Happy 2016! Pondering the year

Gosh this year has gone quickly! This has been a good gardening year…

Good things

Weather was ok, a mild winter followed by a warm spring, then cool summer with lots of watering before the garden opening

Musa sikimensis: in pots they were fabulous, and in the ground where they usually sulk they also did well…although they are getting big

Ensete ventricosum: I am very happy to have about 7 of these fabulous beauties, all slowly getting bigger year by year

Jiffling things around: the garden is definitely in the editing phase of things as things that aren’t so good are moved and others given space. Tricky to do, but essential

Year of the soil: this has certainly been the year I have invested in the soil! I can’t think how many bags of manure I have bought but I do think if you can get the soil right a lot of the rest follows

Echiums: we were so lucky to have so many monsters survive to flower. Hurrah!

BBC Instant Gardener: it was great fun to have the BBC film for an afternoon!

Things getting big: it is lovely how things are padding out and getting big, it is feeling very jungly!

Things that weren’t so good

 Vegetables: I am still a rubbish fruit and veg grower

Slugs and Snails: we were smited by great plagues

Dahlias: after 2 good years they now sulk and aren’t there amazing fabulousness

Im not big in Austria (yes I am still grumpy!)

Plans for 2016

More editing: I need to be brave and move a big clump of bamboo!

Colocasias: I see some big pots full of them

Persicaria orientalis: a current plant lust

Bees: taking off honey as soon as supers are full to better appreciate the different seasons honey

Art: I see the creation of some new idols and friends to terrify the unsuspecting visitor

Whatever you plan to do I hope you have a fabulous 2016

Thai jungle

The thing that inspires me most with my type of garden is pure unadulterated jungle. I am to try and replicate this type of naturalism so that when you go outside you are escaping to something wild, and certainly not a manicured English garden. The easy things to take from this is about the lack of flowers, and when they are used they are sparing. There is a lot of green and big leaves, and leaves with interesting shapes with a lot of repetition. 

You feel small and know how nature is certainly boss.

An iridescent blue selaginella (similar to moss)

Thailand: royal splendor

Last month we escaped to Thailand for some R&R and as many mango and sticky rices as we could manage.

In Bangkok we went on a great tuk tuk food tour which stopped at their huge flower market which late at night was heaving with people. The orchids, all at about 75p for a bundle made me swoon, If I lived in Bangkok I would be just like Elton John with  gazillion flowers in the house refreshed daily.

Many of the flowers were for offerings...

Masses of roses all at about £2 each.

Crazily our guide was most enamoured with the few air conditioned shops selling flowers we were more familiar with  like hydrangeas. No no no! stick with your exotica!

Then back to the Grand Palace for some proper Thai gardens....amazing pots and well clipped trees *swoon*

Sadly I did't manage to fit any in my suitcase....