Category Archives: gardens

a celebration

Posted on November 26, 2020 by jonathan trustram

I remembered a trip to the shore of the Thames with a few of the Putting Down Roots volunteers. We went to get stuff for our new rock garden in St George’s churchyard in the Borough, near London Bridge. See … Continue reading →

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now and then, november 19th

Posted on November 19, 2020 by jonathan trustram

They’re a bit like a row of prophets or saints high up in a cathedral. And they all appear to be of the same person. The words spell out the message THIS IS MY PARK. ? The ever changing series … Continue reading →

Posted in crude satire, gardens | 3 Comments

garden notes 34, Nerines

Posted on October 27, 2020 by jonathan trustram

Just before the flowering of the ivy the nerines open, and go on for weeks. They like to grow in pots, where they slowly multiply.  The leaves fade in late summer so the flowers  appear on an empty stage. They … Continue reading →

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garden notes 33, ivy, words of warning, pruning clematis, an apology

Posted on October 11, 2020 by jonathan trustram

I’ve mentioned events in the garden before. Like when the snowdrops open. Events which mark a particular moment in the year and often carry emotional associations. For some reason I’ve been more aware of them this year. The last one … Continue reading →

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garden notes 32 pruning

Posted on October 4, 2020 by jonathan trustram

I’ve been avoiding the subject of pruning. I know many people find it difficult. But here’s a start: It always comes down to: don’t try to learn about gardening, learn about plants. Gardening is too often reduced to silly rules … Continue reading →

Posted in gardens, hilarious | 6 Comments

garden notes 31, giving up the inula, salvias patens and uliginosa, scientists, Heathrow, myrtle – old wood and new wood

Posted on September 5, 2020 by jonathan trustram

 At Heathrow airport, in Terminal 5 departures a series of glass cases show artefacts and copies of artefacts which were found during the building works. One of the biggest archaeological investigations in history. Obviously, since Terminal 5 goes on for … Continue reading →

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garden notes no 28, inside the lily

Posted on July 24, 2020 by jonathan trustram

Here are the pollen laden anthers of a newly opened flower of Lilium longifolium. They are attached to a slender thread called a filament. (I’m writing this out to teach myself as much as you.) Together, anther and filament make … Continue reading →

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garden notes no 26, myrtle

Posted on July 20, 2020 by jonathan trustram

People sometimes want a small tree, but they don’t know what they’re asking for. They have in mind maybe a young magnolia or cherry or crab apple such as you may see in many front gardens. Alas, they all grow … Continue reading →

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Garden notes no 25, Clematis jackmanii, coming true from seed, white variants, ways of seeing

Posted on July 15, 2020 by jonathan trustram

Poor old Dad. No one said, he loved this place, let’s give him a bench. I remember vividly, although maybe it’s the photo that I remember, over the compost heap at Tufnell Park Road was draped my father’s old dressing … Continue reading →

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Garden notes no 24, garden notes

Posted on July 11, 2020 by jonathan trustram

Spring is intoxicating but summer brings headaches.  The leaves on one of my lovely Salvia patens look like a cross section through a diseased lung. After the hot spring, exile from the greenhouse for the morning glories was like going … Continue reading →

Posted in gardens, in the City | 1 Comment