Rose pruning. Of all the garden tasks this is one of the most satisfying. I enjoy a puzzle. To take a jumble of stems and train them into a pleasing and ultimately floriferous form is immensely rewarding. With every year that passes, my adoration of the rose multiplies. A thorny… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 9 ~ Tying knots with gloves on
All is quiet on the blogpost front and I have the most marvellous excuse. I am a Royal Horticultural Society Master of Horticulture candidate. In three years time, if all goes to plan, I will be able to put the letters MHort after my name. Far more important than the… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 8 ~ All is quiet at www.nicolahope.co.uk
South Wood Farm near Honiton in Devon is a pocket powerhouse of a garden. It appears to have a little bit of everything ~ a stunning 17th century farmhouse as a focal point, a setting in a lush and peaceful valley, fabulously colourful planting in a walled courtyard, a collection… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 7 ~ The perfect garden…..almost
Making the time to visit gardens a few times a year is of vital importance to a professional gardener. It is not always easy to fit it in, especially during the busiest gardening months but, even if you leave your garden kicking and screaming and in the foulest of moods,… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 6 ~ On the importance of garden visits 12/9/2017
Competition Winner! That was me this week. I won a ticket to The House and Garden Festival out of the blue (well, I did enter a competition but one does not expect to win) and had two days to organise a day trip to London. I was undecided whether or… Read More »Notes from a Head Gardener ~ Chapter 3 ~ The Big Smoke 25/6/2017
This is Aubrey the Leveret. He is Lavender the Fosseway Garden Centre Hare’s little brother and he is living in Cirencester Tourist Information Centre this summer on The Cotswold Hare Trail 2017. Aubrey the Leveret is sponsored by Cirencester Town Council. They wanted me to endeavour to show the… Read More »Introducing Aubrey the Leveret ~ The Cirencester Town Council and Tourist Information Centre small hare ~ 20/6/2017
