The Love Yourself & Nature Retreat

May 23, 2024

* I was invited to the press preview for and provided with a pair of tickets to Gardeners’ World Live so I’m marking posts from the show as 'Ad’ - as usual my views and opinions are very much my own. Be sure to check out all of my posts from the show.

This garden, designed by Ben Thornton, is a joyful riot of colour and it’s no surprise that Ben himself describes it as ‘full of colour’ - it’s inspired by his love of nature and growing. It’s definitely a place where you could escape the outside world and enjoy the wonders of nature isn’t it?

The border is busting from the seams, and surrounds an edible raised bed. In this garden Ben is showcasing his journey of becoming a grower after getting paralysed and I agree when he says that gardening doesn’t have to be perfect. Nature isn’t flawless and he says neither is his garden - in fact, neither is mine too.

He also says that by ‘letting nature in it has healed his body and mind’ - which does a lot to explain the title of his very beautiful border.

a closer look at the borders - yellows, pinks purples and so much colour

I love the colour, I love how busy it is, and I love how there’s space for flowers and edibles. But most of all I love how it makes me smile.

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was as fabulous as ever!

Keep off the grass!

May 16, 2024

Be prepared for something entirely different - and a beautiful border which I absolutely love. I don’t think it’ll be something we recreate here, although the yellow red hot pokers could be a contender!

This garden designed by James Fenneberg takes the brief of ‘my garden escape’ to an entirely different level. He has designed a space which transports you through his choice of plants and materials. Agaves with their texture thorns feature prominently and symbolise ‘the sense of protection he wanted to create in his border’, and the results are stunning.

In addition James was also inspired by our ever changing climate to create a drought tolerant design which also features repurposed volcanic sand and rocks to create an ecological habitat for insects. And the weather on the day we visited the border couldn’t have underlined his message any more. We spent some time chatting with James and remarked how he was noticeably less flustered than some of the other garden designers who were watering the plants in their gardens so that they would look their best for the duration of the show.

small sedum like ground covering plants in one corner of the beautiful border, encroaching onto the volcanic sand

The agaves in the foreground and in the background on a rock flanked by yellow red hot pokers on each side

Not so for James though, that’s definitely a design element that paid off - and one that I think we will all need to incorporate more and more into our garden spaces. Though if it means having sculptural plants like this, then it would be relatively easy to get on board with that wouldn’t it?

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was as fabulous as ever!

You will never want to leaf

May 2, 2024

The banana plant we saw recently at the Newark Garden Show reminded me of this beautiful border at last year’s Gardeners’ World Live, and once I dug the photos out I had another mixed smile and groan at the garden’s cheesy title. The theme for the Beautiful Borders at the show was ‘My Garden Escape’ and I think I’d quite happily escape to this garden, despite the cheese, and who knows maybe I wouldn’t want to leave…

This garden, designed by Kiran Vaidya, invites us to escape to our very own slice of tropical paradise. By just using foliage the garden shows the versatility and variety of leafy plants ‘whilst highlighting the important role of greenery in relieving stress and promoting positive mental health, especially in urban communities where access to green spaces is limited.’

And I don’t know about you, but just looking at these photos makes me want to breathe more deeply and breathe in the fresh air. In my mind’s eye that breath is cool, but not cold and warm enough to be comfortable.

variegated tropical leaves under a tree's canopy

I love the textures and colours that you can get through foliage, along with the drama. Though of course having these plants in your garden is likely to come with the need for additional care and attention over the cooler months, but I can’t help but think it’d be worth it.

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was as fabulous as ever!