Vibernum

The subject of heated debate between me and the co-gardener. Viburnum is at its best now, and smells incredible too. But for some reason I just can't bring myself to like it - maybe it's a bit twee? I think something like Witch Hazel is much more interesting. We've no space for either, so until we win the lottery and move to a  huge house in the country the debate continues. I found the Viburnum below in a nearby park. Does anyone else feel weird when they stop to smell flowers in public? It always makes me feel self-conscious.

US inspiration

So last year I spent a few months in San Francisco away from my garden. With the incredibly cold weather back in the UK I worried about our poor plants, but being in the USA was incredible. We took a road trip down to Palm Springs, and I was totally unprepared for how beautiful the plants in the desert were. Even in the winter. It felt like the more you looked at that landscape the more you saw.

Dry desert flower 5000 feet up in Joshua Tree National Park

bright red barrel cactus - species unknown

Joshua Trees as far as you can see

lichen on rock

some amazing plant combinations