Loving Gardens Elsewhere
Anyone who follows me on Instagram (@bensbotanics) will probably have come to the conclusion that I'm a bit of a 'plant nerd'. I'm writing this article in the spare bedroom [...]
Ben Probert
Gazing Upon A Blue Sea
I'm terrible at garden visiting. I always mean to get out and see other gardens, yet by the weekend I tend to lack the enthusiasm to go far from home. [...]
Restoration vs Renovation
“The ideal fortune is to find an old garden, once richly cared-for, since sunk into neglect, and to tend, not repair, that neglect.” Words from Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. [...]
Make time to stand and stare
What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare? The immortal first lines from the poem 'Leisure' by W.H. Davies, published in 1911. [...]
Not A Moment Of Peace
I really love visiting the Royal Horticultural Society's garden at Rosemoor, here in the UK. It's a big place yet it feels intimate and personal. It's crammed with unusual plants [...]
You’re not rich enough to look at this plant!
Are plants for the rich or for the poor? There seems to be a moral minefield around this question and I'm struggling to keep up with where we're supposed to [...]
My Least Favourite Plants and One I Loathe
A friend of mine is Head Gardener at an estate called Trewithen in Cornwall, UK. Every morning of his working week he posts a plant from his commute to work [...]
Daffodils are better than snowdrops.
Galanthus 'S. Arnott' At the time of writing the snowdrop season is well underway. Social media is full of pictures showing carpets of pure white Galanthus nivalis or [...]