I read an article by Georgina Reid this morning; I probably read it when it was first published but it has resonated strongly with me today. In it, she reflects on why she resisted the terms ‘garden’ and ‘gardening’ but has now reclaimed them. She says: “I am a gardener. I can’t think of a […]
Here’s how to read my newsletters
“This weekly newsletter is written by me, Erica Spinks, so I can share stories about books, gardens, quilts and other interests with you.“ These are words from the footer of my weekly newsletters and, hopefully, gives you an idea of what to expect. I write a newsletter each Sunday and, if you subscribe, it will […]
I think it drowned
Sometimes, plants die, seemingly inexplicably. I always accept this as part of the cycle of life; some plants have longer lives than others. I usually enjoy the beauty or usefulness of a plant without worrying about its longevity. It is sad, though, when a plant dies for no obvious reason. It’s even sadder when I […]
In her garden
I’ve always loved magazines and I’ve always loved gardens. Combine the two and I’m yours! This is the cover of a beautiful new magazine from the stable of Stampington & Company, publishers of other creative titles. It’s actually a spin-off from In Her Studio magazine and contains stories, photographs and projects about women and their […]
Auditing my dahlias
My dahlias bring me enormous pleasure. With their cheery colours and variety of shapes, the flowers always make me smile. They have only another six weeks or so before the first frost will end their season so I am cutting flowers regularly to encourage more buds. Las year, I bought and planted seven tubers to […]
Herbariums
Herbariums are fascinating places. The one closest to me – the National Herbarium of New South Wales – houses over 1.43 million preserved plant specimens. The collection continues to grow as new specimens are added. It was previously housed at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Now, the herbarium is being relocated to a new purpose-built […]
Agastache in my garden
There are many plants I’ve yet to discover. Learning is an ongoing part of gardening – there’s so much to absorb. So I’m always thrilled when I find a plant that fits right in to my existing garden beds. Agastache is one plant I added in spring. It’s a member of the Hyssop family and […]
In my garden column: February 2022
All my friends know that blue is my favourite colour, so it’s no surprise I encourage plants with blue or purple flowers to grow in my garden. This is Geranium ‘Rozanne’, which delights me every time I pass by. I write more about my blue garden in my February gardening column for our local newspaper Southern […]
Two steps forward, one step back
You guessed it – after a couple of hot days, the showers came back with the added bonus of summer storms. Still, life went on. Monday 31 JanuaryMy Monday mornings always start by reading Grace Alexander’s email newsletter. Grace is a gardener in the UK and her thoughts are always valuable to me, though the […]
The week the sun came out
The clouds cleared and the sun gave us warmth this week. The showers didn’t completely disappear, of course, but there was enough sunshine to encourage dahlia blooms to open for the first time this season. I was even able to cut dahlias for indoors. It was a week to be happy in the garden. Monday […]