Succulents have become more and more in vogue in recent years. Even the winner of the RHS Chelsea Plant of the year was a succulent in 2022. The newly developed Mangaves I wish to highlight here are at the height of fashion in the garden. Particularly with the rise in popularity of Xeric landscaping. For[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Mangave ‘Mission to Mars’ and ‘Pineapple Express’
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Exotic Plants, New plants, Ornamental gardening, Plantaholics choice Jun 21, 2022
Plantaholic’s Choice – Buddleia davidii ‘Butterfly Candy’ Series
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Fragrant plants, New plants, Ornamental gardening, Plantaholics choice, Summer, Wildlife Gardening Jun 08, 2022
There has been huge innovation in the breeding of Buddleias in recent years, especially in breeding shorter varieties for our often smaller plots. The Buddleia davidii ‘Butterfly Candy’ Series seems to be amongst the very best of this breeding, and I recommend them for your gardens for the following reasons. Very much smaller than traditional[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – NEW Rose ‘Sophie Rochas’
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Cut flowers, Fragrant plants, New plants, Ornamental gardening, Plantaholics choice, Roses, Summer May 17, 2022
Roses are one of Britain’s favourite blooms, and what a stunner ‘Sophie Rochas’ is! Below I have listed some of it’s best attributes:- One of the most outstanding properties of this rose is the almost unique ruffled edges to the baby pink blooms. The gorgeous flowers contrast well with the glossy green foliage. As this[…]
Flowers From The Darkside – Blackest Blooms
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Ornamental gardening May 10, 2022
I have long had a fascination with the deepest darkest flowers that are the nearest you can get to black. I don’t know whether it is because they are dark and mysterious, their rarity or whether it is simply the stark contrast between black flowers and the surrounding foliage and blooms. Below I would like[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – NEW Lavender ‘Twin Summer’
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Cut flowers, Fragrant plants, New plants, Ornamental gardening, Plantaholics choice, Summer, Wildlife Gardening Apr 26, 2022
I just love to be able to introduce new plants to you like this new French Lavender from the Butterfly Garden series. French Lavenders have a longer flowering period compared to our English varieties. They are a little more temperamental in that they love to bake in hot sun and well drained conditions, not cold[…]
My Trip to the Keukenhof Gardens in Holland 2022
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Bulbs, Ornamental gardening, Spring Apr 12, 2022
For any of you that are not aware, the Keukenhof in Holland is considered one of the most beautiful gardens in the world where seven million flower bulbs are planted each autumn. This makes for an extraordinary experience for the senses. The Keukenhof is the independent, international showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector with an[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Raymond Evison Boulevard Clematis
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Climbing plants, Container gardening, Ornamental gardening, Plantaholics choice, Spring, Summer Mar 29, 2022
Raymond Evison has dedicated sixty years of his life to breeding and developing some of the best Clematis in the world. Throughout this time he has bred many outstanding varieties and won multiple gold medals for his exhibits at the RHS shows. Here I want to highlight the wonderful Boulevard Clematis, bred by Raymond at[…]
Product Profile – Ready-made Border Designs
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Garden design, Garden styles, Gardening for beginners, Ornamental gardening, Plants for problem places, Product Profile Mar 22, 2022
Many people do not have the knowledge or confidence to be able to carry out planting design for their own borders. They may not know which plants grow well in the site available, for instance do they grow well in sun, shade, clay soils, seaside locations etc. They may not know when each of their[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Agapanthus ‘Sea Breeze’
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Cut flowers, Ornamental gardening, Perennials, Plantaholics choice Mar 15, 2022
You may often find a blue agapanthus in the garden centres, sometimes a white one and on occasion even a bicolour one. However I think you are unlikely to find such a gorgeous variety as Agapanthus sea breeze, with its stunning combination of colours. Below I describe some of the best features of this delightful[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Four Fabulously Flamboyant Roses
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Cut flowers, Fragrant plants, Ornamental gardening, Roses Mar 01, 2022
My favourite roses are always those that have the romantic blooms of the old-fashioned roses of yesteryear. The original varieties however often do not posess the repeat flowering properties of the modern roses, or their disease resistance. Thankfully new breeding ensures we can have these gorgeous blooms with the garden performance we need from our[…]