Camley Street Natural Park, King’s Cross, London
This weekend I was in central London on a trip as a treat for our work’s volunteers. During one of the activities I stumbled across Camley Street Natural Park, about 5 mins walk north of King’s Cross...
View ArticleFuzzy buzz: heuchera think you are?
How cool is this little fella? Buzzin around. Couldn’t get enough of the Heucheras. Cheeky tube faced chappy that he is!
View ArticleA walk on the South Downs at dusk
It started with a lama and ended with an allotment of Delphiniums, with wildflower meadows and immaculate fields in between. Enough said really.
View ArticleGreat Dixter – a garden outside of time
Stepping onto Great Dixter soil is like stepping into a dream world of wispy, airy meadows, curvy Dali-esque hedges, alien jungles and a colourful patchwork of plants you’ve never seen elsewhere. No...
View ArticleTop 6 Best Bee Magnet Flowers of 2015
One of my top priorities for 2015 was to have a garden grown as a nature reserve, making sure there is lots on offer for nectar loving insects like bees. Bees and other pollinators will visit lots of...
View ArticleTaming the weedy wildflower
Weedy humans are weak. Weedy plants are tough as nails. Wild flowers we like. Weeds we don’t. I think we need to make our minds up. When does a weed become a wild flower? What weeds are weak? When is a...
View Article4 Fundamentals of attracting wildlife in urban gardens
The other day I was in the garden watering our fern wall during one of those still and quiet moments that are so rare in central London. Suddenly there was a rustle and I saw to my left a tiny Wren...
View ArticleDesigning for wildlife
This video is quite long but the presentation within it is important and well worth watching in full. It talks about the importance of a ‘green infrastructure’ within urban areas; cities, towns, even...
View ArticleWill Apple images save planet Earth?
Over the last year I’ve been thinking of creating an app that uses people’s smartphone geolocation to tag every plant (and eventually living being) on the planet but it looks like Apple has beaten...
View ArticleRelease the stress, embrace the mess
I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure recently for our garden to look good. In photos, in person and increasingly stressing whether it will be good enough for our NGS open days, it’s weighing on my mind....
View ArticlePhoto gallery: Malibu’s unexpectedly exquisite wild flowers
I had planned to write a more detailed article about Malibu’s national parks and wildlife. However, I can’t do it justice and instead I’ve shared below a gallery of some of what we saw in early July...
View ArticleAn introduction to native wild orchids the alien wonder beings
People tell you that magic isn’t real, that Utopia is impossible. They’re talking bollocks. I know because I’ve seen it. Little glimpses of wonder, scientifically explainable yes but magical in feel....
View ArticlePot’s growing on in January: Planning for summer, sowing sweet peas,...
After an incredibly busy end to 2017 when all thought of our garden went up the chimney with Father Christmas, my mind is now finally turning to planning the garden for the coming year. A change is as...
View ArticleOh Beehave!
I was pottering around outside today in our little urban garden and while watering the ferns I spotted that little badger up there (aka a bee, it’s not really a badger) crawling out the stem of my...
View ArticleCome into my world
People have asked me a lot why I write recently and I don’t really know the answer but I think it’s something to do with needing to express how amazing I feel the natural world is in a deep and...
View ArticleWild patch: the challenge of a wildlife friendly allotment
My allotment is not like most, I don’t have raised beds, I let weeds grow because I love them and I produce food for us but also for wildlife. If a leaf is nibbled I don’t care. I try not to care about...
View ArticleOn the verge of a new way of gardening: do we need to change what we grow?
I’ve always written about our gardens being seen as mini-wildlife reserves, eco systems we protect and observe rather than something we manage and control. It’s more fun, it creates a sanctuary better...
View Article11 Tips for a wildlife friendly allotment
I love all life and I’m sure if you’re reading this you don’t need any explanation as to why helping wildlife is a good thing. Frankly, we don’t need to justify doing the right thing to save animals...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....