Tag Archives: botany

Plant of the Month: May 2017

Posted on 31/05/2017 by

When an unfortunate juxtaposition of my slippery sandal and the glass-like surface of a marble step in Venice had fairly uncomfortable consequences a couple of weeks ago, my second conscious thought (the first having been ‘I hope this wasn’t caught … Continue reading →

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Thunbergiana

Posted on 16/05/2017 by

I was picking stems of my Deutzia to bring indoors (an activity which presents a rather more domesticated and delightful image of the châtelaine of Château Hedgehog than the reality), when it occurred to me that although I have been … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: April 2017

Posted on 24/04/2017 by

The forget-me-not is one of those plants which are ‘only a …’. But like so many apparently over-familiar pieces of nature, it repays closer examination. It must be one of the most widespread (and toughest) plants in the northern hemisphere, … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: January 2017

Posted on 09/01/2017 by

My mahonia is looking pretty cheerful at the moment: as good a reason as any to find out a bit more about it – including, I hope, the reason for its flowering in the coldest months of the year, when … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: August

Posted on 11/08/2016 by

When everything else is looking a bit tired and dusty, there are some plants which you can rely on to go on and on. They are mostly ‘daisies’, Asteraceae, and mostly introductions from hotter climates, and my favourite is Cosmos. … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: December

Posted on 24/12/2015 by

Completely predictable this month – it’s holly. And it’s just as well I took some local pictures well in advance, not only because the light levels are a bit grim as we crawl from St Lucy’s Day to the Shortest … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: September

Posted on 26/09/2015 by

Decisions, decisions: the autumn equinox is producing such wonderful sights that I’m spoiled for choice for September’s plant of the month. Sedums, rudbeckias, penstemons, cyclamen, colchicums, and of course Michaelmas daisies – which I’m alarmed to see are undergoing a … Continue reading →

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