Love might well be in the air on February 14th, but is it true romance without a red rose? If we can measure love by the rose, isn’t a dark one more passionate than a bright red? I have a hankering for the darkest red rose. Before I talk about that, let me first bemoan [...]
Posts Tagged ‘black plants’
NWFGS, Seattle
Wake up Seattle, it’s NWFGS show time. All those lucky guys exhibiting, speaking and visiting the NWFGS, enjoy. How I miss it. In fact, it is simply not fair to run the show without me! From 2001 – 2008 I was involved in the show one way or another. I exhibited and spoke at the [...]
Brazen, a bit of a run around but adorable
Brazen, a bit of a run around but adorable. What am I talking about? Why Ranunculus of course, or lesser celandine if you prefer. At this time of year when we wait with baited breath for the joys of spring and the promise of warmth, sunshine and plenty of beautiful plants in the garden, this [...]
Hellebores
Hellebores, some argue over the name is it orientalis or x hybridus but does it really matter with a flower as good as this? My hybrid has been flowering for a while, I can just see the flowers from the kitchen window. In this tiny garden there is little else in flower at the moment, [...]
It’s dark and dismal but there’s no need to feel blue
It’s dark, cold, dreary and dismal out there. We have to face months of this. Cold, mud, sleet, snow, howling winds, frozen earth. It’s the nightmare before dawn. Our second covering of snow in Sheffield this morning. Temperatures are around freezing and I envy anyone in warmer climes. I know one or two gardening friends [...]
new black plants
I am always amazed at how those new black plants just keep on coming. Thinking of edition 5 of Black Magic and Purple Passion, my book on black plants that seems to have a life all of its own, I was looking at my list of new introductions and I am simply lost for words. [...]
RHS Olympic Park Garden 2012
The RHS Olympic Park garden 2012 is well underway. Designed by Rachel and Hannah, the garden is a colourful journey through gold, silver and bronze areas. The quarter of an acre riverside garden overlooks the Olympic Stadium in the London 2012 Olympic Park. Whether you are visiting the Olympics or not, this is the perfect [...]
Phantom amongst the petunias
Did any one else try those new black petunias from Ball? All my black ones had the yellow stripes of Petunia ‘Phantom’. Which leads me to one conclusion, either ‘Black Velvet’ is unstable and naturally sports the yellow stripes or I had been sent ‘Phantom’ instead. I wonder. The nursery said it was stress and [...]
Tomato Black Brandywine
As the first trusses appear on the tomato plants, I thought I would write in some more depth about a favourite heirloom tomato, an Amish variety passed down through the years. Brandywine comes in black, red, yellow and pink and first appeared commercially in America in 1882 when offered by a seed company that is [...]
Black Petunia
I first wrote about Petunia ‘Black Velvet’ in the 4th edition of my book ‘Black Magic and Purple Passion’. No plants were forthcoming for me to test the variety from Ball Horticultural in the USA. However, I bought it from a UK nursery earlier this year and it was launched at the Chelsea Flower Show [...]