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The rill at Les Quatre Vents echoes the shape of one at Shute House in Dorset. Does the vegetation close to the rill improve on Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe

Who’s Copying Who?

An earlier version of this post referred to a photo found on line and credited there to the Cultural Landscape Foundation. Thank you to Christine Facer Hoffman for pointing out that the photo said to be of the Garden Cosmic Speculation was actually her own photo, of her own garden at Througham Court. For my review of…

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Crocus will bloom before too much longer. I hope.

Beauty in Unusual Places

  Flowers are lovely things. The colour, the shape, the texture, the scent: flowers have them all.     But at this time of year, when flowers are only a future prospect, I am searching for beauty in other places. (Yes, there is beauty in the winter landscape, but I’ve had enough of it.) So instead…

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Blue sky, puffy white clouds and autumn colour are reflected in the Skating Pond at Glen Villa.

Reflections and Inspirations

Where do ideas come from? Recently I’ve been working on a talk about using reflecting surfaces in gardens – things like mirrors, water, metal and glass. In the process, I’ve been thinking about gardens in a general way. What is the point of adding a reflecting surface to a garden – a piece of shiny metal,…

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Bees enjoy the nectar of blossoms in July. sitting under the tree then is like sitting inside the hive, with buzzing all around.

Following My Tree: March

My linden tree (Tilia Americana) is still trunk-deep in snow. And I am still far from home. So again this month, I can’t post an up-to-date photo of the tree as it is. I can, though, post photos of the tree as it has been. And those photos, taken from a collection that spans the last…

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A great smile is a good marketing tool. Pearl Fryar has one, for sure.

Pearl Fryar’s Topiary Garden

Success comes from three things, Pearl Fryar told me the other day — from work, passion and marketing. Fryar has them all. Pearl Fryar knows what he’s good at and cheerfully shares his knowledge with even a casual visitor like me who stopped by unannounced on a Saturday afternoon. I found him working in the garden but he stopped to…

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