Kew Gardens planted The Mediterranean Garden last year to educate and encourage gardeners to think about the wide range of drought loving plants that will survive our hotter summers. The plants are well established despite the record summer rainfall of 2007. http://www.kew.org/medsummer/mediterranean/index.htm

Normally, the native wild plants of the Mediterranean like dry conditions .The garden [...]

Tags: lavender, Mediterranean plants

I was interested to read during my visit to Kew Gardens about a palm that is so large it can be seen on Google Earth.
This new genus of self-destructive palm growing in Madagascar has been identified by experts at Kew. It flowers itself to death during its spectacular lifecycle by growing a trunk up to [...]

Tags: Google Earth, Kew Gardens

The Palm Centre, just South of London
Located not far from Kew Gardens is The Palm Centre which claims to be one of the leading exotic plant nurseries in the UK.
This impressive nursery not only stocks a range of palms but also propogates from seed - this means your carbon footprint can be kept low [...]

Tags: Chusan Palm, palms, The Palm Centre

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is THE place to visit in London if you want to see the world’s largest collection of 40,000 plants.
I was at Kew yesterday to witness the opening of the new Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway which adds new meaning to the expression - a bird’s eye view!

Balancing some [...]

Tags: Kew Gardens

More palm trees in England may please some of the people some of the time but, it is equally important for gardeners to understand how biodiversity is crucial for preserving our natural fauna and wildlife.
As well as adapting our gardens to climate change, the issue of biodiversity will always be a key area for [...]

Tags: biodiversity

The BBC coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show this week has been excellent. Alan Titchmarsh continues to charm his audience whilst demonstrating his tremendous knowledge of plants.
Yesterday’s coverage explored what might be the trend for planting in english gardens over the next few years. Palm trees are tipped to become extremely popular [...]

Tags: palms

The Chelsea Flower Show may take place in London but it receives visitors and media coverage from all around the world. It is an international event that sows seeds of inspiration for the global horticultural scene.
Climate change in the garden is certainly one of the key issues that concerns gardeners wherever they may live. [...]

The greenest gardens and exhibitors at the Chelsea Flower Show for me are those that use planting ideas based around the changing climate with its rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall. An exhibit that captures this concept extremely well was created by the University of East Anglia where I used to be a student.

UEA has a [...]

Green may be THE colour for this 2008 Chelsea Flower Show but what about the green credentials of this horticultural theatre?
The show gardens and stands are truly impeccable, with immmaculate blooms and stunning plants everywhere. It really is a feast for the eye to behold but I dread to think of the amount of water [...]

Tags: Chelsea Flower Show

This is what my East Sussex garden looked like today - not quite The Chelsea Flower Show but I reckon it is equally beautiful.The view of Lewes Castle from the front garden is particularly english and something I look forward to seeing every day.
The temperature was about 18c and just perfect for gardening. I [...]

Tags: grow-bags, Vegetables