Continental blooms: how to bring Europe's wildflowers into your garden

A summer drive through Europe gave one gardener inspiration for his own garden in Britain – and made him realise how much we have in common

This spring, I visited northern Spain, following rural roads along arable fields, rushing streams and through the Pyrenees. I was amazed at the variety of plant life contained within such a comparatively small area. While I was unacquainted with some species, many were familiar, either as wildflowers found also in Britain or as the forebears of popular garden cultivars. Violet spires of tufted vetch sprung underfoot down riverbanks, and the bright petals of sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis), a southern European biennial I have often sown for cut flowers, appeared beneath thickets of beech, glowing at dusk.

The trip left a strong impression. It highlighted for me one of western Europe’s greatest assets: an easily navigable terrain abounding in attractive and diverse flora. We British islanders have an intrinsic affiliation with these plants: our flora is cut from a similar cloth – only the patterns of the cloth become more varied and splendid across the Channel.

Continue reading...

from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2mBh3h4
via IFTTT

Continental blooms: how to bring Europe's wildflowers into your garden

A summer drive through Europe gave one gardener inspiration for his own garden in Britain – and made him realise how much we have in common

This spring, I visited northern Spain, following rural roads along arable fields, rushing streams and through the Pyrenees. I was amazed at the variety of plant life contained within such a comparatively small area. While I was unacquainted with some species, many were familiar, either as wildflowers found also in Britain or as the forebears of popular garden cultivars. Violet spires of tufted vetch sprung underfoot down riverbanks, and the bright petals of sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis), a southern European biennial I have often sown for cut flowers, appeared beneath thickets of beech, glowing at dusk.

The trip left a strong impression. It highlighted for me one of western Europe’s greatest assets: an easily navigable terrain abounding in attractive and diverse flora. We British islanders have an intrinsic affiliation with these plants: our flora is cut from a similar cloth – only the patterns of the cloth become more varied and splendid across the Channel.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2mBh3h4
via IFTTT

Gardening tips: plant hardy but exotic prairie gayfeather

Then treat yourself to actor David Oakes’s nature podcast and get some air into the compost heap

Plant this Liatris spicata or prairie gayfeather is a grand addition to a late summer border or container scheme, with flower spikes of purple or white that look exotic but are tough and hardy. Sun and moist soil are best. Height and spread depends on your choice of cultivar (I love ‘Kobold’), but around 75cm x 50cm.

Visit this If your garden grows indoors, head to the Garden Museum in London tomorrow for the Houseplant Festival. There’s a plant swap, stalls and talks, plus a clinic to sort out your crispy calatheas and spindly succulents (disclosure: I’ll be answering questions). 11am-5pm, tickets £5 (gardenmuseum.org.uk).

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2mxR4ar
via IFTTT

Gardening tips: plant hardy but exotic prairie gayfeather

Then treat yourself to actor David Oakes’s nature podcast and get some air into the compost heap

Plant this Liatris spicata or prairie gayfeather is a grand addition to a late summer border or container scheme, with flower spikes of purple or white that look exotic but are tough and hardy. Sun and moist soil are best. Height and spread depends on your choice of cultivar (I love ‘Kobold’), but around 75cm x 50cm.

Visit this If your garden grows indoors, head to the Garden Museum in London tomorrow for the Houseplant Festival. There’s a plant swap, stalls and talks, plus a clinic to sort out your crispy calatheas and spindly succulents (disclosure: I’ll be answering questions). 11am-5pm, tickets £5 (gardenmuseum.org.uk).

Continue reading...

from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2mxR4ar
via IFTTT

Reclaiming chinoiserie: from the East to the East End

Z He and Alex Peffly’s townhouse is filled with secondhand Victorian chinoiserie. The look may be retro, but this London home teems with modern ideas about culture and work

In Z He and Alex Peffly’s living room there are soft-toned pagodas, parasols and misty mountaintops above a drinks cabinet worthy of an imperial outpost. “It hints at old Shanghai,” says Z. Throughout this east London home there are embroidered silk cushions scattered over daybeds, fringed lampshades and potted palms set on fussily carved side tables. The house is full of chinoiserie – the style that the Victorians and Edwardians brought back from colonial postings, grand tours and day trips to Liberty’s – which Z wants to reclaim. “In drawing rooms from Hong Kong to Hampstead, they created a very European version of the East,” says Z. “It bore some relation to reality, but it was very romanticised. It reflected the China they wanted to discover.”

Z is an architect who grew up in Guangzhou, north west of Hong Kong, and Alex is a chef from Ohio. They met as students in Chicago. They now live on Princelet Street, a Spitalfields address with plenty of its own history. The short rows of 18th-century townhouses were originally built by landlords who made a profit from the Huguenot merchants fleeing France. Smaller flats and attics were rented to less well-off silk weaving families as working and living spaces.

Continue reading...

from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2o2WFpz
via IFTTT

Reclaiming chinoiserie: from the East to the East End

Z He and Alex Peffly’s townhouse is filled with secondhand Victorian chinoiserie. The look may be retro, but this London home teems with modern ideas about culture and work

In Z He and Alex Peffly’s living room there are soft-toned pagodas, parasols and misty mountaintops above a drinks cabinet worthy of an imperial outpost. “It hints at old Shanghai,” says Z. Throughout this east London home there are embroidered silk cushions scattered over daybeds, fringed lampshades and potted palms set on fussily carved side tables. The house is full of chinoiserie – the style that the Victorians and Edwardians brought back from colonial postings, grand tours and day trips to Liberty’s – which Z wants to reclaim. “In drawing rooms from Hong Kong to Hampstead, they created a very European version of the East,” says Z. “It bore some relation to reality, but it was very romanticised. It reflected the China they wanted to discover.”

Z is an architect who grew up in Guangzhou, north west of Hong Kong, and Alex is a chef from Ohio. They met as students in Chicago. They now live on Princelet Street, a Spitalfields address with plenty of its own history. The short rows of 18th-century townhouses were originally built by landlords who made a profit from the Huguenot merchants fleeing France. Smaller flats and attics were rented to less well-off silk weaving families as working and living spaces.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2o2WFpz
via IFTTT

Top tips on becoming a landlord Nottingham Estate Agents

There are many things to think about when becoming a landlord. Here, Matthew Williams, Co-Director of Redbrick Properties in Leeds, gives his advice. Renting out a property comes with many pros and cons. Before you can decide on whether to manage a property yourself or have a lettings agency take care of it, it’s important […]

The post Top tips on becoming a landlord appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

from OnTheMarket.com blog https://ift.tt/1UBpUIU
via IFTTT