I’ve been very quiet here lately. And, although the season for Dahlias has now ended, I must record my visit to a field of Dahlias this autumn. Actually it was late in the season when I discovered that one of the top Dahlia growers in the UK – Withypitts Dahlias – was located just outside a village near us in West Sussex. Off…
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A visit to a friend’s house last week admiring and picking her heather reminded me that I needed to take my twins for a walk exploring the heathland in Ashdown Forest. Nearly two thirds of it is heathland. “More than 80% of our lowland heaths have been destroyed since the 19th century. Even rarer than rainforest, heathland is one of…
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It’s September but we still have rosebuds. We also have clay soil which roses love – thus still so many buds. Plus mini heatwaves with bouts of rain which has meant happy roses and vases filled with them inside the house. This week I cut a bud off each climber and shrub still blooming then put them in little bottles. Gather…
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There’s a lake in the woods where the water lilies now bloom. The path around the lake is all overgrown but the wild birds know where to find its quiet waters. Whence, O fragrant form of light, Hast thou drifted through the night, Swanlike, to a leafy nest, On the restless waves, at rest? Art thou from the snow…
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One of my summer pleasures is being surrounded by wild flowers wherever I go for a walk – or even in my garden. At the same time I’m determined to learn their names and slowly build up my repertoire on identifying them. Sometimes I spend ages searching through my wild flower books as I want them to each have a name…
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