Louise discovers some unexpected and unusual horticultural treasures Whilst walking with some friends that had come to visit Canterbury, back in late September, I showed them Solly’s Orchard, one of the public gardens this lovely city has to offer. It was a good choice as the amount of colour and loveliness that we were able […]Read More

Louise takes a look at the colourful hardy Hibiscus to give your garden a tropical vibe. Recently I have found that the beautiful Hibiscus plant has popped up on my radar a couple of times. I was asked to write an article about an award-winning local gin company for another magazine. Not the worst job […]Read More

Louise offers some suggestions for plants that thrive in drought conditions Well it has been truly ‘scorchio’ throughout the early summer months, with at least three official heat waves recorded, enough to send even the toughest sun-lovers scurrying for the shade. Not surprisingly the combination of the already strong period of drought starting in spring, […]Read More

Louise takes a look at one of the lesser stars of the garden If I had to choose my absolute favourite month, I would probably say, it’s right now, which at the time of writing is May. The reason for this is the amazing abundance of colour, which seems to have just exploded onto the […]Read More

Louise indulges in some springtime yellow fever… Have you noticed how the colour yellow, in its many shades heralds the joyful beginning of spring and how it is the key colour of numerous plants in the garden coming back to life? After the seemingly endless blur of grey days through the winter months, it’s as […]Read More

UP THE GARDEN PATH Louise offers some more spiky specials to pique your interest. I had planned this article as a follow-on from my first spiky plants article in the October-November issue last year, but I got side-tracked by the beautiful fuchsias in the December-January magazine, as I felt we needed a bit of colour […]Read More

Anyone who has read this column from time to time may have noticed my affinity for the more unusual plants in the garden. I often find myself captivated by a strange “creature” that catches my eye, leading me down a rabbit hole of research. So, it won’t surprise you to hear that I have a […]Read More

Louise gives us an update on the Naturalistic planting started last year. In an earlier article, I explored the subject of Naturalistic planting, as I discovered a local group of gardeners working on this type of scheme. I realized it was a great opportunity to observe their efforts. Recently, I went back to check on […]Read More

Louise Tomlin takes a look at the captivating climbers that are Clematis At last, we are into late spring, almost summer, and everywhere I look it seems that there’s so much colour and richness out there in the gardens. It’s a joy to behold, maybe it’s because to me has felt like such a long […]Read More