Billbergia windii in flower
My friend Kate gifted me a Billbergia windii when we first moved to Penarth 18 months ago, and it’s now decided to flower. The flower is really quite something. I found it hard to photograph, but here a few that …
Autumn at Aberglasney
For my birthday this year we decided on an autumn visit to Aberglasney Gardens. Autumn has been very mild, and instead of the usual freezing temperatures for my birthday (end of October), it was quite pleasant, and the colours were …
A brief passion
I did not mean to go nearly 3 months between blogposts, but between visitors and having pinched a nerve in my left shoulder, I’ve not been able to type much. It’s slowly improving but still a way to go. Honestly, …
Beach scenes: Barry Island and the beach wheelchair
I don’t recall the last time I walked on a beach. It’s been years, then some more years still. To be fair, we either lived in Oxfordshire or South Yorkshire, which are no where near the beach. But mainly it …
Black ‘n White
Got a little planting today today, including this gorgeous purple-leaved Geranium. This is Geranium pratense ‘Black ‘n’ White’. I guess ‘aubergine-purple and white’ didn’t have the same ring to it! I picked it up on a recent visit to Aberglasney …
Garlic scapes: preserving by freezing
If you grow hardneck garlic, you’ll end up with scapes in late Spring/early Summer (full info here). A simple way to preserve them is to freeze them, viz: Step 1: First, cut them up roughly. Step 2: Put them in …
Enter the dream: my new greenhouse
Gardeners frequently dream of bigger, better etc. More space, more plants. And I’ve definitely had that dream. But my health can no longer manage a big garden, and our new garden is about a third of the size of our …
Garden visit: Aberglasney Gardens
Aberglasney Gardens is a good example of a the value of second chances. We visited Aberglasney, in the Tywi Valley, Carmarthenshire (Wales), more than 15 years ago, and all I recall is it felt dim and uninviting. It was towards …
Cosmeston lakes: April 2023
After weeks, and weeks, and weeks of rain, the sun finally shone. Just in time for the Easter weekend – hurrah! So off we stroll/rolled down to the lakes to get some sun, Spring air, and increase in our allergies …
There’s life beyond 1660 (reviews of a book The Unrespectable Woman, and podcast My Love Letter Time Machine)
If you’ve ever checked my bio on social media, it usually includes the sentence “…also loves pre-1660 British history…”. I love medieval and early modern British history (my degree was in the latter), and these days I’m particularly interested in …