Powis is one of the most spectacular and best planted gardens of Britain, and so why has it been hobbled by its history? Most great gardens are built over the remains of previous gardens, but at Powis this is not … Continue reading
Gardens are so often an expression of their owner’s character, so what would the garden be like of someone Cecil Beaton described as ‘a galumping, greedy, snobbish old toad’ and the Queen Mother somewhat more discreetly as ‘so shrewd, so … Continue reading
‘Not since Central Park opened in 1857 has a park reshaped New Yorkers’ thinking about public space and the city more profoundly.’ New York Times 20 September 2014 … Continue reading
For as long as I can remember, Kew’s Temperate House has been its ugly duckling. Botanical gardens have to move with the times and can no longer rely on government largesse, and therefore a great deal of effort is put … Continue reading
The many underwhelming gardens I have visited find themselves banished to the back corners of my mind. Some gardens, like Bodnant, refuse to go there yet irritate me so much that I have to write about them. Bodnant has two … Continue reading
I stumbled across Mendocino by accident. We had arrived in San Francisco the weekend of Gay Pride where we were confronted with a difficult decision. Were we going to party with about half of the city or do what we … Continue reading