Plants are like children. There are the naughty troublesome ones that require constant supervision, the loud shouty ones that are actually quite delicate, and the ones that just quietly get...
We’ve started spotting one of our favourite plants in several gardens recently. Deservedly so. Dianthus carthusianorum comes from Spain and other parts of Europe where it’s primarily a grassland species but...
We’ve had a busy few days in the Genus garden. For some time a large Choisya has threatened to block a path and crowd out a lovely variegated holly. We...
Genus HQ is looking fabulous at the moment with the cottage swathed in climbers at their absolute prime. Blending the house into the garden, their enthusiasm for life requires a...
Every year we promise ourselves that we’ll be a step ahead with the staking of plants at Genus HQ. We rarely get it right but this year have avoided the...
Visitors who come to Genus HQ pass by a small border that looks especially good at this time of year. Early primroses in February set the theme and are followed...
Located to the side of a small copse our woodland garden is a great success at this time of year. Recently carpeted with narcissi and snowdrops and containing a range...
So the Spring equinox has arrived, the time when the day and night are equally long, and we know we are moving towards the longer days of summer. Here in the Genus...
Visitors to Genus HQ have been met in recent days by an incredible scent. Along the path and next to the front door are some mature specimens of Sarcococca that...
This week our Garrya eliptica seemed to suddenly turn a corner. Almost overnight its long silvery catkins started to lengthen and our eyes were suddenly drawn to the back of...
Our lovely woodland garden at Genus HQ is planted with a range of spring flowering bulbs, shrubs, and perennials. Each year one of the Helleborus foetidus plants puts out curious...
We love feeding the birds at Genus HQ. A range of dishes from fatballs and peanuts, to suet pellets and niger seeds are on the menu and keep most of...
We’ve been clearing leaves from the lawns at Genus HQ with huge piles scooped, wheeled, and deposited into our wire leaf-enclosures. A large mound to the side of the driveway...
Not long after our first snow of the year air temperatures dropped sufficiently at Genus HQ for the pond to freeze over. A thriving home for wildlife including toads, newts,...
Much maligned for strangling trees and pulling mortar from house walls, ivy (Hedera helix) is a plant that we should all try to love just a little bit more. Surrounded...
Every autumn our Cape Gooseberries announce themselves with bright orange lanterns that go hand in hand with falling leaves, the smell of wood smoke, and the gradual decline of the...
We are very lucky to have two semi mature horse chestnut trees in the Genus garden. They shelter our three large leafmould enclosures and provide us with a degree of...
Incredibly reliable and requiring so little attention our two Leycesteria formosa or Himalayan Honeysuckle are real beacons in the garden at this time of year. Making a change from the...
We love our beautiful anemones that grow quietly away with little fuss or interference from us. They bring a splash of light into the north side of the house, welcoming...
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