Tag Archives: orchids

Owen Thomas: 1: Anglesey and beyond…

Posted on 19/08/2017 by The Gardens Trust

Last year I wrote a post about Harry Higgott Thomas the garden writer and journalist who was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour. Whilst doing the research I discovered that his father, Owen Thomas, also gained one of the first VMHs … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Araucaria, Aston Hall, Bodorgan, Drayton Manor, greenhouse, Head Gardener, hothouse, Monkey Puzzle, orchids, Owen Thomas, Royal Horticultural Society, technology, Veitch, Victoria Medal of Honour, william sawrey gilpin | Leave a comment

Peter Smithers: Plantsman, Politician & Floral Pornographer

Posted on 15/07/2017 by The Gardens Trust

Sir Peter Smithers [1913-2006] was an intelligence officer, a Tory politician, diplomat and above all a great gardener. “I regard gardening and planting as the other half of life, a counterpoint to the rough and tumble of politics,” he wrote. During his … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged greenhouse, nerines, orchids, peonies, plant breeding, Royal Horticultural Society, vico morcote, water gardens, winchester | Leave a comment

The survival of Wentworth Castle

Posted on 14/01/2017 by The Gardens Trust

In 1817 the Rev. Lionel Berguer published “Trifles in Verse”, a collection of [to put it politely] turgid amateur poetry. The first of these almost unreadable pieces is dedicated to his friend Frederick Vernon Wentworth. It conjures up a gentle Arcadian … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged camellias, conservation, conservatory, Crompton & Fawkes, earl fitzwilliam, Head Gardener, Horace Walpole, john nost, orchids, plant hunters, rhododendrons, Stumperies, vernon wentworth, wentworth woodhouse, wilderness, winter garden | Leave a comment

Westonbirt & the Holfords

Posted on 05/11/2016 by The Gardens Trust

Everyone’s heard of Westonbirt Arboretum, one of the most extensive and beautiful collections of trees in the country. But how about the other gardens at Westonbirt? Perhaps not. Yet like the arboretum they were created by the same visionary, Robert Stayner … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged arboretum, Chatsworth, conservation, Earl of Morley, Forestry Commission, garden buildings, George Holford, Italian Garden, orchids, Pulhamite, Robert Holford, Rockery, Royal Horticultural Society, Trentham, water gardens, Westonbirt, William Goldring, william sawrey gilpin, Wollaton Hall | Leave a comment

The faithful pencil of Mrs Withers

Posted on 28/11/2015 by The Gardens Trust

The more I explore botanic art the more I realise how underestimated it has been as an art form, and the more I realise how underestimated botanical artists have been. Of course part of the reason for that may well … Continue reading →