Light up the longer evenings with this atmospheric garden burner.
I saw it at the Landscape Show at Olympia, on the Luxius Outdoor Kitchen stand.
Friday, 13 April 2012
Beautiful Sculpture
I'm always asked for ways to make enclosed spaces look more attractive.
If a wall has enough light, my first thought is to cover it with plants. Either climbers or 'Green Walls'. But a low maintenance and striking choice, is to place a sculpture there.
This rusted metal fern sculpture is beautiful, and is at Wisley at the moment.
If a wall has enough light, my first thought is to cover it with plants. Either climbers or 'Green Walls'. But a low maintenance and striking choice, is to place a sculpture there.
This rusted metal fern sculpture is beautiful, and is at Wisley at the moment.
April at RHS Wisley
The Magnolias and Camelias are particularly good, as we didn't have the usual high winds to destroy the blooms.
Even the new leaf growth looked stunning.
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Wimbledon tree of the month. March
Acacia dealbata (also known as the Silver Wattle or Mimosa)
Once again, I've chosen an evergreen. Found on Murray Road towards Ridgway, this native to New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania is a fine example with a beautiful shape. The shoots are noticeably angular in section and bear true, bipinnate, blue green leaves. It is not hard to see why the foliage is often included in cut flower arrangements with it's attractively fern-like leaves. The highly fragrant, and velvety looking flowers, are borne in spring, with spherical clusters of conspicuous yellow stamens. Although they do seem to be earlier this year.
Acacia dealbata is tolerant of several degrees of frost and it has been known to survive at -10ºC for short periods. So this tree benefits from it's Southerly aspect. However, young plants are susceptible to cold Winter winds.
The cut Mimosa flowers are harvested and given to women on International Women's Day in Italy, Albania, Russia and Georgia. While in India, they use the essence of the flowers in perfumes.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Wimbledon tree of the month. February
Cedrus libani (Also known as Cedar of Lebanon)
On any visit to the grounds of Cannizaro House, you can’t help but be impressed by this statuesque tree. As you follow the path from the common to the main lawn area, you are
faced with this dramatic specimen, which stands sentry, at the border of tended garden and woodland walks.
As with most of the trees I choose in the Winter months, this is evergreen, provides a strong foil to the woodlands behind. Few trees, deciduous or evergreen, can compare with the beauty and elegance of a mature Cedar, and it was extensively planted as part of the enduring landscape of some of our grandest stately homes and estates.
Interestingly this tree does not originate from Lebanon but in fact was found growing on the slopes of Mount Lebanon in Syria. It requires full sun in well-drained soil, but will tolerate exposure.
The Cedar of Lebanon has been important to various ancient civilizations. The trees were used by the Phoenicians for building ships, houses, palaces, and temples. The ancient Egyptians used its resin in mummification, and its sawdust has been found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs. The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh designates the cedar groves of Lebanon as the dwelling of the gods to which Gilgamesh, the hero, ventured. So it somehow seems fitting to find such a tree in the grounds of one of Wimbledon’s most
prestigious houses.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Wimbledon tree of the month. January
Taxus baccata (also known as Yew)
Standing proud on the edge of Wimbledon Village and facing the common. This Yew, which is one of a pair of native British evergreens, has been cleverly clipped into a long busby shape. I always feel, the strong form works well adjacent to the shape of the War Memorial.
Young Yew plants are bushy and, if left unclipped, they eventually grow into large trees almost as wide as they are tall. However they are rarely allowed to grow naturally, being a firm favourite for classic style hedges and topiary. The potential age of yews is impossible to determine accurately and is subject to much dispute. Even lower estimates at 2,000 years makes Taxus baccata the longest-living plant in Europe. They are quite amenable to growing conditions and will grow in any well-drained soil. Most parts of the tree are toxic, except the bright red aril surrounding the seed, enabling ingestion and dispersal by birds.
Standing proud on the edge of Wimbledon Village and facing the common. This Yew, which is one of a pair of native British evergreens, has been cleverly clipped into a long busby shape. I always feel, the strong form works well adjacent to the shape of the War Memorial.
Young Yew plants are bushy and, if left unclipped, they eventually grow into large trees almost as wide as they are tall. However they are rarely allowed to grow naturally, being a firm favourite for classic style hedges and topiary. The potential age of yews is impossible to determine accurately and is subject to much dispute. Even lower estimates at 2,000 years makes Taxus baccata the longest-living plant in Europe. They are quite amenable to growing conditions and will grow in any well-drained soil. Most parts of the tree are toxic, except the bright red aril surrounding the seed, enabling ingestion and dispersal by birds.
Friday, 24 June 2011
Wimbledon tree of the month. June
Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck Gold' (also known as Fastigiate Golden Beech)
Sheltering in a small clearing of woodland, within the grounds of Cannizaro House is this young tree that bursts with potential.
The golden leaf form of Fastigiate Beech is an architectural beauty, and worthy winner of the Award of Garden merit in 2002. This large native tree is both hardy and tolerant, but it is it's striking colour and form, that sets it apart from your average woodland. The cultivar 'Dawyck Gold', is a small, upright, deciduous tree whose young leaves are bright, acid yellow, turning gradually to green in summer, before reverting to yellow in autumn. This tree's flame shaped habit works well against it's dark background of mature trees, to punctuate this wooded backdrop. With a mature height of 20 metres, this tree isn't for everyone. But in this position it perfectly transforms the relaxed woodland into something more befitting of this grand house. I feel the Wilsons, who owned the house until the late 1940s, and carried out a series of improvements in the gardens with the planting of new trees, would approve of this recent addition.
Sheltering in a small clearing of woodland, within the grounds of Cannizaro House is this young tree that bursts with potential.
The golden leaf form of Fastigiate Beech is an architectural beauty, and worthy winner of the Award of Garden merit in 2002. This large native tree is both hardy and tolerant, but it is it's striking colour and form, that sets it apart from your average woodland. The cultivar 'Dawyck Gold', is a small, upright, deciduous tree whose young leaves are bright, acid yellow, turning gradually to green in summer, before reverting to yellow in autumn. This tree's flame shaped habit works well against it's dark background of mature trees, to punctuate this wooded backdrop. With a mature height of 20 metres, this tree isn't for everyone. But in this position it perfectly transforms the relaxed woodland into something more befitting of this grand house. I feel the Wilsons, who owned the house until the late 1940s, and carried out a series of improvements in the gardens with the planting of new trees, would approve of this recent addition.
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