The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/45HY8Ug) focuses on a small urban green space in Hertfordshire with an unusually varied history: first a pond, it later became a green space, then an air raid shelter, and then a green space again, with a sensory garden added.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/49M350E) looks at two individuals who introduced what turned out to be invasive species: the 11th Duke of Bedford (grey squirrels/Muntjacs) and the 2nd Baron Rothschild (edible dormice). Oh deer. #SeeWhatIDidThere

What better way to start the New Year than with a look at the life and work of the late, great Alec Clifton-Taylor? The latest blog post explores his publications, programmes and irrepressible humour (and the Alec Clifton-Taylor Memorial Garden ⬇️): bit.ly/3KZfQeZ.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/3YLSQmI) offers a bit of midwinter sun with its exploration of the Japanese Garden in Monaco. Formally opened in 1994, the Jardin Japonais offers an oasis of tranquillity and greenery at the heart of an extraordinarily bustling environment.

Making much use of camera traps, the latest post on the blog (bit.ly/3Y43dC9) looks at various mammals which are widely regarded as pests in the garden, but which do bring *some* benefits: moles, grey squirrels, deer, rabbits, foxes, badgers, and a seasonal reindeer. 🎄

Fun fact: this is the third December in a row to bring NPPF news. A much-revised NPPF is now out for consultation: bit.ly/4p251Xe. It’s quite the Christmas gift, coming in at 127 pages; the associated consultation document has 123 pages, and asks *225* questions. 🥳

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4oLNxhX) explores the issues raised by the creation of a new sundial - always something to be celebrated - on an old building. Specifically, the installation in 2012/13 of a ‘noon-mark’ sundial on the Grade II* Guildhall, in Faversham.

Amongst the new designations by Historic England this year are some parks and gardens, happily (bit.ly/48UcyBB). These include (all registered at Grade II): 🌳 Freston Park, Suffolk 🌳 Garden at Tudor Croft, Guisborough 🌳 Garden of Great Ruffins, Essex 🌳 Shrubbery Garden, Southend-on-Sea.

To mark #Railway200 (200 years since the opening of the first public railway to use steam locomotives), the latest post on the blog takes a look at the many links between trains and gardens: topiary, railway lines large and small, trains and more: bit.ly/48FZeAN.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4omKL2m) looks at the origins and form of an extraordinary plant. Clerodendrum trichotomum (aka ‘Harlequin Glorybower’) has surprisingly metallic (and bright) drupes and calyces, in blue and pink, yet somehow avoids being garish.

The Rothschild dynasty created houses and gardens all over Europe. The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/4prxM0n) looks at one of the gardens in France, the extraordinary Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, on the Côte d’Azur, created by Béatrice de Rothschild in the early C20.

An MHCLG consultation is now underway (bit.ly/48qqUuh), proposing removal of the Gardens Trust as a statutory consultee within the planning system. Possible ‘mitigations’ include notification instead, but *not* for development in the setting of parks and gardens [1/2]

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/49Uaonr) is all about dinosaurs. There are a surprising number to be found in parks and gardens, as it happens, in statue, fossil, tree and bird forms. Welcome to the Mesozoic! 🦖🦕🦤🌴

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/43lsvyO) looks at mobile heritage (particularly planes, trains and boats), and what happens when this heritage is no longer so mobile, e.g. the protection of wrecks, scheduling, and - rarely - designating a boat as a listed building….

Historic England’s 2025 #HeritageAtRisk ‘Register’ (more of a map and webpage, these days) is out: bit.ly/4osN6JO. There are now 105 parks & gardens on it, an increase of 2 since last year (2 removals, 4 additions): 🌳 2024: 103 🌳 2023:104 🌳 2022: 104 🌳 2021:104

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4qwRdWV) focuses on the extraordinarily charming gardens at Kentwell Hall, in Suffolk, centred on a C16 house with moat, and featuring lodges, topiary, an ice house, tree sculpture, a camera obscura, a walled garden, a C20 ha-ha, and more….

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/49j2KCS) looks at the origins of the National Garden Scheme. Set up in 1927, c.600 gardens opened in its first year, 72 of which also opened in 2025; 2 of those have opened every year since 1927, and over three-quarters are registered.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4hc5802) looks at plants, specifically the Pittosporum genus. Attractive evergreen shrubs, in a range of forms, they have an interesting history, and may be regarded as stalwarts of the garden.

The latest post on the blog looks at the history and future of the gardens at the wonderful Hestercombe, in Somerset: bit.ly/46MoTYL.

A tai-haku in the sun, neatly working its way through the colours of a traffic light. 🚦 #Autumn

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4mQauj5) explores and compares the botanic gardens of Oxford and Cambridge - whilst they have much in common, they are nevertheless remarkably different in terms of age, area, number of plant species, and their approach to plant taxonomy.

A glorious display of delphiniums at West Dean Gardens this week.

The latest post on the blog is on the subject of crinkle-crankle walls (bit.ly/4pHVkic), specifically the history, science, frequency and distribution of these delightful structures.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/423cRaF) looks at Lawrence Johnston’s two gardens: Hidcote (Gloucestershire), and Serre de la Madone (Côte d’Azur). Despite significant differences - not least in climate and topography - they also have much in common.

I was reminded of Jurassic Park recently, having seen this Ficus macrophylla bursting out of a tiny pot and thriving: ‘Life, uh, finds a way’. More specifically: *Life breaks free. It expands to new territories. It crashes through barriers….* #GardensAndDinosaurs

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/47HjuDe) looks at the temptation of the brown tourist sign, as well as its origins and use. There is, of course, one for gardens, though - as in this picture - the gardens are often usurped by their parent houses.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4lXcCVt) takes a look at the Venetian Waterways, in Norfolk. Created in the 1920s, they comprise gardens around a boating lake and winding canals, and reopened in 2019 after restoration. #GreatYarmouth

The pittosporum is fruiting… not seen that before.

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/45RQTs3) explores the abandoned village of Imber, in Wiltshire. The villagers were forced to leave in 1943, so the area could be used for military training, and never allowed to return. It’s now only partly intact, and of course empty.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/45Hg6W3) looks at the phenomenon of concrete boats. There are more of them than you might expect, and they do indeed float.

It used to be believed that filling the trunks of hollow trees would keep out infection and help the tree to heal. No longer recommended, happily it doesn’t appear to have done too much harm to the mulberry at Down House and wild pear at the Cambridge Botanic Garden. [1 of 3]

Great weather - and great company - at Ascott today (a Grade II* Rothschild garden, in Buckinghamshire).

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/3Ji7WvV) explores the garden at Villa Foscari, a Palladian villa in the Veneto. Largely reflecting a design from the 1920s, it is an elegant and tranquil space.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/45r4kPw) explores the garden at Shaw’s Corner, the Hertfordshire home where George Bernard Shaw and his wife, Charlotte, spent four decades. A charming and tranquil space, it comes complete with a rotating writing hut. As should all gardens.

This is interesting. Not just in relation to the garden-related uprising, but also due to the fact that it was prompted in part by ‘the antient persons’ not being able to ‘walke for their pleasures’ in the common fields. Given that I too like a nice walke, I’m feeling rather antient myself, now….

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/3U7SO6D) looks at the issues raised by the insertion of golf courses into historic parks and gardens. At least 1 in 12 registered sites include a golf course: what impact does this have on the conservation of designed landscapes?

Just enjoying the five minutes between the grapes ripening and the blackbirds snaffling ‘em.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4lQ4WFx) explores Corporation Park, Blackburn, with reference to some lovely old postcards. Registered at Grade II*, the park opened in 1857, and remains largely intact. It has a host of interesting features: charming and well worth a visit.

Sweet peas in the evening sun.

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/44OOU7n) looks at the engineering & heritage combo that is the Seven Mile Bridge, in the Florida Keys (actually two bridges, dating from 1912 & 1982). Striking, and scenically located, they are the subject of various designations.

The Grade I Palm House at Kew is to close for five years from 2027, for renovation. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Historic England’s new research report on local heritage lists is well worth a read: bit.ly/46A5n1J. It suggests that 71% of LPAs in England now have such lists (up from 50% c. 2019). NB local lists aren’t limited to buildings, but can identify parks & gardens as non-designated heritage assets, too.

Benington Lordship is a fascinating property, with the remains of a Norman castle and moat at its heart, a C17 house, and an early C19 Norman revival gatehouse, from which the steeply-sloping gardens descend to ponds. This week’s blog post explores: bit.ly/3GCsT3E.

A replica of the Silverstone circuit has been mown into the parkland at Stowe (just beyond the Grecian Valley). The ‘track’ is apparently part of a 3-year National Trust/Silverstone project to support nature conservation and biodiversity: bit.ly/44dBe70.

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/44O7wFG) explores the many gardens on the Grand Canal, in Venice - a city where, perhaps surprisingly, there are more gardens than bridges. Much of the greenery is hidden behind walls, but it spills out in some delightful ways.

This week’s blog post (bit.ly/44bOis4) looks at the handling of parks and gardens in the first Baedeker guide to Great Britain (1887). They aren’t covered extensively, but a few do receive the coveted Baedeker asterisk, and a good number can still be visited, happily.

A slow start this year (the suspense…), but I’m happy to report that the acanthus is now flowering.

🤔 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/4jZhGYC) looks at the Thomas Mawson-designed Flagstaff garden, in Colwyn Bay, now the home of the Welsh Mountain Zoo. It’s a tale of topographical challenges, a difficult client, decline, and reuse. All with ‘stunning panoramic views’.