Explore the English Garden

Honesty Lunaria

Zone 5 - 9Height: 1 - 3 feetLight: full sun to part shadeBy: Meriel Bradley The Honesty plant is an easy to grow, low maintenance biennial. It will flower in the second season after planting, but it self seeds really easily, so once it blooms you get it into a cycle...

Garden Paths

By: Meriel Bradley There are many reasons to include a garden path in your landscaping, but the primary objective is to guide you into and through your garden so you can experience and explore the beauty of your outdoor space. A path that works well will make your...

Daffodil

Zone 3 - 8Height: 12 - 18 inchesLight: full sun to part shadeBy: Meriel Bradley The sunny yellow blooms of daffodils are a welcome sign of spring and warmer weather around the corner. Daffodils grow from bulbs planted in the ground in the fall - just dig a hole 6”...

Crocus

Zone 3 - 8Height: 3 - 6 inchesLight: full sun to part shadeBy: Meriel Bradley Crocus flowers are some of the first to appear in spring and are a great early flower for the bees as they come out of hibernation. They grow from corms and should be planted in the fall...

Dianthus

Zone 3 - 9Height: 6 - 12 inchesLight: full sunBy: Meriel Bradley The Dianthus plant shown here is also commonly known as "Pinks". Pinks typically form a very tight ball of blue - silver grass-like foliage topped with beautiful, often fragrant flowers. The flowers...

Grosso Lavender

Zone 5 - 10Height: 2 - 3 feetLight: full sunBy: Meriel Bradley The bees just love this lavender, as do the butterflies and the hummingbirds. It's a hybrid between the traditional English lavender and Portuguese lavender known as spike or broadleaf lavender. It has...

Golden Celebration Rose

Golden Celebration Rose by David Austin.

Its incredible blooms displayed on elegant arching branches are one of the largest blooms found on an English rose.

It has a wonderful fragrance described by David Austin Roses as having a “tea fragrance” that “develops wonderfully combined notes of Sauternes wine and strawberry” so be sure to choose a location where you can enjoy its evolving perfume.

Lily of the Valley

With its small nodding bell-shaped flowers, and a sweet perfume, Lilly of the Valley is a beautiful ground cover, but be aware that all parts are highly poisonous.

Foxglove

The foxglove produces stunning towers blooms with beautiful cascading flower bells that come in an array of colours. The brightly-coloured flowers that are tubular hold lots of nectar, which is particularly attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Be careful where you plant them though, as all parts of this plant are highly poisonous.

Calla Lily

The stunning architecture of the Calla Lilly pictured here coupled with the towering blooms of purple delphiniums, creates a an incredibly graceful and exotic display.

Mimulus

Mimulus is also known by its common name, Monkey Flower. Its bright orchid-like flowers will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. They prefer moist soil, so this is a perfect plant for areas in your garden that are damp or wet such as bog gardens or around ponds with afternoon shade in hotter climates

Mock Orange

The mock orange as its name suggests is not a true orange, but it does have beautiful citrus scented blossoms. Some varieties are more fragrant than others so check with your local garden centre as to the best varieties for your garden and be sure to plant it where you can enjoy its fragrance.

Cosmos

By: Meriel Bradley Cosmos are annual flowers with bright daisy-like flowers on long, slender stems. They bloom all summer and attract birds, bees, and butterflies to the garden. You can grow them from seed by direct sowing after the last frost. They will also...

Growing Carrots

By: Meriel Bradley Carrots are easy to grow from seed once you get the hang of the basics. Carrot seed can be planted directly in the ground once the soil can be worked in early spring. I'm in zone 5 and I can generally get my first seeds in around the 2nd or 3rd week...

Dakota Pinnacle Birch

By: Meriel Bradley Developed in North Dakota, this is a hardy cultivar of Japanese White Birch. Growing in a graceful slender column to 25 ft. tall by only 10 ft. wide this tree is a lovely choice for a small garden. In March or April, the tree is covered with long...

Lemon Coral Sedum

By: Meriel Bradley Lemon Coral Sedum is a very easy plant to grow, and believe it or not it keeps its colour through the winter, and although it looks spiky it's actually quite soft to the touch. It's supposed to be an annual in my zone 5 garden, but it seems to...

Seven-Son Flower

Zone 6Height 15 feetLight: sun to part shadeBy: Meriel Bradley Seven-Son Flower is a beautiful and unusual tree or large shrub. It is unique as it flowers in late summer with clusters of very fragrant creamy-white flowers at the ends of the branches from late summer...

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

By: Meriel Bradley Hummingbird moths fly and feed during the day, so if you are lucky enough to attract them into your garden you are in for a treat - they are absolutely amazing to watch. I had quite a time getting some pictures to share as they are very busy and...

Hi, I’m Meriel

Welcome to my creative space. I’m very happy to have you here!

This space is for all the foodies out there - all of you who love to browse cookbooks and recipe sites for inspiration, try new foods and learn new things about food and cooking.

And equally, this space is for all the garden lovers – all the folks who love to get their hands dirty in the garden and watch their plants grow and thrive.

Enjoy browsing!

Meriel x

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