Blog

The Highest Rated Euphorbia
By Michael
Oct 30, 2023
I was weeding this morning, the refuse pile being 95% grass weeds and 5% euphorbias. There’s two species of the latter I’m particularly concerned about, and that I’d eradicat
Plants that Mark a Moment
By Michael
Oct 16, 2023
My wife was looking out of the pantry window on the weekend, onto our row of Malus ‘Gorgeous’ in bloom, and after a brief discussion about their only slightly less brief flower
The Mineral and the Mean
By Michael
Jun 6, 2023
‘At that point, are we really being honest?’. I loved this moment in my conversation with Monaco-based and multi-award-winning garden designer James Basson, for our latest symp

Plants that Mark a Moment
By Michael
Oct 16, 2023

My wife was looking out of the pantry window on the weekend, onto our row of Malus ‘Gorgeous’ in bloom, and after a brief discussion about their only slightly less brief flowering, she finished of ...

The Mineral and the Mean
By Michael
Jun 6, 2023

‘At that point, are we really being honest?’. I loved this moment in my conversation with Monaco-based and multi-award-winning garden designer James Basson, for our latest symposium. He was making ...

PLANT OF THE WEEK #108: Berberis 'Helmond Pillar'
By Michael
May 30, 2023

Distinct/readable/legible shape is the characteristic most sadly lacking in the wide group of plants we call shrubs.  Hence the ubiquitous use of clipping in the work of influential designers like Fi ...

Two Days, Two Designers, Two Very Different Approaches
By Michael
May 15, 2023

In the last two days of this wild dash around Sardinia I’ve been steeped in the work of two very different designers.  The macro climate and situation of their gardens were roughly the same (albeit ...

PLANT OF THE WEEK #107: Rhodanthe chlorocephala
By Jac Semmler
Mar 21, 2023

Everlastings, Paper daisies, Sun rays, Strawflowers. This loose gang of Australian flowers is one with such an iconic quality. The dry, textural petals vary from the hard beetle shells in confectionar ...