Pleaching is the art of entwining branches to form a hedge. A pleached hedge will usually be clipped above bare stems so that the hedge appears to be on stilts. It is a marvellous way of screening a view, adding grandeur and giving oneself an awful lot more to do… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Musings on Pleached Hornbeam

Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Admonishments and ‘must try harder’s’

Echinacea and Eryngium mingle with gentle grasses attracting hosts of butterflies and bees with their floral rewards. Heaps of visitors to Alnwick Castle Gardens in Northumberland were enjoying the copious floral rewards too, milling and chatting and enjoying their holidays. But a strange thing happened on one hillside. We followed… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ A strange thing happened on the hillside

A selection of gloves for a selection of weather conditions is one way to stay jolly when one is outside for hours on end in the cold / heat / rain / mud. January can throw all of these at a gardener – sometimes within the space of a few… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ survival tips for fingertips 25/01/2019

The Thoughtful Gardener by Jinny Blom is remarkable in a number of ways. The garden designer’s book showcases the extraordinary gardens that she has created worldwide. Gorgeous, sumptuous gardens that have led her to be named ‘the most romantic, creative person in garden design’ by Piet Oudolf – himself a… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener: a design bible of the moment that deserves to be shouted about ~ 20/11/2018

It takes a special garden to be a hit with the whole family. Father needs to see a variety of horticultural situations for inspiration to furnish a similar plot, his daughter (this gardener) would like to see innovative planting combinations and unusual plant forms, and his granddaughters require brilliant colour… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Hunting Brook Gardens (a surprise multi-generational crowd pleaser)