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Hello 2017

How have we already got to 16 Jan ? Where has the time gone ? Seems like only yesterday I was dodging the over filled shopping trolleys indicating it was some holiday.

I’ve started the year with my RHS Chelsea tickets booked. My RHS Chatsworth tickets booked. Both of which I’m looking forward to. Chelsea for me is a tradition – lunch first at Poulet au pot in Chelsea then a potter around the show. It’s become so familiar and samey but I darent miss it. But  I’m more excited about Chatsworth. Last year I loved Malvern. Next year I’m aiming for Tatton Park. 

I’ve been lucky to have had two outings already so far this month. A hot date with Georgie from Common Farm Flowers to  At the Chapel to the first of their 2017 events – a talk by Satish Kumar. A thought provoking talk on Soil Soul and Society. Helped along by putting the world to rights in the bar after the event. 

We are lucky to have Hauser & Wirth on our door step and the wonderful Piet Oudolf garden. It’s a stunning garden. Thomas Piper has made a film of Piet Oudolf and his  projects which is beautifully shot and has some great music. We were lucky to have them give a preview of the film at a sold out Hauser and Wirth event  followed by a Q & A after the film with them both. Piet Oudolf movie is definetly worth checking out. As is the garden at Hauser and Wirth. In all seasons.  Was interesting seeing the comments on instagram after the event and realising that people who I follow and who follow me were there as well. Next time. Badges.  

January is a dreary month in our garden in Somerset. More so this year as I’ve put off jobs as we weren’t sure of the timing for some work on the cottage which meant the borders would be moved. Looks like I may have another summer out of them. 

So in need of some advice I’ve persuaded the lovely Sara Venn to come and visit. That is if she ever stops to take breath. She’s here there everywhere and I can’t see a hairy biker without thinking of her! 


The last time we were together we were like naughty school girls at a workshop at Common Farm Flowers.  So I need to make sure I feed her cake and lunch. And listen and learn. 

I’ve ordered seeds from Mr Higgledy – where I’ll get said seeds and a note written in really writing. In ink. That is if Flash hasn’t eaten the seeds. Or the pen. Or Ben. 

I’ve a pile of catalogues to look at – gardening ones not Grattan or Freemans ( some not all will remember them). Dahlias to plan. A greenhouse to research. When I retired ( early. I have to keep saying that) I was given money towards a new greenhouse. That’s been on hold and the old one strapped together and glazed in parts with plastic. So…. decisions. 

It’s not all been gardening though at times like this weekend it’s been all I’ve done. Looks like the year has started as it will go on. A call to see if I was around and if I could have the boys for two days. Well it was one and I offered two. My hat goes off to parents. I don’t know how you do it full time. I can give them back!! Didn’t help I had to be a responsible adult with a 10 and 12 year old. In central London. In the lego shop. And the M and M shop. Or being embarrassed in the Chinese supermarket in China town as the 12 year old said  ‘ Uncle Andrew –  you need to check the sell by date on those crisps’. Thanks I said. It’s in Chinese. He picked them up. Turned them over. In front of the person behind the till. And said. Yep.  They are ok. I forgot. At 12 he’s learning Chinese. 

So we’re at back in London where I have geraniums still flowering on the first floor window and where a white agapanthus is in bud.Theres a micro climate on the patio – the frost hasn’t  caught them. There’s a potted orange by the front door. With blossom. It’s madness. 

And we are only two weeks in. 

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Dahlia love 2

I used to hate dahlias growing up. My parents grew them – not a lot but they grew some. But I hated them. They largely grew Pom Poms. They were always plagued by earwigs. Which seemed to creep out when I was near them. Or picked them. 

Decades later I received a bouquet from  Common farm flowers which included dahlias. Beautiful colourful dahlias which looked amazing in a vase. I was hooked and decided to grow some. I put in a small cutting patch of dahlias. This year I added a few more. Next year is an odd one. We are possibly doing an extension which means changes in the garden. But whatever happens there will be dahlias. From Peter Nyssen

On Friday I was at Common Farm Flowers for the day. And there were dahlias. Some gorgeous colours. Shapes. In the brides bouquet. In the jam jar posies for the tables. In the larger arrangements. Mixed with rose petals in the confetti. 

Here are a few pics of this years  flowers. Some are Common Farm Flowers. Some from my garden in Somerset. 



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Dahlia love 

Growing up my parents grew  a few dahlias. In the back garden. Never the front. Me.  I hated them.  Yes they were colourful. Yes they were large. Looked great in a vase. But I still hated them. The reason. Earwigs. I always associated dahlias with creepy crawly earwigs. Out of the layered petals. Out of the Pom Poms. Out of the cactus flowers. Jumping out all wriggly. . Making me scream when they appeared on your arm as you carried them in. Getting told off for virtually dead heading the blooms by violently shaking them before I took them in to rid the petals of those horrible little critters. Nope. Nothing persuaded me. 

 So for years when I started gardening and had my own garden I ignored them. No. Not years. Decades. They somehow fell out of ‘fashion’ too. You didn’t see them in bouquets.  Yes you had the standard inter flora bouquet. Standard flowers. Standard price. Standard quality. No individuality.  Flown not grown. Chosen by looking at a picture replicated in every town and county across the British Isles. 


So what changed my view. I had a number of bouquets & jam jar posies from my friend and flower farmer Georgie Newberry at Common Farm Flowers ( I may have mentioned her once or twice in previous blogs! ) – which included some lovely flowers. Yep. . I was surprised. Amongst other flowers of varying degrees of gorgeousness there were dahlias. Guess what. I liked them. A lot. They weren’t your standard dahlia. To me. They were unusual in colour. In shape.  They looked great in a vase. They lasted well. I didn’t expect to get dahlias. But then one never knows what your going to get from Georgie! What you do know  is that you’ll get something different every time. Different because the flowers are seasonal. Oh. And beautiful.  So encouraged by Georgie and introduced to Karen  at Peter Nyssen I decided to grow some. 

Last years dahlia 


Last year was my first  and I was pleased with the results. I had set aside  a small patch purely for dahlias. Largely for cutting. Encouraged  & educated as well by the excellent  book by Andy Vernon ( dark prince of dahlias/big Mary flower fairy- his description. Not mine) – stop there. I’m not describing myself. Am I?  So I had a bash at growing them.

How did it go. T be honest I could have done better but I had some great cut flowers right up until the Autimn. 

I was rubbish  at staking but that’s nothing new for me.  I could have nipped them out a bit better at the start but I had blooms. And do you know what. I liked them. A lot. I am a dahlia convert.  Am I any better this year! Mmm jury is out. But it’s been a funny old  start.  

The dahlias proved a great addition – it was fab to be able to pick some single blooms to sit around the house. Especially to use the single stem glass things ( good technical term ) I had bought at a fab Vintage Glass  shop run by my friend Mr Glass in Londons Camden Passage. A small collection! – I have hidden the others for fear of Ian finding them. 


Last year I loved the darkness of Black Jack Rip City. Chat Noir. The different shapes. Textures. If only dahlias had a scent! 

Autimn came. Should I dig them up? Should I leave them in. Being lazy I left them in.  This year the garden was going to be a big hit and miss. We were due to do an extension. Plants would need to be moved. Given away. Discarded. Replaced. Beds were to be moved. Reborn.   – none of that has happened. Maybe next spring. 

Our ground is also pretty wet during the winter. We are in the South West after all – but most survived the winter and later than I’d hoped have just started to flower.  First to arrive was a Bishop. A Leicester. There’s a Llandaff in bud – has to be done as I lived in Llandaff in a past life though I’m not a huge Llandaff lover. The dahlia. Not the place. The place has a fab cathedral.my grand parents are buried there and a fab cross designed by Epstein. Like many things I think dahlia Bishop of Llandaff  over rated. 

But  The bishops arrived  first to  welcome in the rest of the team when they decided to arrive.  But most I think have come through. My nightly slug watch has been worth it. Though the little b….rs  still appear. This is the year of the slug for me – certainly in Somerset. In London it’s been snails. 

One of the first arrivals Bishop of Leicester


I have decided I have too many reds so I am thinking already of next year. I have seen some lovely yellows and whites and some orange Pom Poms. Not my favourite shape as I like them a bit of a spiky cactus or a bishop.  Plus there’s more little places for earwigs. Like a bug box. But I need to get over it. I need to be brave. 


Morning Dew on the dahlias this year 

This week I was up early and was surprised at the dew on the ground. Armed with a cup of tea and my phone I wandered around  the garden taking some early morning pics. Best ones were of the dark dahlias. Lovely shapes. Lovely form. Been a long time since I’ve been described like that ! 

So my hunt for new colours has started even before this years bed is in full bloom. I am still pondering tulips. But for dahlias  I have a list already – Cafe au Lait. White star. yellow star. Veronnes Taylor Swift. Summer flame. A couple of the Karmas. Little snowdrop. But I need to be early if I want to get what I want!  And realistic unless I increase the patch. Like my bald patch. Ever increasing. Year on year. 

Any suggestions on personal favourites gratefully received! 

 A lone yellow 


Big fat flouncy yellow dahlias seen in a florist in Paris last year.