Big wind

I have been really slack. I have even had a number of subjects to write about but you know how it is when you are on holidays. The mind and body relaxes and anything that belongs to routine goes out the window. Needless to say the trip to Europe and the UK were fantastic, great weather, gorgeous friends, lots of laughs and beautiful scenery.

So after nearly 7 weeks it is a bit of a struggle to get back into work. The temperatures are getting warmer and the gardens are putting on growth sot things are starting to show signs of growth (yay).

Last Monday Sydney's North received 40 knot winds. While moving mulch I received a phone call from a neighbour telling me Diba was on her front doorstep. I knew he didn't like wind so I thought he was just in search of someone to protect him (not the bravest of dogs). She walked back with him to see how he escaped and found the top half of our liquidambar over the garden.

From the front door

From the street

We are grateful it only glanced the pergola, missed the roof (although we have been thinking about getting a new roof so insurance money would have been helpful) and missed the power lines. What it didn't miss was my Cercis 'Forest Pansy'

I think there is no coming back for the poor thing that has been growing for 5 years

So now the tree is condemned and needs to come down so I must get back out there and move all the shade loving plants as the front will be quite a different garden without the shade of the tree in summer. I guess I will have to go back to the drawing boards and re design. Hope the weather gods have been kind to you all.

Kensington Palace Gardens

Well as there is a new royal born today I thought it might seem time to show some of the photos I took a few weeks back of Kensington Palace gardens. It was a brilliant day and the gardens were looking quite fabulous, see what you think.

Hot Hampton Court

I spent the last Saturday out with my folks and Mother-in-law at Hampton Court Flower show, the little sister show to Chelsea. They have use of the spectacular grounds of what once was the country palace to Henry the 8th. The palace and gardens alone are fantastic to look at alone but this date was all about the garden show so another time Henry.

We have been staying in Kent which is about and hour and a half from the show but with a 40 minute delay in traffic we were on the back foot arriving at the hottest time of day. The temperatures were in the 30's (at least 5 degrees hotter than the UK's average hottest days) so there were lots of melting people, gardens and without water it was pretty dusty. 

The crowds in one of the plant species tent

I'm not sure if this is a new lavender but I hadn't seen it before

Got to love a show dahlia that is bigger than your hand

A funky double green lilly

I liked the willow badger

I find it funny how weeds that are noxious to Sydney can be for sale at Royal Horticultural Show. There are plenty of privet hedges growing up and down the countryside. Variegated 'wandering jew' in hanging baskets. And to encourage butterflies....

Yes folks Lantana! After Mr R spend days pulling this stuff out of our garden I find it hard to believe it is for sale 

Now onto the show gardens. I liked a bit of each of them and wish we could grow as many of these pretties, but then I expect the English would love to not have to bring agapanthus or citrus inside during winter. I was surprised there were not more gardens growing more vegetables but I didn't get around the entire place. Here are a few highlights.

love love love bunting

Green, black and white combo 

 I was seduced by the rills running into the pool. Quite a tranquil garden.

Yeap the rill of water was just cool to look at

I do like the odd vertical garden

Orange worked well even with the silver of the olive

I wasn't sure if this was a show garden or a place selling the furniture but at least there were some herbs in this garden

Well I would have loved to spend more time but even I had to admit it was pretty hot and going home was pretty appealing. The Hampton Court Flower Show is run by the RHS in July each year so if you are about it is not a bad way to spend a day.

London's Southbank encourages growing food

I'm impressed with a window walk allotment space along London's southbank currently. There is a strong demand to grow food but finding spaces to grow has been a challenge. While there are 737 allotments with a staggering 20 000 plots across London, the waiting list to get in is huge. So as part of   the festival of neighbourhoods many window boxes and glass panes have been designed to form very cool sheds.

Self-watering pots hang from the top, are filled with rhubarb. I'm interested if they work long-term

These plants will all be sent into the community once the festival is over and they have pledged to use the produce to make 500 meals see capital growth. I love this idea! Even if people only grow herbs is encouraging.

Large bags help with mobility 

Greenwich herb garden would be handy if you needed a handful of sage

My brother and kids perusing the Greenwich herb gardens 

Zurich Botanical Gardens

I didn't see kangaroos so had to make do we us. Love the typo.

As usual in a new city I took Mr R off to the botanical gardens. And I was not disappointed as they were really beautiful. Of course I they have 3 glass domes on a smaller scale to the Eden Project inside the settings dry tropical, wet tropical and desert. They had ponds in and above the ground (which I expect must freeze), wild fields and homes for bugs.

Edelweiss 

A very busy Bumblebee

Bug hotel

Capsicum family

Who knew there were so many mints?

the glass domes

Desert style

I love wild fields

Purple podded peas like yours Bek

Above ground pond

Dreaming of the Alps

A gorgeous friend of ours has a place in the Swiss Alps where we were lucky enough to spend a day mooching about. For a place that is normally covered in snow for a good 6 months of the year it sure does come alive with plants when given the chance. While people don't have big gardens with their homes they do the absolute best to make an impact. With both flowers and vegetables. Come for a walk with me.

The local scarecrow outside the fire station blooms

A typical cottage garden which also grew lettuce, fennel and spring onion

Even the drinking fountain was decorated

This was an enormous cauldron filled to the brim with colour

Plant stakes Swiss style

Wish my sage grew this well

Cow's parsley growing wild

The wild flowers were amazing

A wonderful way to spend a few days. Thanks Teeny x