SuburbanGaze

Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities to live within Europe and is consistently in the top 10 highest cost of living surveys (for example: two burgers with chips and drinks is just over £50 (MAD Burger) compared to the same meal for about £30 in the UK (Gourmet Burger King).   Luckily there are lots of activities you can enjoy that won't cost you a penny to balance this out a bit. One of these is the University of Copenhagen Botanical Gardens (Botanisk Have) which is situated right in the City Centre making it accessible for all.  You would expect to pay up to £10 each for a similar experience in the UK. Entrance and Map The garden is part of a suite of institutions under the umbrella of the Danish Natural History Museum established in 2004.   This large public park around a lake must be staffed by a thousand elves as it is immaculately kept making it a real pleasure to visit.  The garden contains 23,462 living plants and its purpose i...

Having always assumed that Moths were nocturnal I was pleasantly surprised to find this little beauty fluttering around the Euphorbias yesterday.  I haven't been a fan of Moths for a while now but this could swing it for me in their favour. This is a Cinnabar Moth and whilst common, it's the first time I have ever seen one. The photo gives the impression the Moth is superimposed onto it Cinnabar is a mineral that used to be crushed and used in the manufacturing of paint to make the brilliant red colour Vermillion - hence the name.

Blessed with good weather we went for a drive to visit  Stone House Cottage Gardens .   T his is a well hidden almost secret garden that you can locate near West Midlands Safari Park in Kidderminster.   The Garden is listed in the RHS Members Handbook and is also in the Gardeners' World 2for1 Entry Guide supplement. After parking the car we approached the redbrick arch entrance and were greeted by the owner  Louisa Arbuthnott and her canine companions.  We felt immediately welcome and relaxed within the stunning surroundings (even the gravel carpark is beautiful with plants popping out from everywhere).   We walked through the Wisteria entwined archway and were faced with a choice as there were three pathways divided by neatly clipped yew hedges.  Having paused briefly at a small cool and shady corner next to the archway we decided to go to the left and explore the walled space in a clockwise direction. What first captivated us was...

As the Summer season approaches we are celebrating our pond borders which are looking stunning.  The patient weeding has paid off; whilst time consuming the only effective method we have found is to get on our hands and knees with a root weeder to dig down and pull out those roots.   We have had an unseasonably  large amount of wet weather too which has helped.  I last walked down  to the bottom of the garden a week ago and in just 7 days the Hostas and the Ferns have really popped - it's a shame they are perennials but its such a joy when the do appear each year slightly larger and more established that the last and generally slug-free thanks to our frogs. Our Ligularia The Rocket foliage has increased in size since we planted it last year and the flower heads have just begun to appear.  We are now waiting for them to shoot up like a bright yellow firework. Having clay soil can be a curse and in this part of the garden it is very he...