About Me


Claire Humphries I am a plant addict with a love of travel. I hope to share the great plants and gardens I get to see.

La Pozas was built by Edward James in East Central Mexico. It took him 40 years to build the follies and garden.


London Olympics 2012

August 12, 2012





I visited the Olympic park in Stratford on Monday and was keen to look at the landscaping but was even more excited to see cycling in the velodrome. Jason Kenny got a gold medal for his efforts on wheels but I reckon if the gardens were in the olympics..... 
  • Bronze medal would go to the South African style planting with torch like red hot pokers and agapanthus mixed with grasses.
  • Silver medal I would award to the American prairie style planting with bands of Echinacea and Rudbeckia.
  • Gold medal would just have to go to Western Europe garden with masses of Coreopsis tinctoria ( prairie tickseed) and Cententaurea cyanus (cornflower)
 

Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech

April 27, 2012









 The garden was designed in the 1920's by artist Jacques Majorelle. The cobolt blue painted on the buildings is named 'majorelle' blue. Monstera delicosa or the swiss cheese plant grows well there under a shady canopy but planting consists mainly of cacti and aloes.

Continue reading...
 

New Plants and Kerb Appeal

April 26, 2012












Here are some photos of a garden in Clapham that I replanted. A thick layer of farmyard manure was applied to all the raised beds to keep the moisture in the soil. Plants chosen for the sunnier border included Corylus avellana 'Contorta' (twisted willow) and  Rosa Princess Alexandra of Kent which I chose because it has unusually large, strongly fragrant, fully-double, pink blooms and it flowers twice. Shade tolerant plants such as Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae and Helleborus x hybridus ...
Continue reading...
 

Spring Is Here

March 23, 2012

One of my clients thinks I should tell everyone what I have been up to recently !


    






Here is a garden in Notting Hill that was spruced up ready for the new owners. After the decking was power washed, the planters were rearranged and plants that had perished replaced. It looked so much better with the new buxus balls, french lavenders and helleborus niger. Perfect spot for a gin and tonic don't you think?   


Continue reading...
 

Terra Nostra Botanical Gardens, Azores

February 28, 2012


 Here are some pics from Terra Nostra Botanical gardens on the Azores island of San Miguel. It was lush, green and tranquil with a vast array of tree ferns and animal sculptures. Tree ferns are a wonderful feature in London gardens and enjoy plenty of water and seaweed feed during the growing season. It is probably best to protect the growing part of the fern with straw in winter as they are hardy to about -10 degrees centigrade.
Continue reading...
 

Hellebores

February 18, 2012



It is wet and miserable outside today but I have just seen that some of my hellebores are in flower. Hellebore foetidus with the lime green flower is also known as the 'Stinking Hellebore' because the leaves whiff a bit if they are crushed. The purply black one with nodding flowers is known as the Lentern Rose or  Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Shades of the Night.' I use hellebores regularly in shade borders planted in groups of 3 or 5 as the evergreen leaves provide good ground cover. Co...
Continue reading...
 

Cypress Trees in Mexico

February 9, 2012



This time last year on a 450 km journey from Xilita to Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico I came across 20 Cupressus sempirvirens 'stricta' planted neatly around Auto Hotel el Acueducto. I would have offered to prune them but didn't have my ladder
Continue reading...
 

Xmas box- January flowers

January 13, 2012



This must be the most lovely smell ever to lift your mood on a miserable January day! Such a sweet strong scent from the tiny flowers. There are different types. I usually go for Sarcococca confusa which tends to be a more compact shrub. Sarcococca hookeriana is similar but gains more height. If you have a shady spot in your garden and want a low maintenance evergreen shrub this will not disappoint. It even has shiny black berries too.


Continue reading...
 

London Olympics 2012

August 12, 2012





I visited the Olympic park in Stratford on Monday and was keen to look at the landscaping but was even more excited to see cycling in the velodrome. Jason Kenny got a gold medal for his efforts on wheels but I reckon if the gardens were in the olympics..... 
  • Bronze medal would go to the South African style planting with torch like red hot pokers and agapanthus mixed with grasses.
  • Silver medal I would award to the American prairie style planting with bands of Echinacea and Rudbeckia.
  • Gold medal would just have to go to Western Europe garden with masses of Coreopsis tinctoria ( prairie tickseed) and Cententaurea cyanus (cornflower)
 

Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech

April 27, 2012









 The garden was designed in the 1920's by artist Jacques Majorelle. The cobolt blue painted on the buildings is named 'majorelle' blue. Monstera delicosa or the swiss cheese plant grows well there under a shady canopy but planting consists mainly of cacti and aloes.

Continue reading...
 

New Plants and Kerb Appeal

April 26, 2012












Here are some photos of a garden in Clapham that I replanted. A thick layer of farmyard manure was applied to all the raised beds to keep the moisture in the soil. Plants chosen for the sunnier border included Corylus avellana 'Contorta' (twisted willow) and  Rosa Princess Alexandra of Kent which I chose because it has unusually large, strongly fragrant, fully-double, pink blooms and it flowers twice. Shade tolerant plants such as Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae and Helleborus x hybridus ...
Continue reading...
 

Spring Is Here

March 23, 2012

One of my clients thinks I should tell everyone what I have been up to recently !


    






Here is a garden in Notting Hill that was spruced up ready for the new owners. After the decking was power washed, the planters were rearranged and plants that had perished replaced. It looked so much better with the new buxus balls, french lavenders and helleborus niger. Perfect spot for a gin and tonic don't you think?   


Continue reading...
 

Terra Nostra Botanical Gardens, Azores

February 28, 2012


 Here are some pics from Terra Nostra Botanical gardens on the Azores island of San Miguel. It was lush, green and tranquil with a vast array of tree ferns and animal sculptures. Tree ferns are a wonderful feature in London gardens and enjoy plenty of water and seaweed feed during the growing season. It is probably best to protect the growing part of the fern with straw in winter as they are hardy to about -10 degrees centigrade.
Continue reading...
 

Hellebores

February 18, 2012



It is wet and miserable outside today but I have just seen that some of my hellebores are in flower. Hellebore foetidus with the lime green flower is also known as the 'Stinking Hellebore' because the leaves whiff a bit if they are crushed. The purply black one with nodding flowers is known as the Lentern Rose or  Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Shades of the Night.' I use hellebores regularly in shade borders planted in groups of 3 or 5 as the evergreen leaves provide good ground cover. Co...
Continue reading...
 

Cypress Trees in Mexico

February 9, 2012



This time last year on a 450 km journey from Xilita to Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico I came across 20 Cupressus sempirvirens 'stricta' planted neatly around Auto Hotel el Acueducto. I would have offered to prune them but didn't have my ladder
Continue reading...
 

Xmas box- January flowers

January 13, 2012



This must be the most lovely smell ever to lift your mood on a miserable January day! Such a sweet strong scent from the tiny flowers. There are different types. I usually go for Sarcococca confusa which tends to be a more compact shrub. Sarcococca hookeriana is similar but gains more height. If you have a shady spot in your garden and want a low maintenance evergreen shrub this will not disappoint. It even has shiny black berries too.


Continue reading...
 

London Olympics 2012

August 12, 2012





I visited the Olympic park in Stratford on Monday and was keen to look at the landscaping but was even more excited to see cycling in the velodrome. Jason Kenny got a gold medal for his efforts on wheels but I reckon if the gardens were in the olympics..... 
  • Bronze medal would go to the South African style planting with torch like red hot pokers and agapanthus mixed with grasses.
  • Silver medal I would award to the American prairie style planting with bands of Echinacea and Rudbeckia.
  • Gold medal would just have to go to Western Europe garden with masses of Coreopsis tinctoria ( prairie tickseed) and Cententaurea cyanus (cornflower)
 

Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech

April 27, 2012









 The garden was designed in the 1920's by artist Jacques Majorelle. The cobolt blue painted on the buildings is named 'majorelle' blue. Monstera delicosa or the swiss cheese plant grows well there under a shady canopy but planting consists mainly of cacti and aloes.

Continue reading...
 

New Plants and Kerb Appeal

April 26, 2012












Here are some photos of a garden in Clapham that I replanted. A thick layer of farmyard manure was applied to all the raised beds to keep the moisture in the soil. Plants chosen for the sunnier border included Corylus avellana 'Contorta' (twisted willow) and  Rosa Princess Alexandra of Kent which I chose because it has unusually large, strongly fragrant, fully-double, pink blooms and it flowers twice. Shade tolerant plants such as Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae and Helleborus x hybridus ...
Continue reading...
 

Spring Is Here

March 23, 2012

One of my clients thinks I should tell everyone what I have been up to recently !


    






Here is a garden in Notting Hill that was spruced up ready for the new owners. After the decking was power washed, the planters were rearranged and plants that had perished replaced. It looked so much better with the new buxus balls, french lavenders and helleborus niger. Perfect spot for a gin and tonic don't you think?   


Continue reading...
 

Terra Nostra Botanical Gardens, Azores

February 28, 2012


 Here are some pics from Terra Nostra Botanical gardens on the Azores island of San Miguel. It was lush, green and tranquil with a vast array of tree ferns and animal sculptures. Tree ferns are a wonderful feature in London gardens and enjoy plenty of water and seaweed feed during the growing season. It is probably best to protect the growing part of the fern with straw in winter as they are hardy to about -10 degrees centigrade.
Continue reading...
 

Hellebores

February 18, 2012



It is wet and miserable outside today but I have just seen that some of my hellebores are in flower. Hellebore foetidus with the lime green flower is also known as the 'Stinking Hellebore' because the leaves whiff a bit if they are crushed. The purply black one with nodding flowers is known as the Lentern Rose or  Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Shades of the Night.' I use hellebores regularly in shade borders planted in groups of 3 or 5 as the evergreen leaves provide good ground cover. Co...
Continue reading...
 

Cypress Trees in Mexico

February 9, 2012



This time last year on a 450 km journey from Xilita to Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico I came across 20 Cupressus sempirvirens 'stricta' planted neatly around Auto Hotel el Acueducto. I would have offered to prune them but didn't have my ladder
Continue reading...
 

Xmas box- January flowers

January 13, 2012



This must be the most lovely smell ever to lift your mood on a miserable January day! Such a sweet strong scent from the tiny flowers. There are different types. I usually go for Sarcococca confusa which tends to be a more compact shrub. Sarcococca hookeriana is similar but gains more height. If you have a shady spot in your garden and want a low maintenance evergreen shrub this will not disappoint. It even has shiny black berries too.


Continue reading...
 

London Olympics 2012

August 12, 2012





I visited the Olympic park in Stratford on Monday and was keen to look at the landscaping but was even more excited to see cycling in the velodrome. Jason Kenny got a gold medal for his efforts on wheels but I reckon if the gardens were in the olympics..... 
  • Bronze medal would go to the South African style planting with torch like red hot pokers and agapanthus mixed with grasses.
  • Silver medal I would award to the American prairie style planting with bands of Echinacea and Rudbeckia.
  • Gold medal would just have to go to Western Europe garden with masses of Coreopsis tinctoria ( prairie tickseed) and Cententaurea cyanus (cornflower)
 

Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech

April 27, 2012









 The garden was designed in the 1920's by artist Jacques Majorelle. The cobolt blue painted on the buildings is named 'majorelle' blue. Monstera delicosa or the swiss cheese plant grows well there under a shady canopy but planting consists mainly of cacti and aloes.

Continue reading...
 

New Plants and Kerb Appeal

April 26, 2012












Here are some photos of a garden in Clapham that I replanted. A thick layer of farmyard manure was applied to all the raised beds to keep the moisture in the soil. Plants chosen for the sunnier border included Corylus avellana 'Contorta' (twisted willow) and  Rosa Princess Alexandra of Kent which I chose because it has unusually large, strongly fragrant, fully-double, pink blooms and it flowers twice. Shade tolerant plants such as Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae and Helleborus x hybridus ...
Continue reading...
 

Spring Is Here

March 23, 2012

One of my clients thinks I should tell everyone what I have been up to recently !


    






Here is a garden in Notting Hill that was spruced up ready for the new owners. After the decking was power washed, the planters were rearranged and plants that had perished replaced. It looked so much better with the new buxus balls, french lavenders and helleborus niger. Perfect spot for a gin and tonic don't you think?   


Continue reading...
 

Terra Nostra Botanical Gardens, Azores

February 28, 2012


 Here are some pics from Terra Nostra Botanical gardens on the Azores island of San Miguel. It was lush, green and tranquil with a vast array of tree ferns and animal sculptures. Tree ferns are a wonderful feature in London gardens and enjoy plenty of water and seaweed feed during the growing season. It is probably best to protect the growing part of the fern with straw in winter as they are hardy to about -10 degrees centigrade.
Continue reading...
 

Hellebores

February 18, 2012



It is wet and miserable outside today but I have just seen that some of my hellebores are in flower. Hellebore foetidus with the lime green flower is also known as the 'Stinking Hellebore' because the leaves whiff a bit if they are crushed. The purply black one with nodding flowers is known as the Lentern Rose or  Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Shades of the Night.' I use hellebores regularly in shade borders planted in groups of 3 or 5 as the evergreen leaves provide good ground cover. Co...
Continue reading...
 

Cypress Trees in Mexico

February 9, 2012



This time last year on a 450 km journey from Xilita to Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico I came across 20 Cupressus sempirvirens 'stricta' planted neatly around Auto Hotel el Acueducto. I would have offered to prune them but didn't have my ladder
Continue reading...
 

Xmas box- January flowers

January 13, 2012



This must be the most lovely smell ever to lift your mood on a miserable January day! Such a sweet strong scent from the tiny flowers. There are different types. I usually go for Sarcococca confusa which tends to be a more compact shrub. Sarcococca hookeriana is similar but gains more height. If you have a shady spot in your garden and want a low maintenance evergreen shrub this will not disappoint. It even has shiny black berries too.


Continue reading...
 

London Olympics 2012

August 12, 2012





I visited the Olympic park in Stratford on Monday and was keen to look at the landscaping but was even more excited to see cycling in the velodrome. Jason Kenny got a gold medal for his efforts on wheels but I reckon if the gardens were in the olympics..... 
  • Bronze medal would go to the South African style planting with torch like red hot pokers and agapanthus mixed with grasses.
  • Silver medal I would award to the American prairie style planting with bands of Echinacea and Rudbeckia.
  • Gold medal would just have to go to Western Europe garden with masses of Coreopsis tinctoria ( prairie tickseed) and Cententaurea cyanus (cornflower)
 

Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech

April 27, 2012









 The garden was designed in the 1920's by artist Jacques Majorelle. The cobolt blue painted on the buildings is named 'majorelle' blue. Monstera delicosa or the swiss cheese plant grows well there under a shady canopy but planting consists mainly of cacti and aloes.

Continue reading...
 

New Plants and Kerb Appeal

April 26, 2012












Here are some photos of a garden in Clapham that I replanted. A thick layer of farmyard manure was applied to all the raised beds to keep the moisture in the soil. Plants chosen for the sunnier border included Corylus avellana 'Contorta' (twisted willow) and  Rosa Princess Alexandra of Kent which I chose because it has unusually large, strongly fragrant, fully-double, pink blooms and it flowers twice. Shade tolerant plants such as Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae and Helleborus x hybridus ...
Continue reading...
 

Spring Is Here

March 23, 2012

One of my clients thinks I should tell everyone what I have been up to recently !


    






Here is a garden in Notting Hill that was spruced up ready for the new owners. After the decking was power washed, the planters were rearranged and plants that had perished replaced. It looked so much better with the new buxus balls, french lavenders and helleborus niger. Perfect spot for a gin and tonic don't you think?   


Continue reading...
 

Terra Nostra Botanical Gardens, Azores

February 28, 2012


 Here are some pics from Terra Nostra Botanical gardens on the Azores island of San Miguel. It was lush, green and tranquil with a vast array of tree ferns and animal sculptures. Tree ferns are a wonderful feature in London gardens and enjoy plenty of water and seaweed feed during the growing season. It is probably best to protect the growing part of the fern with straw in winter as they are hardy to about -10 degrees centigrade.
Continue reading...
 

Hellebores

February 18, 2012



It is wet and miserable outside today but I have just seen that some of my hellebores are in flower. Hellebore foetidus with the lime green flower is also known as the 'Stinking Hellebore' because the leaves whiff a bit if they are crushed. The purply black one with nodding flowers is known as the Lentern Rose or  Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Shades of the Night.' I use hellebores regularly in shade borders planted in groups of 3 or 5 as the evergreen leaves provide good ground cover. Co...
Continue reading...
 

Cypress Trees in Mexico

February 9, 2012



This time last year on a 450 km journey from Xilita to Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico I came across 20 Cupressus sempirvirens 'stricta' planted neatly around Auto Hotel el Acueducto. I would have offered to prune them but didn't have my ladder
Continue reading...
 

Xmas box- January flowers

January 13, 2012



This must be the most lovely smell ever to lift your mood on a miserable January day! Such a sweet strong scent from the tiny flowers. There are different types. I usually go for Sarcococca confusa which tends to be a more compact shrub. Sarcococca hookeriana is similar but gains more height. If you have a shady spot in your garden and want a low maintenance evergreen shrub this will not disappoint. It even has shiny black berries too.


Continue reading...