
Suspend your belief. And your flowers.
08.04.2014Forget the hanging gardens of Babylon: Rebecca Louise Law takes hanging flowers to a whole new level.
Our plant of the week, fritillaria meleagris (also known as snake’s head fritillary, guinea flower or chequer lily) is a striking wild flower native to Britain. But who would have thought that this small, purple Spring flower would have so much in common with a 160kg giant panda? Here are three reasons why:
In which men coming out of age are tenuously linked to plants…
“Horny goat weed” is an ideal plant everyone, regardless of whether you have problems in the bedroom.
There are ways of telling people about Christianity. Attacking them in a shopping centre isn’t one of them.
Like a burlesque dancer, Garrya Elliptica is best placed in a position where it can show off its tassels.
A pineapple will make most situations better… except perhaps a suburban garden, where pineapple sage may be more appropriate.
Purple toothwort (lathraea clandestine) is becoming increasingly popular as a garden plant in the UK. But don’t expect it to be universally popular, for it is a parasite.
Everyone has a friend like the anemone coronaria... slightly better than you at everything, no matter how hard you try.
“You to whom nature has given spirit, sweetness and beauty; you who alone can move and rule my heart…” Napoleon Bonaparte, 1797
What do brunettes miss most about a great party? The Invitation.
Want to put down roots and make friends? Take some tips from the Chimonanthus praecox
What’s the difference between a thicket and a ticket? How far you have to walk home.
*Wingman [wɪŋmən] n. – a friend who goes out with you and helps you to attract potential partners
Being a teenager is tough. Here’s one way to make it a little bit easier. Our plant of the week witch hazel comes into play.
It’s a pretty unassuming plant, but the Ficus elastica is as dirty as the plant world gets. We’re not talking mud and soil dirty... ficus is the rubber tree, a source of rubber and latex – in short, fetishists wouldn’t know where they’d be without it.
Fabian aralia is suitable both indoors and outdoors – it looks great in a rock garden but also makes a magnificent pot plant and would make a stunning housewarming gift. (Presumably the feng shui experts would tell you to choose a smaller specimen to make sure it fits in a house).
The Kalanchoe thyrsiflora is a succulent native to Madagascar that thrives in direct sunlight and loamy or sandy soil – a great option for low-maintenance gardens, rock gardens or even container gardens.