Welcome to the GVAG Blog

The linden tree is framed between two old maple trees, planted over 100 years ago.

Following My Tree: April

Finally, the snow is melting and the ground that has been hidden for so many months is beginning to re-appear. Today temperatures rose to 15C or so, a big change from what we’ve been experiencing. And the sky was bright and beautifully blue.     Despite this, not much is happening yet to the tree…

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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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