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Weaving with flowers
I’ve been gathering up my fallen frangipani – and maybe a few of the not-quite fallen! – to decorate my table. Clearly I haven’t set the bar nearly high enough with this simple display. Check out what a million or…
French vegetables
Who could deny the visual appeal of a well-grown row of lettuces! The French are the masters of ornamental edible garden design. One of France’s potager treasures, conjured from 17th century plans, is just outside Paris. Tour leader Colin Barlow…
The art of the courtyard garden
The best time to visit Cordoba is in spring, specifically May when the city opens its courtyards and patios for the great Cordoba Patio Festival. There’s a parade, dancing horses, flamenco, great food and plenty of wine – and there…
Cooling down in Singapore
It’s hot! What are you doing to cool down? Perversely I’m wishing I was in Singapore, where they do delicious icy treats. The whole country is mad for good food so feeling hot is just one more excuse to tuck in. Feeling hot mid-morning? Time for an iced coffee.…
Plant envy: Amazon lily
How’s this for a showstopper – when Victoria amazonica bloomed in the South Australian Botanic Gardens in 1868, newspapers ran hour-by-hour updates. More than 30,000 people – a sizable chunk of the entire state’s population – turned up to see it…
Take the High Line
A few weeks ago I read about workers removing the last remaining bits of track of Sydney’s monorail. After 25 years the unpopular transport project has been relegated to memory – and a few remaining privately owned stations. How different…
Roses: choose a favourite
My trip to South Australia a few weeks ago reminded me why I gave up growing roses. Mine were always puny things, but in South Australia even the blackest-thumbed gardeners seem able to grow fat, fabulous roses. A drive through…
Jacaranda cruise
It was my good luck last Wednesday to take to the harbour with my camera for the last of the year’s Jacaranda Cruises. It was a sparkling day, tucked in between weather that was nastily hot and smoke-choked, and the…