The Gentleman and the Faun

At the moment I'm reading R. Ogilvie Crombies' (Roc) gorgeous book, The Gentleman and the Faun. A like-minded friend had just finished...

The bitter blues of Berberis

When I was taking this photo in the summer of 2015, a dog walker passed by me and cried out, “don’t eat the Berberis!” At the time I...

Tease me Teasel

One day last week before class I went walking up Blackford Hill to enjoy the first proper snow we've had in Edinburgh this winter. It was...

Pennyroyal - Mentha pulegium

Mentha pulegium, commonly known as (European) pennyroyal is a species of flowering plant (an angiosperm) in the family Lamiaceae and is...

Operation Propagation: Succulent leaf cuttings

I had to repot my two jade plants last week and anyone who has succulents will understand when I say I ended up with a lot of fallen...

Cyclamen - hardy plant, hardy protector

Cyclamen are not only hardy little beauties, they also have potent protective powers when planted in the garden or grown in the home....

Mealy bugs on Crassula Ovata (Jade plant)

I have two lovely jade plants that live in Cologne which I bought last March to celebrate an anniversary. When I arrived here for the...