Green house: inside a plant-filled London home

A forest of house plants plus rooflights and glass sliding doors cleverly merge the outside with the inside in this Georgian townhouse

The greening of Julia Thompson’s townhouse began long before the current trend for houseplants in all their frondy, glossy, Instagrammed glory. “Plants bring a house to life, so I’ve always been slightly obsessed with them,” she says.

As any seasoned interiors stylist or photographer will tell you, plants are a go-to way to add colour and texture to a space, handily filling an empty corner or a gap on a shelf. But, for Thompson, plants are just one of a range of elements that make up her personal style, which mixes contemporary art and surfaces with pieces from the 1970s and beyond.

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Plant Jerusalem artichokes now for a plentiful supply | Alys Fowler

Our gardening expert on the divisive tubers

Jerusalem artichokes tend to divide people. To some they are the devil’s work, whereas others can’t get enough, particularly at this time of year, when the tubers have been mellowed and sweetened by frost. I fall firmly into the second category. I love their nutty flavour and will eat them every which way, from sliced as thinly as possible in salads with, say, a little blue cheese and watercress, gently sautéed with leeks, baked in a gratin, or folded into a silken soup. And then, before I am beaten by what seems an inexhaustible supply, I make them into chutney for summer ploughman’s lunches.

If you fall into the former category this is probably because you once ate them and no one warned you about the after-effect. Jerusalem artichokes store their starch in the form of inulin; this makes them very good for diabetics and others who need a low-starch diet; it also means that, initially, there’s often a lot of gas and bloating.

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Gardening tips: plant tree ivy

Then trim hellebores and invest in a guide to cacti and succulents

Plant this Tree ivy (× Fatshedera lizei) is one of the few plants that thrives indoors or out. It’s a cross between ivy (hedera) and fatsia with large evergreen leaves, but it won’t cling like ivy and is more restrained at around 1.5 metres: you can tie it to supports or leave it as what’s sometimes called a “loose-limbed shrub”. Outside, give it full sun or partial shade; inside, it will do well in gloomy corners. Look out for variegated forms including the dappled ‘Annemieke’.

Cut this As hellebores come into flower, it’s easy to lose their nodding flowers among last year’s leathery foliage. Cut the leaves away at the base. This is particularly important if the foliage has brown patches, as this is a sign of hellebore leaf spot. If leaves look infected, bin them rather than composting.

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Plant Jerusalem artichokes now for a plentiful supply | Alys Fowler https://t.co/t0bRWWn9Au Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/eLmKfiYyW9

Plant Jerusalem artichokes now for a plentiful supply | Alys Fowler https://t.co/t0bRWWn9Au Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/eLmKfiYyW9 (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1096729257840201730)

Gardening tips: plant tree ivy https://t.co/VhgJHFK0Al Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/eLmKfiYyW9

Gardening tips: plant tree ivy https://t.co/VhgJHFK0Al Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/eLmKfiYyW9 (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1096729256065941504)

Plant Jerusalem artichokes now for a plentiful supply | Alys Fowler

Our gardening expert on the divisive tubers

Jerusalem artichokes tend to divide people. To some they are the devil’s work, whereas others can’t get enough, particularly at this time of year, when the tubers have been mellowed and sweetened by frost. I fall firmly into the second category. I love their nutty flavour and will eat them every which way, from sliced as thinly as possible in salads with, say, a little blue cheese and watercress, gently sautéed with leeks, baked in a gratin, or folded into a silken soup. And then, before I am beaten by what seems an inexhaustible supply, I make them into chutney for summer ploughman’s lunches.

If you fall into the former category this is probably because you once ate them and no one warned you about the after-effect. Jerusalem artichokes store their starch in the form of inulin; this makes them very good for diabetics and others who need a low-starch diet; it also means that, initially, there’s often a lot of gas and bloating.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2S6mqyA
via IFTTT

Gardening tips: plant tree ivy

Then trim hellebores and invest in a guide to cacti and succulents

Plant this Tree ivy (× Fatshedera lizei) is one of the few plants that thrives indoors or out. It’s a cross between ivy (hedera) and fatsia with large evergreen leaves, but it won’t cling like ivy and is more restrained at around 1.5 metres: you can tie it to supports or leave it as what’s sometimes called a “loose-limbed shrub”. Outside, give it full sun or partial shade; inside, it will do well in gloomy corners. Look out for variegated forms including the dappled ‘Annemieke’.

Cut this As hellebores come into flower, it’s easy to lose their nodding flowers among last year’s leathery foliage. Cut the leaves away at the base. This is particularly important if the foliage has brown patches, as this is a sign of hellebore leaf spot. If leaves look infected, bin them rather than composting.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2X8EH1V
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