Garden
Nature’s favourite shape
Is the hexagon nature’s favourite shape? I keep seeing it, and the more I look, the more the six sides jump out at me. It is quite a satisfying, solid shape – a stable shape. The Giant’s Causeway, honeycomb, tortoise or turtle shell, snowflake, flower shapes, poppy seeds – there are lots more examples. […]
Big Garden Birdwatch 2017
The sun came out for my birdwatch, after days of cold grey. The bird sound is spring-like. Spotting and recording the birds is the easy bit – I hope to sketch them as I see them during my count, which I find is quite a challenge. Particularly the Nuthatch as it sneaks off behind […]
A gift for a garden and its birds
Earlier in the year I watched a robin visit my Birdbath here at the workshop – it perched on the edge, bobbing and flicking its wings. I thought at first it was in distress. Then it flew, without drinking or bathing. Moments later it returned with three other birds – all newly fledged robin […]
Swan Sculpture
Yesterday I delivered my swan sculpture to Stratford-upon-Avon, along with two large stone plinths, one for the swan, and another for a bowl-shaped birdbath which is also for the garden. They are for a newly built Tranquility Garden, designed by Spartacus Landscape Gardens for Stratford Town Council. I feel so proud of my sculpture […]
Fox’s Clote
This morning whilst waiting for the sun to come round and thaw some of my icy stone I spent a few moments admiring my Burdock plants with frosted burs. An old English name for the Burdock was Herrif, Aireve, or Airup, from the Anglo-Saxon hoeg (a hedge), and reafe (a robber) – or from […]
Gardens Illustrated Festival – Spring 2017
I’m very pleased to say that the team at Gardens Illustrated have just confirmed that I’ve been chosen to exhibit in their Shopping Marquee at the Gardens Illustrated Festival in March next year. To celebrate I’ve made this little pot – and will be making lots more designs for the Festival and sculpture too, […]
Stone in some form
What a brilliant episode this week’s Gardeners’ World was (did you see it?) and quite a treat when Joe Swift visits Chelsea gold medal winner and stonemason Martin Cook to see how he uses contemporary rock sculpture within his Buckinghamshire garden. So much talk of stone – I watched eagerly – rockeries, incised stone, […]
Shapes of Autumn
There’s a nip in the air this morning, and really for the first time this year I’ve noticed the browning and curling of leaves, ripening nuts and fruits, seedheads and a real turning to Autumn. My little garden area at the workshop has given so much this year with fruit, flowers and vegetables – […]
Blackberry Cup
….. and it runneth over! They’re ripening as fast as I can pick them. My brambles (I have two wayward patches at the workshop) like my weeds have grown huge and unruly – but now make the tangly mess seem a joy as I harvest fullsome, shiny ripe berries. I’ve made a little stone […]
Simple shapes for Semps
I’ve been making stone plant pots for an order this week, and while I was at it thought I would try a new shape in the beautiful pale yellow Tadcaster Limestone, a test pot for my own Sempervivums, which have been flowering and multiplying like mad. Usually I make the little succulent pots in […]