H is for Horticulture

15/09/2025

On my way to Parliment Square to join a peaceful rally joining the

Children and young people with special educational needs want the same, ordinary things, as other children. A school or college place where they are happy, belong and can achieve. The opportunity to make friends and take part in activities and clubs outside and after school. The health and support they need, when they need it.

Parents and Carers need to get the support their children need without an unnecessary fight. Not having to stop work or put careers on hold. To have time for their own friends and their own interests

The government must not dilute existing rights and protections or restrict EHCPs for those who continue to need them.

If you can’t make it to the rally you can show your support by posting empty shoes and fight for ordinary logo on your socials. Tag your local MP and

04/09/2025

Finale to our bursary the incredible Nymans. Loved the tour, the company, the history, gardens, the house and the work of Oliver Messel. The volunteers especially the pianist made my day! Little take away big spark 🫶🧡🌿 🦌

24/08/2025

Brilliant few weeks Yew Domes, Haymaking, Watering, Stream Clean. A few jobs on the list! Lovely day yesterday with Saturday Girls Got to water Kitchen Pots 🥰 Love this area it’s looking 😍👌 Lovely Summer days

31/07/2025

Dorset hols ☀️Lovely day with Martin and Harry. Beautiful Italianate garden. Really stunning 😍 returned to explore sadly closed for a private event! We will return!

26/07/2025

Dorset holidays little field trip to look at the Holloways Ancient sunken lanes carved to 30ft below ground! Physical imprints of past human activity. Valuable ecological, geological and historical site in West Dorset! Holloways are created when a path on a slope erodes when people or animals and vehicles move along it. The path acts as a water channel, wearing away and sinking. Constant erosion and disturbance evolved into ecological sites with matrixes of habitats. Trees, Ferns and Ivy add protection to the cool conditions. Birds, Invertebrates and small mammals use the path as a green corridor in safety dispersing seeds.

Beautiful ferns Harts Tongue, Shield and Polypode. Mosses, including rare Goblins Gold. Home for Cave Spiders, Mason Bees, Rabbits, Badgers, Wood mice, Voles and Foxes and Birds! Amazing place would definitely recommend!

13/07/2025

Working week! Past few weeks at work have been exhausting 🥵 mentally challenging, thankful for family and friends work+home for getting me through 🫶 Shots of things that always brighten my day Paradise, Long Border, Elementals, China, Water Garden, Masterclass in white pine pruning with Batsheva good for the soul 🫶 Learning about blue green blooms (Cyanobacteria) with Celebrations through the beautiful Langgan borders! Finally a very special day willow weaving bird feeds with our well being group. you made my weekend 💙🦋💙

09/07/2025

Bridgewater balsam bashing! Thanks to all volunteers who helped us woodlanders with balsam bashing! We’ve had 2 days working in the old lake bed first with our fabulous corporate volunteers and then with our Tuesday gang! Loads of balsam bashed and cleared. Plus we get to visit the Bridgewater folly on the island! Now the ferns can breathe again 🌿

Himalayan balsam was brought back to the UK by Victorian plant hunters in 1839. It colonised riverbanks and wetlands. Without the natural biological controls found in their native habitats balsam spread, in the last 50 years especially it has become a menace to conservationists.
Himalayan balsam can dominate habitats, its canopy blocks out light, restricting the growth of native flora. Pollinators are attracted to balsam blossom in preference to other flowers, this reduces the species diversity of plants and the vertebrates and invertebrates that would use them by affecting local ecosystems and food webs. It alters soil conditions, as being shallow rooted once the balsam dies back there’s less soil binding, increasing the risk of erosion and the siltation of watercourses. It blocks access to paths and waterways. Its explosive seed pods aid its spread.

22/06/2025

Pig, Pig, Pig! sad to say goodbye to our beautiful Berkshire Girls! They’ve gone to enjoy some free roaming in a beautiful new woodland home. Back to work living their best life roaming the woodland, foraging for pig treats and working the land! Here are some of my favorite shots of the girls. The Woodland team especially will miss them! and Harry all pictured. Loved by many of the teams at Bridgewater especially the curatorial team and the public they’ve worked the earth all over our gardens and have been happily living in what will become part of the arboretum! We will miss you all! Unique with big personalities Audrey, Camilla 🪽, Dot, Flash, Judy! and Vanessa 🐷 you’ve taught me a lot 🥰

29/05/2025

Horti highlights from Faro and Carvoiero! Loving the colour, the wildflowers, the trees. Well all of it! Plenty of Butterflies and Moths Borboleta e Mariposa enjoying the verbena! Lots of species here many rare and endangered 🦋🫶☀️ 🦋

26/05/2025

Bridgewater girls Fabulous 2 days 🩵 loved the show, the gardens but most of all the company! Good times! Highlights garden by Katy superb planting, design and ethos behind this garden. We spent a long time at this one. A dog-friendly joyful space. Komeribi Garden by Cha No Niwa – Japanese Tea Garden .ishihara

20/04/2025

05/04/2025

Work or is it? The things I’ve been enjoying about ! Lucky divil! Satdee gurl again today…Nooooo I really don’t have any ice-cream! Sorry 😆 🤦‍♀️🚴‍♀️🍦 🥰🍃