News and Articles - Rare Plant Fair

2025 Rare Plant Fair Dates - Tue, 27 Aug

UPDATED 09/09/2024 During the summer, we've been working hard putting together our programme of Rare Plant Fairs for 2025. Some dates are still to be finalised, but please find below our provisional dates: MARCH 16th… Read More..

Perennial: Supporting people in horticulture across the UK - Fri, 16 Aug

If you're passionate about gardening, you know the joy and tranquillity it brings. Yet, the physical demands and unforeseen challenges of working in horticulture can be significant. That’s where Perennial, a charity dedicated to helping… Read More..

Coping with Climate Changes in an Historic Garden - Sat, 29 Jun

Every year, most frequently in the summer months, I lead dozens of guided tours around the garden at Winterbourne, expanding on its history, pointing out seasonal highlights, and talking about our plans for the future.… Read More..

Selections from the Library Garden - Sat, 29 Jun

The Library Garden is an integral part of the nursery at Avondale. It allows customers to see plants that are for sale in the nursery growing to maturity in a natural setting. Originally designed and… Read More..

Hybridising Elatum Delphiniums - Fri, 24 May

Over many years Home Farm Plants has built up a collection of over 100 named Elatum Delphinium cultivars. When we first started the numbers collected rose steadily. There were a handful of nurseries that had… Read More..

Flourishing Green: The Newfound Popularity of House Plants - Fri, 24 May

Over the past decade, the allure of house plants has captured the hearts and homes of people worldwide, transforming living spaces into verdant sanctuaries. This resurgence is more than just a trend; it reflects a… Read More..

Tender Foliage Plants for Inside and Out - Fri, 3 May

May is when gardeners consider putting tender plants outside for the summer. My garden room and windowsills have been crowded with mature plants and cuttings for months, waiting for temperatures to lift high enough to… Read More..

Meet the Editors - Fri, 3 May

In selecting the plants that I grow in the nursery or use in my designs, I use a variety of editing tools. The first is the most common one used in horticulture: Aesthetics. Do I… Read More..

Climbers and Wall Shrubs for Wildlife - Tue, 2 Apr

Plants that clothe walls, fences, pergolas, and free-standing supports can greatly improve and increase wildlife habitats within a garden. They make great use of space and can provide food and shelter at different times of… Read More..

Non-Spiky Members of the Berberis Family for the Woodland Garden - Tue, 2 Apr

Berberidaceae is a family largely from the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. It is thought to have evolved in Eastern Asia and spread to Europe and North America, and is a family of between… Read More..

Geranium Phaeum - Thu, 29 Feb

Now that we are (at least in theory!) retired from the nursery trade, most of you will be familiar with us for our collection of salvias, which we’ve developed during our retirement and from which… Read More..

2024 Rare Plant Fair Dates - Fri, 15 Sep

UPDATED 27/10/2023 During the summer, we've been working hard putting together our programme of Rare Plant Fairs for 2024. Some dates are still to be finalised, but please find below our provisional dates: MARCH 17th… Read More..

American Themed Gardens at the American Museum - Fri, 5 May

Just ten minutes from Bath, the American Museum & Gardens is located on a hilltop which has spectacular views over the Limpley Stoke Valley and River Avon, set in 125 acres of rolling green topography.… Read More..

The Gardens at Salthrop House - Tue, 2 May

Salthrop House is a beautiful 200-year-old manor house set a few miles from the World Heritage sites of Avebury stones, Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow. Salthrop House boasts beautiful large windows and a… Read More..

Hedychium - Ornamental Gingers - Tue, 2 May

Ornamental gingers – we’ve all admired them whilst on holiday abroad or seen them curated in glasshouses, but have you considered growing them in your garden? Many people imagine they need more heat and sunlight… Read More..

Banging the Drum for Big Ramblers - Tue, 2 May

Few plants in the garden can evoke that feeling of summer in the garden as roses do, and even fewer plants can make the impact of a rambling rose when it does its thing. If,… Read More..

A Selection of Perennials and Ferns for Spring in the Woodland Garden - Fri, 24 Mar

In terms of cultivation, the plants I've chosen below roughly fall into two groups. The European natives are well adapted to southern UK shady situations, particularly where deciduous trees dry out the soils once they… Read More..

Growing Alpines in Troughs - Thu, 9 Mar

I am often asked for advice on how to grow alpines in troughs but the advice I am about to give also covers using all manner of containers from traditional stone troughs, clay pots and… Read More..

2023 Rare Plant Fair Dates - Mon, 26 Sep

UPDATED 14/11/2022 During the summer, we've been working hard putting together our programme of Rare Plant Fairs for 2023. Please find below our dates for next year: March 19th - The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset April… Read More..

Autumn in the Shade - Tue, 23 Aug

Autumn is not often a season in which people consider plants for shady borders, here are some interesting and some very beautiful plants with colour and flowers at their peak during Autumn which give the… Read More..

Deutzia - Why so Underestimated? - Fri, 1 Jul

Deutzia is a fairly large genus of shrubs with around 60 species native to China and Asia. These are mainly deciduous cultivars plus numerous hybrids and there is a Deutzia suitable for every garden. Now… Read More..

Flora and Fodder - Decorative Edibles - Fri, 1 Jul

Growing plants that serve a dual purpose in the garden of being decorative while also edible, is part of the everyday work of an herb grower. While many of the herbs we grow can be used… Read More..

The Plants of Macaronesia - Mon, 9 May

We are MadYard, an unusual and upcoming plant nursery based in the two cities of Cardiff and Bath. Established in late 2020 by Nick Hinton, a horticulturalist and Antonio de Gouveia, a Madeiran artist, the… Read More..

Gardening with Digitalis - Mon, 9 May

Foxgloves, or Digitalis, are a versatile and easily grown addition to the garden. They are at home in any garden style from the informal cottage garden, where their tall spires can pierce a billowy cloud… Read More..

Welcome to the Intersectional Paeony - Fri, 27 Aug

Paeonies grow in wild or species form in many parts of the world from the Mediterranean, through Asia and Russia and elsewhere in mountainous areas – as long as the winters are cool and there… Read More..

Desert Island Plants at Llanover House - Fri, 27 Aug

What a challenge to even define a ‘Desert Island’ plant! Such an attribute could be made for any of its natural features – scent, colour, flowering period, shape, or particular memories attached to the plant… Read More..

2022 Rare Plant Fair Dates - Tue, 24 Aug

UPDATED 31/10/2021 During the summer, we've been working hard putting together our programme of Rare Plant Fairs for 2022. Please find below our dates for next year: March 20th - The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset April… Read More..

Hardy Garden Chrysanthemum - Thu, 1 Jul

Nothing is more welcome in the autumn and early winter garden than a bit of colour, and nothing is a more reliable source of that colour than Chrysanthemum! Arrangement of Chrysanthemum and Dahlia in author’s… Read More..

The Carnivorous Plant House at Winterbourne - Mon, 28 Jun

The plant kingdom is not generally considered a threatening presence; its members are a passive breed, the source of so much romantic imagery and literature. But one particular group has consistently inspired terror, and revulsion,… Read More..

A Garden Built from Clay - Fri, 28 May

During the financial crash of 2008 we decided to take a leap of faith and move from a suburban semi to a neglected cottage hidden away in a wooded area of East Sussex. Unlike many… Read More..

Rodgersia - Chestnuts with Webbed Feet - Sun, 2 May

Usually ‘Plant of the Month’ plants are selected as its flowering season is reaching its zenith. However, I’ve always placed foliage high up on the list in terms of desirability and, for me, when Rodgersia… Read More..

A Brief History of DK Plants - Fri, 30 Apr

The Nursery D K Plants is run by myself, Dave Knox. The nursery offers a wide range of rare and unusual perennials plus many favourites which I have collected over many years. I have several… Read More..

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Fri, 30 Apr

Of all the colours people ask us for in a climber white seems a perennial favourite. As with most other colours, there are many shades of it, but in truth it is the plant's habit… Read More..

2021 Rare Plant Fair Dates - Fri, 14 Aug

UPDATED MARCH 10TH 2021 Following some changes as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, please find below our dates for the coming season: May 16th - The Old Rectory, Quenington, Nr. Cirencester May 30th -… Read More..

A Frondness for Ferns - Sun, 14 Jun

I can’t quite remember when I first fell for ferns, they sort of crept up on me. I’d kept them at arms length, I suspect, as I was intimidated by their incredibly complicated Latin names,… Read More..

Sensational Salvias - Sun, 14 Jun

We have to admit it, we are obsessed with salvias. It's a relatively new thing for us; when we ran our nursery (where we grew hardy and unusual perennials, specialising in hardy geraniums, which we… Read More..

Starting a National Collection - An Obsession with Forsythia - Sun, 14 Jun

It all started at Samarés Manor Botanic Garden in June 2019. While visiting Jersey for an art exhibition and with a few short hours to kill we decided a tour of the famous botanic gardens… Read More..

Basil - A Pure Indulgence - Sun, 10 May

Last year I had one of those renaissance moments with the genus Ocimum, commonly known as Basil. It happens here at the Cottage Herbery HQ every now and then, a renewed interest in a group… Read More..

Exotic Brugmansia for your Subtropical Garden Design - Sun, 10 May

When we think of subtropical gardens what are the first plants which spring to mind? Bamboo, Fatsia japonica,or perhaps Mediterranean plants like Fig or Lemon trees? For over a hundred years in the British Isles… Read More..

Fantastic Foliage - Sun, 10 May

Foliage interest is the backbone of a good garden. That’s not to say I don’t like flowers – that would make me weird (add your own joke here). So here are a few of the… Read More..

Rare Plant Fair Exhibitors Offering Mail Order - Tue, 24 Mar

UPDATED MAY 10TH 2020 We have been very keen to try and support our participating exhibitors in these difficult times. We know that a lot of you have already been doing this, so on behalf… Read More..

It's a Cover Up! - Sat, 7 Mar

While its true that we grow climbing plants here for a whole variety of reason (the flowers and scent being at nose height is just one of a long list), it is also a fact… Read More..

Flowering Shrubs with Great Scent - Sat, 7 Mar

Shrubs have much to offer in the garden in terms of structure, permanence, foliage and flower. Adding in the benefit of delightful scent makes these plants even more garden worthy. Here are a few of… Read More..

Flowering Shrubs for Late Summer and Autumn - Fri, 23 Aug

The following shrubs are a selection from those we grow on our nursery which provide late summer and autumn flowers. Grevillea victoriae is a medium sized evergreen shrub with grey-green lanceolate leaves that are covered… Read More..

Our Late Summer Desert Island Plants - Fri, 23 Aug

It is always difficult when someone asks you to pick your favourite plants, as we find it changes constantly, depending on the time of year. We have chosen some of our favourite perennials for the… Read More..

2020 Rare Plant Fair Dates - Fri, 9 Aug

During the summer, we've been working hard putting together our programme of Rare Plant Fairs for 2020. Please find below our dates for next year: March 22nd - The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset April 5th - Evenley… Read More..

Summer Perennials that Perform! - Fri, 12 Jul

When we sit down and plan to write an article for the Rare Plant Fairs newsletters, we usually choose to focus on a particular plant family, and have written about (amongst others) hardy Geranium, Erodium… Read More..

My 'Desert Island' Plants - Fri, 12 Jul

When Rare Plant Fairs asked me to write this, I didn't realise how hard it would be to choose just the top eight plants that I couldn't do without. It's equally hard as choosing my… Read More..

Old-Fashioned Pinks - Fri, 24 May

My interest in Pinks was ignited when, aged 16, I left school and worked at a local plant nursery. The nursery had a collection of nearly 100 different Dianthus and I was attracted to the… Read More..

Brugmansia: Growing in a Frost-Prone UK - Fri, 24 May

Brugmansia, or Datura as it used to be known, can be grown almost anywhere. However in areas susceptible to frost these vigorous plants do not reach the dimensions they can achieve when permanently planted out… Read More..

A View of the Rue - Fri, 24 May

I think the first Thalictrum (common name of Meadow Rue) that caught my imagination was Thalictrum delavayi ‘Hewitt’s Double’ which is ironic really, as I have had it die on me in about 3 different… Read More..

Making a Sculpture Park - Fri, 24 May

“Nothing is more a child of art than a garden.” Sir Walter Scott I always seem to be writing about the garden when it’s looking at its absolute worst and my enthusiasm for it at… Read More..

Designing a Beautiful Border - Fri, 10 May

1 – Plot Preparation Whether you have a blank canvas, or are trying to renovate an established border, taking time to prepare thoroughly is important. Firstly clear the site – even established borders benefit from… Read More..

Resilient (and Beautiful!) Rambling Roses - Fri, 10 May

As the days lengthen once again and we start to think of spring, and even dream of a summer like last year. Roses are very much part of that overall picture, and although we grow… Read More..

Creating Big Impact with Large Leaves - Fri, 10 May

Bold foliage can have a real impact in a garden, adding interest and character to what otherwise might be a boring pallet of colour, texture and form. Large leaves have the potential to add drama,… Read More..

Native Wildflowers for Woodland Planting - Mon, 4 Mar

Woodlands are wonderful areas of nature to enjoy and the benefits of spending time within the landscape and greenery of a woodland are known to contribute to people’s health and wellbeing. Woodlands provide interest throughout… Read More..

Winter Border at The Bishop's Palace - Mon, 4 Mar

Our large winter border was planted nearly two years ago and has matured well during 2018 despite the drought and heat. We watered it throughout the summer and because of the thick mulch of mushroom… Read More..

Plant Profile - Correa reflexa var. nummularifolia - Fri, 24 Aug

To my mind this is the best Correa. It’s hardy to about -13C (others are only hardy to about -6C) and it’s compact and shapely (others are leggy and gawky). They all bloom overwinter starting… Read More..

Hardiness - An Update - Fri, 24 Aug

The public largely imagine hardiness is all or nothing. Thus, in their imagination the thermometer drops to 0C (freezing) and the tender plants are reduced to mush. In the world of tender bedding this may… Read More..

Aspire: Working to change lives across Oxfordshire - Fri, 24 Aug

Aspire is an award winning employment charity and social enterprise, established in 2001. Aspire supports highly disadvantaged local people with a background of homelessness, offending histories, poor mental wellbeing or addiction into employment. We do… Read More..

Reliable Performers (Good Do-ers!) - Fri, 10 Aug

We all love trying to grow “difficult” plants – we love the challenge, it boosts our ego when we get it right, by luck or judgement. But let’s be realistic – most of us love… Read More..

Summer Flowering Shrubs - Fri, 10 Aug

While most people use herbaceous perennials as the mainstay of their summer borders there are quite a few interesting summer / early autumn shrubs for added interest. These are a few of of my personal… Read More..

My Life at Kew Gardens - Sun, 24 Jun

I first came to Kew Gardens as a glasshouse trainee at the age of 26, knowing very little of what to expect. It was a year-long course that meant I spent half of the year… Read More..

Herbaceous Plants for Summer Shade - Sun, 24 Jun

The peak time for shade-tolerant plants in the garden is spring; this coincides with the rise in temperatures, increasing day lengths and, in the natural environment, lack of competition for nutrients and moisture from trees… Read More..

Epimediums - A Love Affair! - Sun, 27 May

It’s always quite interesting when putting together a piece like this to hark back to when you first became attracted to the plant you are writing about. It happened probably more than 20 years ago… Read More..

Aromatica – By the Crush of a Leaf (Part Two) - Sun, 27 May

Which plants to crush a leaf of this time? Well, I did ponder for a while finding it a hard choice but then working with some of the plants on the nursery recently my choices… Read More..

Plant Profile - Sparrmannia Africana - Sun, 27 May

This wonderfully architectural shrub, native to Africa and Madagascar, holds hidden delights and is far more forgiving than you might think of our cold winters, given that its natural home is the the edges of… Read More..

How to Successfully Grow the Proteacea Family, The Plantbase Way - Fri, 11 May

The family Proteaceae is a large family of flowering plants found largely in the Southern Hemisphere, with the greatest ranges being found in South Africa and Australia. There are 83 genera containing over 1600 species,… Read More..

National Collection of Perennial Anthemis - Fri, 11 May

National Collections are vital. Without them untold numbers of cultivars, and the skills required to grow them, would disappear every year as different trends fall in and out of favour with the gardening public and… Read More..

How to Succeed with Lavender - Fri, 2 Mar

Spring is an excellent time to plant lavender. Hardy lavender in this country is often referred to as English Lavender, but is actually a Mediterranean wild flower, mainly from France and Italy. It grows primarily… Read More..

My 'Desert Island' Plants - Mandy Bradshaw - Fri, 2 Mar

As a plant-lover, I’m rather fickle. My favourite plant is always the one that’s in flower now. I lurch from one minor obsession to another, falling hopelessly for something only to forget it when the… Read More..

Running Postmen, and The Wonga-Wonga Vine! - Fri, 2 Mar

If the winter period of colder weather has left you and your garden feeling a bit worse for wear, you could be excused for hiding in the conservatory or greenhouse while Spring gets things back… Read More..

The Bishop's Palace Gardens in August - Fri, 11 Aug

If you visit The Bishops Palace Gardens in August you can enjoy diverse and densely planted borders full of colour and interest. Since we started to develop the gardens in 2005 we have created borders… Read More..

Sensational Sanguisorba - Fri, 11 Aug

Our first encounter with the genus Sanguisorba was back in the days before we ran our own nursery. For one summer, Teresa helped at an organic herb farm in South Wales, and there we came… Read More..

Living the Dream! - Fri, 21 Jul

In 2013 my husband and I took on a restoration project of an old derelict Walled Garden and over the next 5 years would be involved in its many ups and downs before its final… Read More..

Experiments with Echinacea - Fri, 21 Jul

Thumbing through plant catalogues is a favourite pastime of mine, and a lot can be learnt about availability and the differences between cultivars of the same genus. We have always grown the Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea,… Read More..

Why Rare Plant Fairs are Important! - Fri, 14 Jul

Once we get hooked on gardens and gardening, we all become fascinated with new and unusual plants. Whether we specialise in collecting a particular group of plants such as roses, snowdrops, irises, etc. (our personal… Read More..

MRI Scanner Project at Cobalt - Fri, 14 Jul

The Rare Plant Fair at Highnam Court is the second this year that is being hosted in conjunction with Cobalt Health, to help raise funds to support the work of our medical charity. In our… Read More..

Tortworth Plants’ Favourite Alpines for the Summer Season - Fri, 23 Jun

We grow a wide range of alpines and herbaceous perennials, with up to 1000 varieties throughout the year. Spring is the time when the alpines take centre stage, but the flowering period can be extended… Read More..

It's a Pellie Revolution! - Fri, 16 Jun

They’ve had a long and chequered history. They have had their name so well and truly muddled up that it’s almost become a national obsession getting it wrong. They’ve been divided up as a family,… Read More..

Waterperry Gardens: 85 Years of Saxifrages - Fri, 16 Jun

Valerie Finnis VMH (1924-2006) Valerie was at Waterperry Horticultural School for Women from 1942 until 1971; unfortunately I did not meet her until 1972. In 1971 I had developed an interest in alpine plants and… Read More..

Dazzling Dierama - Fri, 2 Jun

Dierama are otherwise known as angel’s fishing rods or wand flowers, and with over 40 species and numerous hybrids they have become very popular in the last few years. These beautiful members of the Iris… Read More..

Pacific Coast Iris - Sat, 27 May

Pacific coast iris are a small group of species from the west coast of North America. The 14 species range from southern California to southwest Washington State. Most are evergreen and range in height from… Read More..

Erodium - Enchanting but Elusive - Sat, 27 May

Those of you who know us well know that here at Rare Plant Fair we’re quite partial to a hardy Geranium. They were a speciality of our nursery before we retired, being Teresa’s passion, and… Read More..

Aromatica – By the Crush of a Leaf: Part 1 - Fri, 19 May

When choosing plants for our gardens we tend to look firstly for colour, then form and how to incorporate these two important aspects into creating an overall planting scheme. But do we think of scent… Read More..

Spotty Dotty meets HiViz Yellow! - Fri, 19 May

Podophyllum My initial attraction to this less than common, woodland perennial of the Berberidaceae family, was the handsome leaf, that emerges through the ground like an umbrella. The leaf unfurls to reveal that it has,… Read More..

My Favourite Succulents - Fri, 5 May

I’ve always had a soft spot for succulents, if you excuse the pun. The range seen in nurseries and gardens gets ever wider. The usual worry for customers is hardiness. But.... there are so many… Read More..

A Potted History of Local Medical Charity Cobalt - Fri, 31 Mar

We are a medical charity helping people affected by cancer, dementia and other conditions. We believe everyone should have access to the best medical imaging for their diagnosis. We invest in equipment, research and education… Read More..

Helping to Grow the Next Generation - Fri, 31 Mar

It’s so easy to take your gardening knowledge for granted, to assume that everyone understands terms like perennial, knows what a mulch is or even how to sow seeds. It isn’t always the case. Coming… Read More..

Hedging your bets! - Fri, 31 Mar

The way we plant climbers here at Roseland House has been influenced a lot by having to find homes for over 500 of them in what is not a huge garden, so planting them in… Read More..

Japanese Maples and Other Fabulous Foliage - Fri, 31 Mar

The foliage of a tree or shrub can often give as much colour and interest as a flowering plant and amongst the best foliage trees are the Japanese Maples. Ranging in size from low,spreading and… Read More..

Lilies for the Garden - Fri, 24 Mar

“If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily” - Chinese Proverb Lilium 'Arabian Night' Lilies are an easy range of bulbs to grow. There are varieties that are good for either… Read More..

Erysimum - Fri, 24 Mar

Erysimum, formerly known as Cheirianthus, is a family of around 80 species of evergreen biennials and short-lived perennials that hail from Europe to North Africa, Central Asia and North America, suggesting that their predecessors occupied… Read More..

Primulas are Back in Vogue - Fri, 10 Mar

Primula: quite literally translated, this means the first flower and to those of us who are just a novice it is a sign of spring, that little flower that cheers us whilst driving down the… Read More..

A Year in Our Garden - Fri, 9 Sep

One of the consequences of retiring from the nursery business this year is that we’ve had much more time to spend in our own garden. Like many in the nursery trade, we found it difficult… Read More..

Bob's Autumn Selection - Fri, 9 Sep

Nerine Say it how you will, ner-eee-nee, ner-eye-knee, ner-een, they’re still one of the plants that make us feel better. You don’t have to grow them merely catch sight of a front- garden coruscating pink… Read More..

With Fronds Like These, Who Needs Anemones? - Fri, 9 Sep

Gardeners usually think of ferns as a solution to a shade problem. They’re better than that and, yes they do grow in shade – both damp and dry - but they also grow in sun… Read More..

A Blooming Feast - Fri, 26 Aug

Late summer and early autumn is my favourite time of the year. I love the golds, reds and russet colours of flowers and foliage which seem enhanced by the lower sunlight levels. It is also… Read More..

Exciting Echinacea - Fri, 29 Jul

There are a number of plant genera that have undergone an explosion in popularity over recent years, borne out of the efforts of talented and dedicated plant breeders to develop new and interesting varieties. Heuchera… Read More..

The Modern Approach to Rose Growing - Fri, 17 Jun

Roses hold a special place in people's hearts; they may complain about thorns, and say they don't like them, but even they can't resist sticking their noses in and having a little smile! Growing roses… Read More..

Alliums for All Seasons - Fri, 17 Jun

Not just another Allium! People really should be growing a greater variety of edible alliums than just onions, chives and leeks! There are three very useful Alliums that are easily grown and can add so… Read More..

The Walled Garden at Waterperry - Fri, 17 Jun

2016 is going to be an exciting year for Waterperry gardens as, after much deliberation, we have decided to put in to action the refurbishment of the Walled Garden. Plans have been drawn up, beds… Read More..

New Fairs for 2017 - Fri, 10 Jun

We are delighted to let you know of two new Fairs that we will be holding in 2017. The first is at a new venue for us, The Walled Gardens at Cannington, near Bridgwater in Somerset.… Read More..

Plants that turn me ON! - Sun, 29 May

Spring is just about making way to Summer (well, a man can dream), and after a really wet winter the gardens are now finally coming to life.That means it’s time to tuck in and see… Read More..

Flowering Dogwoods - Sun, 29 May

Although there are up to sixty different Cornus species, I am going to concentrate on just three, Cornus florida, C. Nuttallii and C. Kousa. These three species are the ones usually recognisable in late spring and… Read More..

Fifty Shades of Green - The Wonderful World of Ferns - Fri, 20 May

There are lots of different ferns in many shades of green and, although they are subtle, other colours too. Ferns can make a dark dull alley into something interesting. You could make a stumpery, like… Read More..

40 Years at The Cottage Herbery - Sun, 8 May

Here at The Cottage Herbery we celebrate 40 years as a small specialist Herb nursery in June of this year. It all began with purchasing one curly parsley and a gift of the paperback ‘Herbs… Read More..

Corokia - Fri, 29 Apr

C. cotoneaster in flower. “So why do you like corokias?” It’s a question I get asked a lot. They are not in your face, but there is a subtle beauty to them. It’s a genus… Read More..

Geums for the Herbaceous Border - Fri, 29 Apr

Geums make wonderful, easy to grow garden plants They are especially useful because they start flowering before the main flush of herbaceous perennials giving colour from April onwards and also provide an early nectar source… Read More..

Lapageria Rosea - The Chilean Bell Flower - Sun, 10 Apr

Sometimes known as Josephine's Bell Flower, Lapageria rosea was first described for science in 1804 and named after Napolean Bonapart's wife, Tascher de la Pagerie being her maiden name. In some ways a shame as… Read More..

Tortworth Plants’ Top Alpines for the Spring - Sun, 3 Apr

People often consider alpines to be temperamental and difficult to grow, but this is really not the case. There are some varieties that do need special treatment and an alpine house to grow well, but… Read More..

Planting Wild Flowers for Bumble Bees - Sun, 3 Apr

There are 24 species of bumble bee in the UK. We all know that honey bees are threatened at the moment, by viruses, colony collapse and pesticide use. Well, our native wild bees are suffering… Read More..

Daphnes - Fabulous Fragrance and More - Fri, 25 Mar

Wonderful scent is always the first thing that attracts people to Daphnes; not surprising as the best known plants of this family flower in Winter and early Spring and can fill the whole garden with… Read More..

Never Underestimate the Power of Magnolias - Fri, 25 Mar

Magnolias are a true treat to us. These vigorous trees and shrubs can reach the height of 110 feet in their native habitat of wet and swampy forests. Even though they don’t reach this height in… Read More..

What's New at The Bishop's Palace - Wed, 9 Mar

What a mild winter! Just when you think spring cannot get any earlier, it arrives at Christmas! In actual fact we did not have a dormant period following the historic warm December. Our Magnolia stellata… Read More..

New Fair for 2016 - Tue, 10 Nov

We are delighted to holding our first fair at Winterbourne House and Gardens, in Birmingham, on May 15th 2016. The seven acres of Arts and Crafts inspired gardens are home to over 6000 species of… Read More..

Time to be Inspired for 2016 - Fri, 11 Sep

The 15 acre garden, arboretum and park at Llanover, which is hosting a Rare Plant Fair on 20th September, displays the work of seven generations of the same family designing and continuously planting it since… Read More..

Shrubs for Autumn Colour - Fri, 11 Sep

The first plant most people associate with autumn colour is one of the many varieties of Acer palmatum, but being most gardeners already recognise these I will concentrate on the many alternative colour autumn foliage… Read More..

For the Love of Salvias - Mon, 31 Aug

I really don’t know when this romance began as I have been growing salvias for the last 25 years but since I have been at Adwell this romance has blossomed. I think I started with… Read More..

A Miscellany of Autumn Perennials - Fri, 14 Aug

Late summer and autumn perennials, as well as providing us with a wonderful display of many vibrant colours, can be essential as a source of food for late flying butterflies and other insects especially for… Read More..

The Best of Both Worlds - Itoh (Intersectional) Paeonies - Fri, 24 Jul

Combining the best of herbaceous and tree paeonies, Itoh hybrids are long lived garden plants that grow like a normal garden paeony but look like a tree paeony. They produce strong growing and very floriferous… Read More..

Wildwood Wonders Coming to Waterperry - Fri, 19 Jun

Here at Wildwood, I like to grow plants that are a little out of the ordinary. I source a lot of my seed from other countries such as North America and South Africa. Although a… Read More..

Desirable Delphiniums - Fri, 19 Jun

It's mid summer and perennial borders all over the country are bursting at the seams with plants and colour. At the back of many of those borders there are a group of plants that have… Read More..

The Gardens at Waterperry - Fri, 19 Jun

The main herbaceous border has been at Waterperry at least 80 years, when Beatrix Havergal set up her gardening school for young women, in 1932. It is a border of three seasons, early, mid and… Read More..

Give Your (Rare) Plants the Support they Deserve! - Fri, 5 Jun

Plants that have flopped do not enhance a garden! Gardeners often spend a great deal of money, love and time on the plants they choose for their gardens, but one of the kindest things you… Read More..

Hardy Geraniums - Fri, 29 May

Hardy geraniums are now a deservedly popular and fashionable family of hardy perennials. They are reliable, easy to grow and beautiful, and are favourites with gardeners because of their usefulness in a wide variety of… Read More..

Plants for Insects - Fri, 22 May

As a beekeeper I am very concerned to ensure that my garden provides nectar and honey for the honey bees in my hives as well as other pollinating insects. There is, in my opinion, a… Read More..

We’re not just Parsley and Thyme - Fri, 22 May

Why do we herb growers attend something called a Rare Plant Fair you might ask? Well it’s because we do grow a number of hard to find unusual edible plants besides the large quantities of… Read More..

H. Avray Tipping and his garden at High Glanau Manor - Fri, 22 May

Words can hardly express how I felt when I first saw High Glanau in 2002. A perfect Arts & Crafts house, set on a steep hillside above Monmouth with its spectacular views over the Vale… Read More..

The Wonderful World of the Spiky Agave - Fri, 15 May

When I moved to a house with a large garden I was looking for plants to fill the blank canvas I was faced with. I didn’t realise then that a chance discovery of an Agave… Read More..

Fifty Shades of Green - Fri, 15 May

Asarums Asarums are a really useful evergreen ground cover for that deeply shaded spot. We have seen Asarum europaeum growing really well under the dense shade of a holm oak in the Oxford Botanic Gardens.… Read More..

The Wonderful World of Perennial Violas - Thu, 2 Apr

Violas are plants with personality, which is what attracted us to them in the first place, their smiling faces and sunny disposition. On our nursery in South Shropshire we grow a lot of violas, 180… Read More..

For the Love of Lilacs - Thu, 2 Apr

Lilacs, or Syringa, are a widely grown range of trees and shrubs admired as much for their exquisite fragrance as for the beautiful profusion of flowers they produce each spring. Most gardeners would recognise the… Read More..

Cobalt in a Nutshell - Thu, 2 Apr

Cobalt is an independent medical charity helping people affected by cancer, dementia and other life-limiting conditions. Each year we provide diagnostic imaging for over 24,000 patients at Cobalt Imaging Centre in Cheltenham and with our… Read More..

New Developments at Evenley Wood - Sun, 22 Mar

It doesn't matter if you are a tree lover, take a fancy to bulbs or if you are a keen gardener with a love for the natural environment. With our extensive collections of trees, shrubs… Read More..

Spring Forth! - Sun, 22 Mar

Spring is always an uplifting and promising time of year especially after the dreary months following Christmas. It is not only a time for rebirth and new life in the garden but also an opportunity… Read More..

The Gardens at the Bishops Palace - Sat, 14 Mar

The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens is the site of a stunning medieval Palace – home to the Bishops of Bath & Wells for over 800 years. In the gardens, the wells that give the City… Read More..

Clematis viticella - Sat, 14 Mar

Clematis viticella If you haven’t already discovered them, the clematis varieties based on the species Clematis viticella will alter your perception of clematis being somewhat difficult to grow plants. The actual species is found in… Read More..

Great Foliage Plants for Ground Cover - Sat, 14 Mar

Some may think that groundcover plants are not very exciting – just something to chuck in around the ‘star plants’. What is termed groundcover can vary in both speed of growth and height. Don’t think… Read More..