I still find it amazing that Aloiampelos striatula, formerly Aloe striatula is hardy outdoors here!
We've no sunbirds to feed on their nectar but will happily make do with the raft of native pollinators that flock to feed on its exotic spires of blooms.
I love the unusual split corollas of these hedge bindweeds, Calystegia sepium, not often seen.
It's a pity they're so invasive as they're incredibly ornamental.
I remember trying to introduce bindweed to my parents' garden when I was young, luckily it didn't establish!
If someone were to find themselves in La Rochelle.....are there any amazing gardens/nurseries/garden centres within a couple of hours travel (by car) worth visiting?
My giant Madeiran sow thistle, Sonchus fruticosus is providing a splash of sunshine on a cloudy day. ☀️ – at Ballyvoy, Northern Ireland
Kniphofia 'Orange Blaze'.
A short and supposedly repeat flowering red hot poker. – at Ballyvoy, Northern Ireland
Extolling the virtues of leafage in this month's Ireland's Homes and Living Magazine – at Ballyvoy, Northern Ireland
Hydrangea 'Garden House Glory', is
supposedly a hybrid between H. macrophylla and H. serrata.
Dainty and refined, yet still packs a powerful punch. – at Ballyvoy, Northern Ireland
Conrad McCormick retweeted
When you're not doing so well, vote for a better life for yourself. If you are doing quite nicely, vote for a better life for others.
Glebe House on the shores of Lough Gartan, Churchill, Donegal.
The former Irish home of landscape and portrait artist Derek Hill










































