Marc's Gardens

Another month of musings from Le Jardinier With regards gardens, and the pallet of plants on offer at any one time, I have always favoured late summer through to late autumn far above any other time of year. Yes, I love spring for everything spring has to offer - it's a period full of promise; a time when your senses elevate into the spirit of what's just around the corner - summer! But, for some reason, in respect of plants at least, i've always been a late summer person. Well, I say 'for some reason', but actually I know precisely why this is. Basically, it's this...... I love daisies! There, I said it! In fact, this 44 year old metro-sexual male, is going to stand up, right now, and say it loud'n proud... I love daisies!   All daisies!  Everything from those 'damn yellow composite' flowers from the North American Prairies (so-called because they're often so ' damn ' hard to tell apart in the field) to the white'n robust clas...

 Just a little piece of the largest meadow planting in the U.K.... at RHS Wisley - go see!   Folks, Instead of writing about such things as French or Dutch Renaissance gardens, or the loathsome nature of carpet bedding, I’m often asked to compose a blog entry giving some horticultural advice together with some practical and seasonal tips. Why have I not done so thus far? Well, to be honest, despite being an honest, down-in-the-dirt gardener, I prefer to use my blog for something a little more creative. I mean, if you want that kind of stuff, there’s plenty of those cheap throw-away ‘ garden answer type’ magazines that’ll provide you with pages and pages of tips & tricks: everything from Chelsea Chopping to chitting potatoes.   Personally, I would rather wax lyrical about the asteraceace family, or get all fired up over a new perennial yellow daisy. How camp did that sound!?   Anyway, after much badgering from friends and colleagues, mayb...

I haven't written an entry for a little while... J'ai été très occupé! S ee, i'm still doing my evening class French! Well, hopefully I can produce something of horticultural and literary merit for you during this spare 60 minutes of mine. Here's hoping! So, seeing as this is a bit of a re-introduction, let's commence with a dainty little picture taken this past week. A week spent with high winds, dodging rain and hailstones.... and it's nearly June!  Allium fit to burst.... backed by swathes of unfocused forget-me-nots and a colour co-ordinated summer house to boot! So, what have I been up to? Well, speaking horticulturally at least, I took myself off to Wisley last Saturday to spend a day in the company of a Mr Noel Kingsbury.... not forgetting of course the plantswoman Marina Christopher, who also helped to co-create what was a splendid day. The theme of the day was 'Successional Planting' and, seeing as i'm due to attend the...