Cakes for Concerts at Cratfield

It is concert weekend in Cratfield and that means cakes! Firstly two ginger cakes – and another view, because I think they look nice, and because I am trying to find the best way to photograph the cakes, something much more difficult than I ever imagined! I think the recipe is now ready for The…

East Ruston, The Old Vicarage Garden

The Old Vicarage Garden in East Ruston, Norfolk, is a remarkable and amazing achievement. I visited on a hot day and in the smaller courtyards, surrounded by hedges and high trees it felt like the tropics! The gardens are only open from 2.00-5.30 and you need all that time to really enjoy the plantings and…

A small terrace over three seasons

The back ‘garden’ in 2010 – Starting the hard landscaping – Taking shape – One year later – All the plants are behind this year, and the hydrangea has not flourished, but I love the change. The anenomes are all staked and won’t be falling over this year, and the rose is starting to grow…

David Austin’s ‘William Shakespeare’

My roses are flowering abundantly but the flower heads are so heavy the stems are bending downwards and when I tried to lift and stake I broke a stem. I phoned David Austin and was told that the roses will get stronger as they age, and that I should consider pruning in November, rather than February.…

The ‘Patio’, aka ‘The Fernery’

Garden planning has started, which means Jason Lock has cast his eye over the garden and we are going to commission a plan. He designed a beautiful village garden for me in Cratfield, but I want this, London garden, to be different.