Plantsmanship 101
“You must visit my friend Mary; she's a plantswoman.” I'm a fairly placid sort of chap really. I do what I do and I'm largely happy for the world around [...]
Ben Probert
Green Is A Colour
I passed a gentleman sat with his wife. “There's not much colour” he remarked to her. I looked up, I looked one way and the other, I looked down. Colour [...]
A Past Love
I was at my desk when I received a message from someone I haven't heard from in years. We'd dated for a while at secondary school, or as it's known [...]
How To See A Garden
Garden visiting is one of the most important things a gardener can do. Getting out of our gardens to see what other people are up to is not an indulgence, [...]
A Summer Slump
I love what I do. I love plants, I love gardens, I feel a great pride in my knowledge and abilities. Why then do I feel so numb to it [...]
Behold The Rose
Of all the great garden plants of the world surely the rose is the most iconic? The history of roses is intertwined with the history of humanity, and to imagine [...]
Garden Volunteers
Gardening is a noble profession. It probably won't make you rich unless you get one of the handful of 'top jobs' that pay very well; ironically these are jobs where [...]
Naturally Inspired
What do you think about the planting below? A corner of my own garden Hopefully you like it; it's a bit of my own garden so feel free [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]