Monthly Archives: October 2015

Marks Hall

Normally I have a stack of posts waiting to be published, and if I think of a new idea it just joins the end of the queue. Today’s is an exception. I visited Marks Hall in Essex this week and … Continue reading

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Henry Lyte & Lytes Cary

Have you heard of Henry Lyte?   Don’t yawn when I tell you that his main claim to fame is that  he published A Niewe Herball in 1578 which was his own meticulous translation of Rembert Dodoens Cruydeboeck of 1554, by … Continue reading

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Blackberries…

When asked what is a “blackberry”, apparently 82% of people aged 16-24 instantly imagined a mobile phone rather than a fruit, according to a 2013 survey for YouGov. They don’t know what they’re missing! This glorious late summer weather [OK… this was … Continue reading

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Joseph Knight & his Exotic Nursery

We tend to think of gardeners being poor – unless of course they’re celebs on the box – and it’s hard to think of many gardeners in history who became rich.  But there are exceptions and one such was Joseph … Continue reading

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A pineapple? Gosh…thank you Mr Rose!

I’m sure many of you will know the painting of Charles II being offered a pineapple by his gardener, John Rose. It has been widely used  to demonstrate that British horticulture had become so advanced by the later 17thc that … Continue reading

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