Monthly Archives: July 2023

William Bull – Horticulture in Excelsis

Posted on 29/07/2023 by The Gardens Trust

As regular readers will know I have a soft spot for the stories of once-famous and now overlooked or even forgotten Victorian nurserymen. William Bull is another one you probably haven’t heard of, but who was absolutely pre-eminent in his … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged conservatory, hothouse, nurseryman, orchids, plant hunters, Victorian | Leave a comment

Natural History: “to be alive is to be watchful”

Posted on 22/07/2023 by The Gardens Trust

Whose 2000th birthday should we be celebrating this year? Here’s a clue. He was a workaholic military officer and civil servant for the Emperor Vespasian, and the author of the first book that resembled an encyclopaedia. Usually known as Natural History … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Ancient Rome, art history, Mediaeval, Roman gardens | 2 Comments

The royal gardens of Amboise – past and present

Posted on 15/07/2023 by The Gardens Trust

I helped lead a Gardens Trust tour last autumn round gardens of the Loire Valley. Almost our last port of call was the great early Renaissance chateau of Amboise where a series of new gardens have been installed in recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged contemporary, France, Mediaeval, Renaissance | Leave a comment

Walter rules the garden … or does he?

Posted on 08/07/2023 by The Gardens Trust

Last week I looked at the origins of Margery Fish’s garden at East Lambrook, which led to all sorts of mind-struggling with her husband Walter. This week I want to turn to questions of planting the garden where, you probably won’t be surprised to hear there was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged garden design, garden writing, Margery Fish, rock garden, Twentieth Century | Leave a comment

A Gardener’s Revenge

Posted on 01/07/2023 by The Gardens Trust

Although I knew the name Margery Fish I didnt really realise how significant a character she was until I heard Catherine Horwood talk about her in one of the Gardens Trusts on-line lectures earlier this year. Catherine recommended Margery’s first … Continue reading →