the blackberry garden

A blog about my garden, my inspiration to garden and things about gardening that make me happy. UK No: 1 Garden Blog 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 (Vuelio). Garden Media Guild Blog of the Year 2019

Search This Blog

Home
Introduction to the garden
Book Reviews
Product reviews
My writing for other sites
The Questions
Nice mentions
Irritating Plant of the Month (IPotM)
The Blackberry Garden Plant Of The Year Award
YouTube Channel

Showing posts from January, 2026

View all

Posts

End of Month Review - December 2025

January 01, 2026

+

0

Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

Garden Media Guild Blog of the Year 2019

Alison Levey: I have been writing about my garden on ‘The BlackberryGarden’ blog since 2011. I am an amateur and somewhat obsessed gardener and I am based in Leicester. I write about my own garden and what inspires me to garden: gardens I have visited, plant fairs and garden shows. I also review garden related books and products. The Blackberry Garden is not a ‘how to’ blog, the aim is to talk more about the enjoyment of gardening and it is read by people who garden and people who do not, all readers and followers are very welcome.

Visit profile

Join me on Substack

The Blackberry Garden Substack

Followers

Follow me on Twitter

Follow @papaver

Please use the Contact Form below to get in touch.

Media Pack available on request.

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Feedspot Top 100 UK Gardening Blogs

Vuelio 2020

End of Month Review October 2025

Autumn is now well and truly upon us. The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in and a chill is descending. In the front garden the Magnolia Soulangeana is starting to shed its leaves. The leaves do not rot quickly and at some point in Spring I will remove some of them from the ground to let the plants underneath get some light. I never rush to do this. The leaves form a natural mulch. The hanging basket by the front door has an interloper. I am not sure what this is, but I am letting to grow to see what it is. It has flower buds on it so I am hoping it does not get frosted and die before it flowers. Whilst the nights are starting to get a bit chilly, the dahlias have not called season's end just yet. They are still boldly growing. I pop my head into the greenhouse to see how the potatoes are doing. They are growing well. I have not furtled yet to see if I can feel any actual potatoes. If you look closely you might see a ginger t...

Gerddi'r Castell

Oh yes I have been visiting Wales again. Yes of course I went to Portmeirion and to Plas Brondanw - that my regular readers will expect. I also spent some time wandering around the garden at Castell Deudraeth. When we stay at Portmeirion we always go for dinner one night at the Castell; but this time I stayed in the Castell itself which was very exciting. On the morning I was leaving it was raining. It had rained considerably the day I arrived as well, but rain did not dampen my visit. The Castell is medieval in origin, and was reshaped into a manor house developed in the 18th and 19th century. Clough Williams Ellis bought the Castell in 1925 always intending it to be part of the village. Sadly Clough did not see this come to fruition in his lifetime and it fell into considerable disrepair. When I started visiting Portmeirion regularly, the Castell was not much more than a shell. Thankfully it was restored and is now a fabulous hotel and r...

Letter to the garden - November 2025

Dear Garden Oh my dear garden: its been a while since we have corresponded. I started to write to you about as we descent into Autumn, but I am not sure it is descending; is it more a gentle stroll? I think it is really just the next season: the next cycle of the year with its own beauties and joys. We are entering the darker, wetter, colder months and the shortness of the days is the hardest part for me. So signs of the return of the light are always welcome. Imagine my delight as I was walking through the front garden the other day to see this snowdrop deciding to flower. There is was, tiny and a little rain battered and yet to my eyes - perfect. It is a perfect signal of hope for the Spring that will come. For this is just the vanguard, the herald of what will follow. Most of the snowdrops are just starting to break their way through the soil. Just the very tips are reaching upwards: almost like missiles emerging from their silos but with no ...

Copyright

©Alison Levey and Blackberry Garden, 2 February 2011 to 31 December 2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Alison Levey and Blackberry Garden with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Pageviews last month

Privacy Notice

The Blackberry Garden does not collect, process or store your data. Your data will not be processed or used by The Blackberry Garden and therefore will not be shared with anyone else by The Blackberry Garden.

Data about webpage traffic is collected by Blogger, but it does not identify individual users toThe Blackberry Garden and The Blackberry Garden does not store or use any individualised data relating to traffic.