Some years ago I ordered lily seed from the Scottish Rock Garden Club seed exchange. I was told it is the best way to avoid the lily...

Not really complaining but am pleased to see it's much greyer today- the bright sunshine lifts our spirits but seems to drain the garden...

Generally a poor year for magnolias but right now M wilsonii is flowering as well as M sieboldii ( the flowers sit side ways, looking at...

We have it every year these days, a really dry period just when all the plants are putting on their new growth. There was plenty of rain...

If you have ever visited Glenarn in May you will remember the huge patch of R lindleyi on Granny's Hens. A second mass planting of...

A very busy week with the Rhododendron Show at Garelochhead- it takes 3 days preparation with planning, picking, keeping the flowers cool...

There's been a problem with this blog as nothing I've written since autumn has been published but I think it's solved now. The sun these...

The strong winds have removed more of our colourful leaves this past week. The lindera on the lawn has been glowing gold for some time. I...

Although there have been dry days most of October so far feels very wet. The ground that was pretty dry for the top 50 mm through...

We are getting to the end of the open season at Glenarn and some of the trees are beginning to turn, particularly acers although the...

We have recovered from the Plant Sale and Open Day- the gathering, labelling, bagging and sorting of 350 + plants as well as getting the...

We are holding a special plant sale and open day on Sunday 21 August between 2 and 5 pm. There will be lots of rhododendrons raised from...

Yesterday in the rock garden there was a terrific buzz from the little Eucryphia milliganii. Honey bees and bumbles love the nectar from...

Yesterday Mike and I were clearing some of the lush growth and weeds that have taken over part of Granny’s Hens. As a backdrop by the...

From the kitchen window I look north into what was once a muddy bank, now a buttressed stone wall with lots of gravel. Here Primula...

Although it is still very dry and we could do with some heavy rain, growth this year seems exceptional. New growth provides a second show...

I was in the vegetable patch yesterday lunchtime tying up sweet peas when there was an unforgettable noise- the sound of bees just about...

This little climber grows on an old stump at Glenarn and covers it with flowers in June. It then continues to flower for the next couple...

The first rose we notice is Rosa farreri, Farrer’s ‘threepenny bit rose’. Here it’s a wide spreading bush, covered in tiny pink flowers (...

Yesterday morning I met this lovely big hedgehog trotting through the grass near the greenhouse. He didn’t notice me and came right past,...