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Pretty in Pink: Podranea ricasoliana
Draped elegantly over the high walls surrounding Marrakech’s wealthier villas and riads is an elegant climber known variously as pink trumpet vine, Queen of Sheba, Port St. John’s creeper and Zimbabwe...
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A Case for Daydreaming
There is a great deal to recommend letting your mind wander aimlessly, and yet how often do we allow ourselves to daydream? At school in the 1980’s I was actively discouraged from daydreaming, not...
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A Walk in the Park
They say “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. In order to avoid falling into the same trap as Jack, I endeavour to get out and about whenever time allows during my stay in China. So far this...
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Moving Mountains
You may ask what is interesting about the photograph at the top of this post. It is, after all, a view out of a Chinese factory window. The buildings are of a typically functional, brutal style found...
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Saying it with Flowers
Two subjects I prefer not to write about in this blog are my day job and artificial flowers. Today I make an exception, perhaps because it’s my final day working in China, or perhaps because I have...
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Fogbound
I managed to spend a whole 20 hours in the UK between trips to the USA and Amsterdam. In that time I unpacked, repacked, did a live tutorial on how to dress a Christmas tree on Facebook and slept, very...
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A Feast for the Eyes: Terrain, USA & Oogenlust, The Netherlands
Among the many perks of my job is the opportunity to travel. In the last fortnight I have been to the USA, Germany and The Netherlands, during which time my feet have hardly touched the ground....
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Anything Fauxs
I have just returned from my annual pilgrimage to Christmas World, Europe’s biggest Christmas trade fair. Had I not known where I was, I might have been forgiven for thinking I had stumbled into...
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In a Tuscan Garden
My job takes me to all sorts of interesting places, some nice, some not so nice, but always interesting. This week I have been in Tuscany learning about winemaking and tasting some remarkable wines....
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Chelsea Flower Show 2017: Chengdu Silk Road Garden
When I go to the Chelsea Flower Show, I want to see flowers. Whilst in the Great Pavilion this expectation is met in spades, occasionally some of the garden designers forget and start getting a bit...
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All the Fun of the Fair
If you were wondering where I’ve been, I’ve been taking a short holiday. I’m having what’s fashionably referred to as a ‘staycation’, which means people have to come to me, rather than me to them....
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On The Moove
I’m on the road again. Or rather I’m in the skies and generally racking-up the air miles. It’s buying season and there’s no rest for the wicked. In another life I must have been a very bad person!...
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Daily Flower Candy: Zephyranthes carinata
Zephyranthes carinata : rosepink zephyr lily, pink rain lily, Indian crocus The parts of China I’m required to visit on my buying trips are not what I would describe as attractive. However, there has...
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Song Shan Sunset
I’ve been away for over two weeks and the novelty is starting to wear off. Although I consider myself a sociable person, spending every waking hour in company, however good, starts to grate and I find...
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Chi Lin Nunnery 志蓮淨苑, Hong Kong
Three cheers for British Airways! Why? Because without them charging £1000 more to travel on a Friday night versus a Saturday night, I would not have been able to enjoy a full day off in Hong Kong....
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Nan Lian Garden, 南蓮園池, Hong Kong
“A classical garden in a modern city. serenity in the midst of urban hustle and bustle. Ingenious imitation of nature by man” The English language printed guide for Nan Lian Garden is so interesting...
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Reflections on a Year of Change
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Marcus Tullius Cicero (3 January, 106 BC – 7 December, 43 BC) 2017 in the life of The Frustrated Gardener will not be classified as...
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Launching ‘Project Dahlia’
Having completed twenty five years service at John Lewis, ‘Partners’, as we are all known, are rewarded with six months paid leave. I will qualify for my ‘long leave’ in three years’ time. Of course, a...
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The Magical Landscapes of Disneyland Paris
There is something especially delightful about going on a holiday that one hasn’t organised. Perhaps it’s the element of surprise, or the ability to shirk responsibility for anything that goes awry....
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In a Tuscan Garden
My job takes me to all sorts of interesting places, some nice, some not so nice, but always interesting. This week I have been in Tuscany learning about winemaking and tasting some remarkable wines....
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