely cats, chocolate biscuits, ginger rosemary cuttings, Helianthus salicifolius, brugmansia, horti-chat, sunshine, Colocasia ‘Black Magic’, road trip, Passiflora exoniensis, fine folk, school day, Ensete montbeliardii, plant aquisitions, dragonfly, Bidens ‘Hannay’s Lemon Drop’ and friends, fabulous visit – Devon Subtropical Garden.
Survived
We have just returned from the Edinburgh Fringe. We survived. Not the festival, I had every faith we would return tired but relatively unscathed. It was everything I thought it would be and more – crazy crowded, cosmopolitan, chaotic and great fun. We had a wonderful few days with some of my family and didContinue reading “Survived”
More Marwood
Another favourite from yesterday’s visit to Marwood Hill Gardens is this bizarrely beautiful Kalanchoe beharensis, or the Elephant’s ear kalanchoe. How can you possibly go wrong with a plant/pachyderm hybrid?
Friendship
You can strike up friendships in the strangest of places. Well I can anyway. A packed polytunnel at the both marvellous and cruelly irresistible Sampford Shrubs, was one such place. The person in question, who I befriended, or perhaps befriended me, was a visitor from Cornwall. I was on my way to Somerset. On reflectionContinue reading “Friendship”
Off The Edge Gardening 