Jack of all spades in Sussex!

When you first meet Jack Dunckley (above), and hear what he has to say about gardening, it's hard to believe he's only 17! This young man has already been a silver medalist at the Hampton Court Flower Show (2009); would have been at Chelsea this year if his backer hadn't pulled out; and is now getting ready for Hampton Court again in July.

Jack first hit the headlines back in 2008 when he became the youngest-ever entrant at the Malvern Spring Flower Show, and again last year with his silver medal at Hampton Court for his "Desert Delight" garden. His theme this year is a "Formal Cottage Garden" and when I met him last week, he was busy checking his plants for the show - some 20,000 being grown for the 15 sq. metre garden!

Jack has been passionate about plants since he was a young child. He's completely self-taught, but has always loved gardening and is hoping to do a three-year diploma at Kew when he finishes school.

You certainly get the feeling that Jack will be to plants what Jamie Oliver has become to food, and I for one, wish him well. And I couldn't help but notice that all my plants were branded "Jack Dunckley" on the label, so it seems he's already well on the way! He's also got a video - well worth watching to find out more about this promising young man.

His parents recently bought Birchfield Nursery just outside Henfield in Sussex and I came across Jack because I buy all my plants there. I was looking for ferns, fuschia and heuchera when I stumbled across the nursery some weeks ago. Since then I've returned many times and have been busy planting in my own garden. Many of you asked for more pictures of my gardens, so here's another tiny slice ... before and after, but I did say it was very much work in progress!!

We had to clear the whole area of ivy before we could do any planting (above), but also had to consider that this area gets little sunlight after early morning because of the way the garden faces. The only solution was to choose shade-hardy plants (below) - all came from Birchfield.

Svart och vitt med rätt känsla

Underbara bilder i svart vitt med den där lagom bohemiska känslan som jag gillar. Lägg märke till de vackra trädetaljerna, inte mycket, bara så pass att inte inredningen känns överjobbad. Vilket jag faktiskt tycker att den ofta gör när det är just bara ett frossande i svart och vitt. Ja, här kommer ju den kinesiska lyktan igen. Bilder från fotograf Marjon Hoogervorst.

What a lot went on in May!!

May is drawing to a close ... and it's been a good one! Hottest gossip on the UK gardening scene is that Tom Coward is moving from Great Dixter to Gravetye Manor in July, so watch out for changes in the way the Manor garden looks. Lots of good weather (although the English gardens are running well behind thanks to the brutally cold winter); a visit from well-known American blogger - Alice (below) of Bay Area Tendrils and Alice's Garden Travel Buzz. It's always good to meet fellow bloggers and we went on a whirlwind tour of gardens in Sussex, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Wales, many of which Alice is currently featuring on her blogs. I also had the chance to meet the lovely Victoria of Victoria's Backyard and sneak a peak at her glorious garden, which opens for the NGS later this year.

First time gardens for me this month were Chart's Edge, Gravetye Manor, Monk's House (entirely due to Alice even though it's so close to my home), Veddw, and the Roof Gardens in London's Kensington (great lunch and even better views!) - all very different gardens and each unique in its own way - and all covered in May postings, so do scroll down if you've missed them.

The most impressive sight this month was the Rock Garden at Leonardslee (top),which simply took my breath away (top), together with the tulips at Cothay Manor, where I encountered the charming owner Mary Ann Robb (RHS in picture below), hard at work in the bog garden, with her co-workers.

May also saw The Chelsea Flower Show, which I missed, but managed to catch up with on TV; the promise of many new gardens to come in June and lots of hard work in my own garden (which never gets featured on my blog because it's work in progress, but not far enough advanced to be proud of yet!)

But after four years of hard work, it's beginning to come together. Below is one of the areas I'm working on right now - there was nothing here at all at the beginning of April, and I'm planning to have a whole bed of different euphorbias and heuchera .... all experimental at the moment ... so it may well change!

And not to be forgotten are new bloggers on the scene this month include Seeds and the City and Monkey Dribble - both lovely UK blogs and Rosemary's Blog with its wonderful pictures. I thoroughly recommend all three. Fellow Blotanist Catherine Horwood of Gardening Women - has a new book out, to be reviewed on BBC's Woman's Hour tomorrow and I'm just off to buy a copy, so will let you know what I think when I've read it.

I'm off to Barnsley House - former home of Rosemary Verey - in June, to do a photography course with Clive Nichols; and to West Dean to see what new courses they have on offer at a special preview day. There are many gardens on my wish list, including several in the Cotswolds, which I hope to see when I go up to Barnsley. So all in all, May has been a good month, with many lovely sunny days, gorgeous gardens to visit, and new friends ... and June promises to be even better.

Kinesiska inredningsdetaljer

På tal om Kina och kinesisk inredning (se tidigare inlägg), så importerar och säljer Annuzza möbler och detaljer i precis den här stilen. I Frihamnen i Stockholm har de sitt grossistlager och showroom men säljer till kunder (inredningsbutiker, antikvitetsbutiker, hotell, inredare m m) i Sverige och över hela Norden. Anna Söderlund som startat och driver Annuzza reser själv runt i Kina och handplockar produkterna för att hitta just de som passar bäst in i våra nordiska miljöer. Jag har tidigare varit i kontakt med Anna när jag letade efter en kinesisk lantern som jag fått frågor om efter ett inlägg i SvD och fick då några förslag på var jag kunde hitta den. Alla bilder från Annuzza.

When tantalising topiary turns to hedging horror!

I've visited several gardens this month which are renowned for their topiary displays, starting with Mapperton House (above) and Athelhampton (below), but all are currently at risk from box blight or Phytophthora (Greek for 'plant destroyer') - a water-born fungus which kills yew hedges. Sir Roy Strong completely changed his iconic garden at The Laskett after it had been hit by box blight and Westbury Park Garden in Gloucestershire (to be reviewed next week), is desperately looking for a cure for its yew hedges before it's too late! And the tragedy is that even Mapperton and Athelhampton looked as though they were in for a hard time beating these bugs.

I'm not going to elaborate on the history of topiary here, because I've found a fascinating website which deals with all aspects of ornamental hedging - the Topiary Organisation - and will let you read for yourselves what is known about this ancient art. But what I do know is that I saw a huge number of immaculately clipped hedges in my travels last week, which prompted me to look further into topiary.

There are many stunning gardens in England where topiary is a primary reason to visit. Personally, I cannot imagine the time and effort required to turn hedges into appealing shapes like the well-known squirrels at Great Dixter (above), or indeed the consummate clipping skills required to keep Veddw (below) looking so immaculate, but I am filled with admiration for those gardeners who offer such visual delights to their visitors. I have yet to hear of a gardener's spirit-level that guides the clippers, or an electric trimmer that cuts to a number 1 or 9 like a barber uses!

Let's just hope that someone finds a cure for these hedging horrors soon, because it would be a terrible shame to lose the topiary displays at these wonderful gardens. I'd just like to say that these are the gardens I've visited this month with extraordinary or interesting hedging .... there are many others throughout the UK that I'll be visiting later this summer .... so watch this space!

Modernt och rymligt

Ett modert hus med mycket rymd, ljus och fria ytor. Blir snyggt med en nästan industriavskalad bas och glada färgklickar. Lägg märke till deras egen metod att bygga trendiga lapptäckesmattor, hur smart som helst. Varför klippa när man kan lägga lager på lager. Bilder från holländske fotografen Marjon Hoogervorst.

Meg Ryans sommarhus

Fastnade lite hos Elle Decor och kikade runt lite och hittade även dessa bilder från Meg Ryans beach house i Marthas Vineyard. Den här tjejen har stil, inget snack om den saken. Alla bilder från Elle Decor.

Sex and the City 2

Idag är det premiär för filmen som är ett måste för alla SATC fans, nämligen Sex and the City 2. Jag kanske inte kan kalla mig ett fan men hade absolut tänkt se den. Oftast får man en skön feelgood känsla av det här tjejgänget. Bilderna från Carrie och Bigs hem plus lite andra interiörbilder från filmen hittar du här. Bilder från Elle Decor, via Dreamhouse.

Kika också på författaren bakom Sex and the City, Candace Bushnells tjusiga hem i Greenwich Village.

Another glorious gourmet garden!

I have to confess that while all really serious gardeners have been at the Chelsea Flower Shower this week, I've been skulking around in Sussex enjoying the sunshine and looking for new gardens to visit. But I'm glad I stayed home, because I visited a startling garden this week, which has been on my wish list for several years - Gravetye Manor near East Grinstead in Sussex - a fine example of an Elizabethan house, surrounded by acres of glorious gardens and parkland - and former home of William Robinson, the influential (and outspoken) garden designer, who earned the nickname of "Father of the English Flower Garden".

Gravetye is best-known as a luxury hotel, surrounded by glorious gardens, but is now under new ownership and what will interest fellow gardeners is the new head gardener who joins the team in July. Tom Coward is arriving from Great Dixter in East Sussex and it will be interesting to see what changes he makes at this historical property in the next few years, given its gardening history.

This was the home of leading garden theorist and writer, William Robinson (1838-1935), who moved here in 1885 and remained here until his death. Robinson was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, was a friend of Gertrude Jekyll's and came into contact with William Morris, who much admired his work. He was a passionate gardener and prolific writer, who launched the original weekly journal "The Garden" in 1871 (not to be confused with the monthly RHS publication, The Garden - which goes out to members today) and two major gardening books: "The Wild Garden" and "The English Flower Garden" which remain in print today. Other well-known gardens for which he is credited include Hergest Croft in Herefordshire and Killerton in Devon.

The gardens at Gravetye are divided into several distinct areas - the wonderful and immaculately tended formal gardens around the house (top three pictures), where the Elizabethan manor plays a large part in the overall impression of the grandeur and style of planting; the lovely woodland gardens at the rear of the property (above) where you will see magnificent displays of late-flowering rhododendrons; the wild garden beyond the formal gardens; and the parkland and lakes which provide memorable views for hotel guests. There is also a fine kitchen garden, which will, I'm sure be nurtured and brought back to life when Tom Coward arrives.

At present, the only way you can see these glorious gardens in all their splendour, is to eat or stay at the hotel, but I can assure you that this is a wonderful place for "Ladies that Lunch" (just like Babylon in London) and I, for one, will be returning with my girlfriends to see how these gardens progress. I didn't have time to sample the food on this visit, but I'm told it's excellent, and the location alone is incentive to eat there. You've also got the added attraction of nearby Wakehurst Place where there's always something spectacular in bloom!

Tävling på gång!

Glöm inte att tävla om två stycken ursnygga och väldigt sköna solstolar från Slick. Du hittar tävlingen här! Tävlingen pågår fram till den 2:e juni. Vill du även läsa min krönika hos Slick så hittar du den här.

Spännande arbetsplatser

Det är ganska fascinerande med arbetsplatser. De kan ibland se så där intressanta, spännande och kreativa ut. Så att man vill slå sig ner och börja jobba direkt och bara överraskas av helt nya och revolutionerande idéer. Helt plötsligt kan man en massa som man inte kunde innan. Åtminstone kan jag få den känslan av andras skrivbord, som förresten inte behöver vara just ett skrivbord alls. Bilder från danska Rum.

Margery Fish's cottage garden paradise

No visit to Somerset would be complete without a visit Margery Fish's home in East Lambrook. This amazing plantswoman will always be remembered for her contribution to "cottage" and country gardening. She lived there for 30 years and passed on her ability to create drifts of colour in a small space in her numerous books, including "Cottage Garden Flowers", which became a bible for country gardeners in the 1960s.

Margery and her husband Walter bought East Lambrook Manor in 1937 for £1,000 and together they developed the two-acre garden there. But when Walter died in 1949, Margery emerged as a keen plantswoman in her own right and spent her time lecturing and writing about gardening, as well as building up a nursery to supply an increasingly knowledgeable garden audience with the plants that they needed to emulate her style. She also developed her own cultivars including Astrantia Major, Hebe, Penstemon and Pulmonaria saccharata Margery Fish; and Euphorbia wulfeni, Dainthus, Primula vulgaris and Santolina Lambrook.

The most striking feature at East Lambrook is that every inch of space has been used to create a garden that is filled with vibrant colours throughout the year. The garden starts drawing visitors in February for its snowdrop displays; and throughout the spring and summer months, the planting has been carefully chosen to provide colour and interest whenever you visit, starting with drifts of spring bulbs in March and April and wonderful full cottage borders in May and June. There is always something in bloom and it is the abundance of the planting that will strike you, because there are no patches of dark earth to be seen anywhere. You'll certainly leave here with many new ideas for your own garden!

Although the garden is small, it gives the impression of being much larger because it is cleverly divided into separate areas with a series of winding paths and lovely vistas which make you think you're in quite a large space. There is a true cottage garden adjacent to the house, and at the rear of the property there is a meadow area and a bubbling brook. You can easily spend a couple of hours here, just wondering at all the different plants.

If you're planning to visit other gardens in the area, you'll be spoilt for choice because there's Athelhampton, Mapperton and Hestercombe, and you many even want to stay at the lovely bed and breakfast adjacent to the garden, East Lambrook Farm, run by a charming English hostess and offering great comfort in another lovely Somerset stone house. You can't get much more off the beaten track than this and you may just want to stay for ever!