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🌱 #roseWednesday I wish I had the ability to age as beautifully as this rose! We had a small bit of rain overnight, nowhere near enough though. Yesterday I planted lots of crocus bulbs but I am planning to plant more.

A white rose, fully open with splashes of red on the petals.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

🌱 #thicktrunkTuesday One of the LARGE trees I saw on my visit to The Hyde Patk Nursery last week. If you look closely, there is a person for scale. @theroyalparks.bsky.social

An enormous tree with a knobbly trunk. At the base is a person sitting looking tiny against the tree.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Here is who I spent time with yesterday at Wisley’s Hilltop. Isn’t he cute? #birdsof2026 #robin It’s the start of a lovely quiet week although who knows what opportunities might arise.

A robin standing on top of a wooden bench and looking straight towards the camera.

The same robin doubled over with its head almost between its legs.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

🌱 #SundayYellow Full of pollen but looking for more! I took this picture last Sunday in Wisley’s Hilltop World Food Garden. I wonder what I will see today during my volunteering session. It’s set to be a beautiful autumn day with perhaps a chance of some rain later. 🤞

A bee covered with pollen hovering above a courgette flower.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Two for #postboxSaturday both taken on separate trips to London this week. The first is a very dirty but very old one in West Hampstead and the second, much newer and smarter in Hyde Park complete with a fancy lamppost and beautiful tree.

A double postbox standing in its own space.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

🌱 #sixonSaturday from my tiny garden. It has been such a busy week! Two training sessions at Wisley and a Volunteer’s Thank You tea party, three trips to London and a visit to very special friends with lunch on their roof garden. Not much time to garden but the flowers keep coming.

A collage of six pictures from my tiny garden this week. The large pictures are white Cosmos and red Salvia. The top small pictures are white Gaura which has been renamed Oenothera and tiny pink Abelia flowers. The bottom pictures are a red Penstemon and white Alyssum which suffered in the heat and drought but is flowering now.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

🌱 #flowersonFriday Spotted in West Hampstead yesterday, a huge Oleander bush covered in pink flowers. I used to think it was too tender to grow outside in Britain but I have seen a few examples in London this summer, looking beautiful and coping well with the heat and drought.

A huge shrub overhanging a brick wall and almost blocking out the house behind. It is covered with pink flowers.

A close up of the pink flowers. Each one has five petals, flatted on the edge and looking like the twisted blades of a fan. The leaves are long and pointed.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🌱 #insectThursday I took the picture of flowers in Wisley’s Hilltop World Food Garden but when I looked at it I noticed a critter so zoomed in and this is what was lurking, a Tarnished Plant bug with a heart shape on its back.

White flowers, some in bud. On one of them is a tiny brown critter.

A close up of the Tarnished plant bug. It has a tan brown body with a white V or heart shape on its head.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

🌱 #roseWednesday Isn’t this lovely? It was growing in the garden outside St Mary le Strand church in London. Inside the church was the Flower Festival but I think this outshone the displays. Today is the annual Wisley Volunteer Thank you day. We start with activities and then a tea party.

A perfect rose with apricot coloured petals and fresh green foliage.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

🌱 #thicktrunkTuesday Another of Wisley’s “dead” trees which has been left and carved into a celebration of bees. Tour guide training with Jonathan this morning and then to London to see the Flower Festival in St Mary le Strand because of a prompt by @ianvisits.co.uk

A dead tree with carvings of bees and hexagons representing honeycomb. It is surrounded by ornamental grasses.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

🌱 #BlueSkyMonday As we drift towards the end of Summer and Sunflower season, the BBC Weather App describes today’s weather as “Sunny and calm” which could also be a description of how I am feeling. I have a quiet day ahead of a very busy week.

A tall Sunflower with yellow and maroon petals and a brown centre against a clear blue sky.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

🌱 #SundayYellow I took this picture in Wisley’s Hilltop World Food Garden last Sunday. The Zinnias have certainly provided a show for late summer. I wonder what I will spot this morning during my volunteering session. It is predicted to be dry………..again!

A part of a Zinnia flower showing bright yellow petals. A bee has landed. It has yellow stripes on its black body.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

🌱 #sixonSaturday from my tiny garden. Some of the summer flowers are still giving a beautiful display but there are definite signs of autumn. It’s predicted to be a warm, sunny week with no significant rain.

A collage of six pictures from my tiny garden this week. The first large picture is a light and dark pink Verbena. The small pictures at the top are pink and yellliw Nemesia and fading flowers of Hydrangea. The large picture at the bottom is pink and yellow Lantana. The small pictures at the bottom are a blue Chicory flower and the tiny, sweetly scented flowers of Elaeagnus

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🌱 #flowersonFriday The unusual flowers of Apios americana growing in Wisley’s Hilltop World Food Garden because apparently the tubers are tasty. The common name is Potato Bean. Today I shall be trying to fill my green bin ready for collection on Monday.

A spray of dark pink flowers clustered together.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I listen to audiobooks from BorrowBox while I am stitching or gardening and have just finished “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah, a very powerful book about Alaska. It was absolutely gripping! Alaska has been a fascination since I read a book called “Tisha” by Anne Hobbs. #books

A book cover from the book “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah. The cover shows two people in a small rowing boat with mountains in the distance

A book cover for “Tisha” by Anne Hobbs which it shows a snowy scene with people and horses. There is a river in the distance.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

🌱 #insectThursday Perfect weather to be in my tiny garden this afternoon. Gentle sunshine highlighted the iridescent green on this fly.

A fly with an iridescent green body resting on a bright green leaf.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

🌱 #clematisThursday Now that the weather has cooled down, this stunning Clematis ‘Lindsay’ is flowering. It is one from Raymond Evison. After yesterday’s mystery tour, I shall be having a quiet day at home, appreciating the rain falling outside.

Purple clematis flowers, each with a maroon centre.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

My “mystery “ day was wonderful! It started with a visit to Palestine House near Holborn, such an interesting place! Then a visit to a Roof Garden with interesting plants and amazing views over London. We walked from there to Trafalgar Square and visited the National Portrait Gallery. #❤️London

A piece of art seen in Palestine House with the phrase “No one is free until everyone is free “

A collage of nine pictures from the roof terrace showing some of the plants and some views of London.

A poster for the Portrait Award 2026 exhibition featuring two smiling people

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

🌱 #roseWednesday A cluster of red roses in September. This one is called Rosa ‘Red Finesse’ I’m off to London today, not sure what I will be doing but it has been described as a mystery tour!

A cluster of bright red roses against a green background.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

🌱 #thicktrunkTuesday The RHS at Wisley have a really strong “Interpretation” team who are responsible for the signs around the Garden. They have done a wonderful job with this dead tree that has been left to show how tree roots work. The text is reproduced in Alt text.

A dead tree in Wisley’s Pinetum which has been left in situ to show how the roots are close to the surface of the soil.

An Interpretation sign engraved on a fallen tree trunk split in half.

A description of the roots. Under the heading Roots are strong yet nimble is the text: The thick roots you see here form the structural root plate, anchoring the tree through decades of storms. Beyond this, the roots branch into countless slender tendrils, infiltrating every crevice of soil in search of water and minerals, combining strength with delicate precision.

The text reads:
Roots thrive near the surface
Most tree roots grow within the top 30-60cm of soil where the action happens. Staying near the surface ensures easy access to oxygen to breathe, water to drink and nutrients to fuel growth. Roots delving too deep must endure compacted, oxygen-starved and barren soil.

Roots love to explore
They stretch far beyond the tree’s crown, often several times farther than the tree is tall. They roam far and wide, intertwining with neighbouring roots and forming networks. Beneath your feet, roots communicate and cooperate with a vibrant underground ecosystem.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

🌱 #mushroomMonday #fungifriends So happy to see my first mushroom of the season in Wisley’s Hilltop Wildlife Garden yesterday. I hope it’s the first of many. Later I have Tour Guide training in the Alpines. Looking forward to it!

A large, tan coloured mushroom, round except for an indent on one side making it kidney shaped. The top is smooth apart from a few tiny cracks. It is nestled on some rough grass and some green leaves.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

🌱 #SundayYellow I have woken up to thick clouds and predicted rain which will mean a quiet morning for my volunteering at Wisley’s Hilltop but you can never be sure.

A bee resting at the centre of a flower which has yellow petals with a patch of brown.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

🌱 #sixonSaturday from my tiny garden this week. Description in Alt text. Yesterday’s tour was interesting! It was with a group of garden managers from parks in China. Today I am off to a craft show determined not to buy anything!

A collage of six pictures from my tiny garden this week. The two large pictures are a white Dahlia and a close up of a blue Ceratostigma flower, both covered in welcome raindrops. At the top are a pink Cosmos flower being visited by a bee and a purple Clematis. At the bottom is a squirrel sitting on the top of the fence and a Hypericum with yellowish leaves and black berries.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

🌱 #flowersonFriday An amazingly constructed Zinnia for you today. It is growing in Wisley’s Hilltop World Food Garden because the petals are edible but mainly used as a garnish. I have never tried them.

A pink Zinnia flowers which has petals that are closely tiered forming a tight dome shape.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

🌱 #insectThursday I had such a wonderful time at Wisley with special friends yesterday. They allowed me to drag them all over the Garden (almost 10 000 steps) and show them special bits. We spotted this Tigridia in the Exotic Garden and then realised it had a critter nestled on one of the petals.

A pink Tigridia flower with three distinct petals and a spotted centre.

Resting on the spotted centre is a tiny hover fly, dark in colour with a slender body and wings folded against its back.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

🌱 #roseWednesday Rosa ‘Queen of Sweden” is such a beautiful rose and still flowering prolifically in front of Wisley’s Old Lab. I have an unexpected but very welcome meet up at Wisley this morning with a friend. It will be a good opportunity to plan a tour I am doing on Friday.

A pink rose which is fully double with many petals crowded together.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

🌱 #thicktrunkTuesday A mighty fine Oak standing near the old entrance of Wisley. I have woken up to proper rain and a very wet tiny garden. So grateful!

A large Oak tree with a thick trunk and a huge canopy.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🌱 #BlueSkyMonday Seen at Wisley yesterday where we had clear blue sky and lots of visitors. Not much blue sky predicted for this week but still no significant rain sadly. Not much fun gardening surrounded by stressed plants. Have a good week.

A bright yellow Sunflower standing tall against clear blue sky.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

🌱 #SundayYellow plus some orange! Growing in a container just outside Wisley’s Hilltop building is Bulbine frutescens, a South African plant. Isn’t it lovely? I will be doing my usual volunteering session there this morning. Will it be busy or will everyone be at the Flower Show?

Flowers that have orange petals and a bright yellow centre open up a stem which has a pointed end of buds that have not yet opened.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

🌱 #sixonSaturday from my tiny garden this week. You might need sunglasses as all the bright flowers come into their own. I’m off to London today for a mud larking exhibition at the Guildhall Gallery. It’s one of my fascinations although I will probably never do it!

A collage of six pictures from my tiny garden this week. Clockwise it starts with a Dahlia, orange petals and a yellow centre. The first small picture is a yellow Gazania with orange stripes on the petals followed by by a yellow Linaria. The second large picture is an orange Gazania followed by an orange Calendula and lastly a white Pom Pom Dahlia.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

🌱 #insectThursday I so enjoy the hunt for critters when I do my volunteering shift at Wisley’s Hilltop and managed to find this tiny beauty. After the rain yesterday (and more predicted tomorrow) I will be in my tiny garden today planting out my Pepperpot purchases from the Wisley show.

Part of a pink Zinnia flower with a tiny black insect on the petals.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

🌱 Something different for #roseWednesday, one of the arrangements at the Wisley Flower Show. The theme was “A book at bedtime” and this was an interpretation of “A picture of Dorian Gray”. The white arrangement was reflected by a deep maroon one. Clever!

An arrangement of roses and foliage in a cut glass vase.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

🌱 #thicktrunkTuesday When a tree dies at Wisley, it is not removed unless it is dangerous because it provides structure and habitat. Sometimes they are carved and this one, in Oakwood, has been carved into a Cardiocrinum seed head.

The base of a trunk of a dead tree. Only the bark at the base remains. The rest has been removed showing the smooth wood beneath it.

The dead tree has been carved into the shape of the seed pods of Cardiocrinum giganteum.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I have had such a lovely Bank Holiday in my tiny garden listening to this audio book. It was gripping! If you haven’t read any of his books you are in for a treat. I can’t wait for BorrowBox to get the rest of the series. Looking forward to the next one @william1shaw.bsky.social

The cover of a book by William Shaw called The Red Shore. The scene it depicts is a pier stretching from the beach to the sea with dark, threatening clouds above it.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

🌱 #BlueSkyMonday A young robin singing its heart out against the clear blue sky. If today is a Bank Holiday for you, I hope you enjoy it. I shall be in my tiny garden.

Perched on top of a pole, a juvenile robin with the beginnings of red feathers on its front. Its mouth is open as it blasts out a song.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

🌱 #SundayYellow We had some blessed rain yesterday, not enough but a start and I didn’t have to water the pots in my tiny garden. There might be a little bit more today but hopefully not enough to keep the visitors away from Wisley’s Hilltop. Looking forward to seeing refreshed gardens!

A bright yellow “Red Hot Poker” against a background of green.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

🌱 #sixonSaturday It has been another dry, hot week in my tiny garden but today there is significant rain forecast (fingers crossed). I am so thankful for my outdoor space which I happily share with “wildlife”! Description in Alt text.

A collage of six pictures from my tiny garden this week. Clockwise starting with a dramatic red Gazania enjoying the sunshine. My white Phlox has really struggled in the drought but has finally started to flower. I have a couple of toads living in my garden and this one thought I couldn’t see him but I could! The robin appears every time I go in my garden. Tiny yellow flowers of Bupleurum and apricot Diascia flowers complete my #sixonSaturday

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

🌱 #flowersonFriday One of the highlights of Wisley is coming across plants that are completely new to me. This week’s discovery is Amorpha canescens or Lead plant and is growing in the Piet Oudolf landscape. Apart from the flower, isn’t the foliage lovely? #foliageFriday

A spike of tiny purple flowers rises above feathery, grey green leaves.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

@mrjamesob.bsky.social After 29 years of teaching I took a year out to recharge my batteries and spent is studying horticulture. I was lucky enough to get a job at Wisley and spent 29 years working there. Now I am a volunteer tour guide there. Come and have a tour!

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

🌱 #insectThursday Yesterday evening I went to a book launch at Wisley for this fantastic book published today by the RHS. Three of the six authors ( including @andyentomologist.bsky.social) gave fascinating presentations. The book contains information about pollinators as well as plants.

The front cover of a book called Plants for Pollinators and a description: “Create a pollinator friendly haven with over 200 flowering plants”.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

🌱 #roseWednesday I only have a few roses in my tiny garden and this is one of the first I planted, ‘Flower Carpet White’. I planted it at a time when I restricted flower colours to blue and white. What a silly idea! Now I embrace all colours but I still really like this rose.

A bright white rose with an open habit and a fluffy, yellow centre.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

🌱 #thicktrunkTuesday One of Wisley’s magnificent trees on the edge of Hilltop and overlooking a large part of the garden. You can see the result of this year’s heat and drought on the grass. I know it will bounce back as soon as it rains but it is sad to see. I’m off for some Tour Guide training.

A large tree standing on grass that has turned brown. In the foreground is a clump of orange and yellow “Red Hot Pokers” (Kniphofia).

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

🌱 #magentaMonday #BlueSkyMonday A very blue sky above Wisley’s Hilltop World Food Garden yesterday. The plant is Amaranthus and is in the food garden because all parts are edible but I haven’t tried any.

An upright plant with spikes of tiny flowers. Behind is a bright blue sky.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

🌱 #SundayYellow Good morning on a cool start to the day but it is predicted to get warmer later. Of course I am off to my volunteering shift at Wisley’s Hilltop. That is where I took this picture last Sunday. I wonder what I will spot today.

Half of a yellow Zinnia flower with a red ladybird on one of the petals and a tiny green aphid on the edge.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

#postboxSaturday I went to the Kingston museum to see the Knit Wits Haus of Sibling exhibition recommended by @ianvisits.co.uk. It was free and colourful and I loved all the knitted and crocheted pieces. I also spotted this post box. Oh and I visited my favourite fabric shop but didn’t buy any!

A bright red post box with a crown and E2R embossed on the front.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

🌱 #sixonSaturday from my tiny garden. It has been another week of lugging watering cans trying to keep special plants alive and sadly no significant rain on the horizon. Still my tiny garden continues to give me enormous satisfaction and pleasure.

A collage of six pictures from my tiny garden this week. Clockwise, the first picture is Crepe Myrtle or Largastroemia. Hanging, bell like, pink Fuchsia flowers follow and then a cluster of pale lilac flowers of Tulbaghia. An unusual Dahlia with four red and two white petals and a fluffy yellow centre is folliwed by bright red flowers of Begonia and lastly deep red Snapdragon flowers.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

🌱 #flowersonFriday Isn’t this extraordinary? It stopped me in my tracks when I spotted it in Wisley’s Hilltop World Food garden last Sunday. It is the flower of the Snake Gourd, an interesting vegetable.

A pure white flower with five petals. Each petal has long white fringes which are curved.

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Linda @lindacdolan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

🌱 #insectThursday There were so many Fluffy Bumbles on the flowers in Wisley’s Hilltop gardens last Sunday. It’s a London day for me as I am going to the Escher exhibition at Somerset House.

A bumblebee about to land on the tiny purple flowers of Verbena bonariensis

A bumblebee on the orange stamens of an Echinacea flower. In the background are its pink petals.

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