Kari's Garden
@karisgarden.bsky.social
I'm here, for plants, gardens, and bit of art, history, books and nature. I give talks about plants with a past and gardening with scented plants.
A small thing of beauty
December 4, 2025 at 9:35 AM
A small thing of beauty
Reposted by Kari's Garden
Portal to the past. Alderman Stairs, featured on John Rocque’s map of 1746, also known as Alderman Parsons Stairs & Lady Parsons Stairs, probably named after a previous owner and his wife. Connecting river to land, these steps once bustled with people & activity, now quiet, eerie & full of ghosts.
December 2, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Portal to the past. Alderman Stairs, featured on John Rocque’s map of 1746, also known as Alderman Parsons Stairs & Lady Parsons Stairs, probably named after a previous owner and his wife. Connecting river to land, these steps once bustled with people & activity, now quiet, eerie & full of ghosts.
Hair Ice - I've seen this on the socials before but never in reality. This morning on a frost-dead heliotrope - apparently a fungus creates the conditions for the ice to form as fine hair-like strands.
November 21, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Hair Ice - I've seen this on the socials before but never in reality. This morning on a frost-dead heliotrope - apparently a fungus creates the conditions for the ice to form as fine hair-like strands.
Delightful. Have enjoyed the series so far!
Mother: Robin on holly.
Me: How ‘bout Holly on robin?
Mother: How would that work?
Me:
Me: How ‘bout Holly on robin?
Mother: How would that work?
Me:
November 18, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Delightful. Have enjoyed the series so far!
Brilliant new and re-published nature books (mainly UK) - lovely small independent publisher - enjoy!
A little autumn offer for this week! 15% off books bought on our website until 1st November. Use code LTB15G at the checkout. Maybe try Edward Thomas' Icknield Way, Caro Giles' Unschooled or Peter Hahn's memoir of life on a vineyard...
www.littletoller.co.uk/shop/
www.littletoller.co.uk/shop/
October 27, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Brilliant new and re-published nature books (mainly UK) - lovely small independent publisher - enjoy!
Reposted by Kari's Garden
October 25, 2025 at 12:43 AM
A lovely piece of community spirit and identity in these embroideries - I feel sad too, 'All that land is now houses'. The Victorians woke up to the fact that too much land was going under housing - time we woke up again too.
Sneak preview of the hand embroidered panels for the heritage project we’ve been working on. All made by community volunteers in Knowsley. Where did our farms go? @foodrise.bsky.social
October 25, 2025 at 8:50 AM
A lovely piece of community spirit and identity in these embroideries - I feel sad too, 'All that land is now houses'. The Victorians woke up to the fact that too much land was going under housing - time we woke up again too.
Flowering late as usual, a hugely big fuchsia floof - I think it is 'Phénoménal' bred by Victor Lemoine in the 19thCentury,
(labels got muddled so could be Baron de Ketteler which to my untrained eye looks similar)
(labels got muddled so could be Baron de Ketteler which to my untrained eye looks similar)
October 20, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Flowering late as usual, a hugely big fuchsia floof - I think it is 'Phénoménal' bred by Victor Lemoine in the 19thCentury,
(labels got muddled so could be Baron de Ketteler which to my untrained eye looks similar)
(labels got muddled so could be Baron de Ketteler which to my untrained eye looks similar)
Hardy autumn flowering camellia bred by William Ackerman in the US, 'Snow Flurry', said to be scented but I can't detect much if any scent - perhaps it needs more warmth than here in the UK.
October 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Hardy autumn flowering camellia bred by William Ackerman in the US, 'Snow Flurry', said to be scented but I can't detect much if any scent - perhaps it needs more warmth than here in the UK.
Reposted by Kari's Garden
Purse made of a walnut shell covered with embroidered silk, England, 1600-1650. (Victoria & Albert Museum, London)
October 1, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Purse made of a walnut shell covered with embroidered silk, England, 1600-1650. (Victoria & Albert Museum, London)
Reposted by Kari's Garden
Whistler's Mother, watching Grandpa Simpson on the telly, with my dad's cat on his knee: a painting by my dad. www.tom-cox.com/the-cat-who-...
September 30, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Whistler's Mother, watching Grandpa Simpson on the telly, with my dad's cat on his knee: a painting by my dad. www.tom-cox.com/the-cat-who-...
Reposted by Kari's Garden
September 16, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Still enjoying the exotica outside as we make our way coolly and rainily further into autumn, this lovely abutilon will be moved into an unheated greenhouse in a few weeks. Ipomoea 'Flying Saucers' is at peak flowering. Fuchsia 'Lady Bacon' putting on a good show after the heat, is hardy here.
September 14, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Still enjoying the exotica outside as we make our way coolly and rainily further into autumn, this lovely abutilon will be moved into an unheated greenhouse in a few weeks. Ipomoea 'Flying Saucers' is at peak flowering. Fuchsia 'Lady Bacon' putting on a good show after the heat, is hardy here.
Reposted by Kari's Garden
Today I headed to St. Katherine’s Dock to see the replica Viking longboat that’s sailed over for the Greenwich Maritime Festival
August 31, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Today I headed to St. Katherine’s Dock to see the replica Viking longboat that’s sailed over for the Greenwich Maritime Festival
indeed they did
August 31, 2025 at 8:19 PM
indeed they did
Beautiful.
Why paint a marrow bed? (1927) Well, aside from an exercise in form and light, in later life Stanley Spencer wrote: 'When I feel a certain degree of strength in my feelings and passions has been reached, I want to transform some disliked thing into something I shall love.'
August 31, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Beautiful.
An interesting observation - distribution of elder trees in the UK
Are the gaps in the UK distribution of Common Elder real or an artifact of under-recording? That's the topic that I explore in my latest blog post - read it here:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/08/30/w...
#botany #biodiversity #trees #NatureWriting #ecology
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/08/30/w...
#botany #biodiversity #trees #NatureWriting #ecology
Why are there large gaps in the British distribution of Common Elder?
Back in mid-April, Karin and I spent a long weekend in the New Forest, exploring the walking trails around the village of Brockenhurst and watching the bird life of the coastal wetlands near Lyming…
jeffollerton.co.uk
August 30, 2025 at 9:19 AM
An interesting observation - distribution of elder trees in the UK
🌱 Worra a lot of grasses - as you might expect at Knoll Gardens near Bournemouth. First visit. Loved it.
August 24, 2025 at 1:50 PM
🌱 Worra a lot of grasses - as you might expect at Knoll Gardens near Bournemouth. First visit. Loved it.
Reposted by Kari's Garden
In case you’re in the area… www.timeout.com/london/news/...
A Viking longship will row up the River Thames next week
A 1,000-year replica boat is heading into central London.
www.timeout.com
August 23, 2025 at 7:35 AM
In case you’re in the area… www.timeout.com/london/news/...
🌱A wet Keith Wiley's Wildside garden yesterday in Devon. Dartmoor and surrounds was under a big black cloud. Picnic in the car. All sunny at home.
August 8, 2025 at 10:15 AM
🌱A wet Keith Wiley's Wildside garden yesterday in Devon. Dartmoor and surrounds was under a big black cloud. Picnic in the car. All sunny at home.
Hope she has a good time too.
August 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Hope she has a good time too.
Reposted by Kari's Garden
This oil sketch, 'The Flying Applepickers,' (c1946) came about after a discussion between Evelyn Dunbar and her next-door neighbour about the best way to harvest apples in their gardens; the setting is Long Compton in Warwickshire.
July 26, 2025 at 5:21 AM
This oil sketch, 'The Flying Applepickers,' (c1946) came about after a discussion between Evelyn Dunbar and her next-door neighbour about the best way to harvest apples in their gardens; the setting is Long Compton in Warwickshire.
I can only get the hybrid 'Yin' to grow in my garden - what a lovely lily.
Lily Nepalense .. beautiful lily from the Himalayas ..needs a little protection in the winter ..i put the pot in a cold frame and that works
July 22, 2025 at 12:02 PM
I can only get the hybrid 'Yin' to grow in my garden - what a lovely lily.
Reposted by Kari's Garden
Contemporary artist Angela Smyth #WomensArt
July 19, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Contemporary artist Angela Smyth #WomensArt