Everything You Can Do In Your Garden
This book jumped off the shelf into my hand after a morning of extreme gardening. I was thinking that it would be lovely to have a sit down with a book and a cup of tea. This book entirely fit the bill. I had read it when it first came out, but I knew that it was worth another look.
The quote above is from the beginning of the introduction. Philippa then elaborates on her initial statement, “Within the garden we can create our own kingdoms and do precisely what we want.” This frames the overarching idea of the book that gardens are personal, and that how we use them is up to each one of us.
She continues, in such an English way, “a clear boundary is important… Once our boundaries are secure, what we do is up to us: the garden is our own world.” This idea is essential to the small and fully enclosed gardens that are scattered across Britain. (Coincidentally, I just read a Facebook post from my friend Nora, who is visiting English gardens. Someone had posted that every time they are in England they get ‘hedge envy’).
What the hedge, wall, or fence does for you is create an outdoor room where you feel free to do what you wish, without being seen by your neighbors. It is a freedom-from-judgment zone that allows true garden eccentricity to thrive.
Whether you enclose your garden or not, it is a place for your pleasure. In these lovely days of June, think how you want to use your garden and plan for it. From activities like playing games, exercising, and parties, to peaceful sitting, eating, or gentle strolling, the garden is yours. Think about how you want to use it in ways that are not ‘actually gardening’.
Before You Garden…
The Blog this month ties in with Tall Bearded Irises that are the plant of the month and is an account of my recent trip to see irises and poppies at Benton End in Suffolk. You won’t want to miss it!
Jenny Rose’s Garden Travels and News
My big May trip is always to the Chelsea Flower Show in London and to a variety of other English gardens. I get to visit my family as well, so it is always a delightful trip. I will fill you in in July when I have had time to digest my experiences and bring you my thoughts about favorite plants, design combinations, and trend
Another recent highlight was welcoming Simon Hiscock, the Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden, and Deputy Director, Chris Thorogood to Northview. Simon and Chris were here to share the news about their new Glasshouse Project. Please email me if you would like further information, and check out their website.
If you are in London, with an extra day, a one-hour train ride will take you to Oxford. A walk through the town (actually a city), will take you to the Oxford Botanic Garden, which was begun in 1621. It is the oldest Botanic Garden in England.
PS: please check out my website – jennyrosecarey.com. We add new articles and links to blogs and other information to keep it fresh and up to date.
Curious About My Garden?
Throughout the spring and summer of 2026, I will be hosting two Open Garden days from 10am to noon at Northview, the four-and-half acres I call home. Full of intricately connected small gardens, whimsical fountains, native shade plants, and much more, a visit is sure to leave you with inspirations for your own gardens.
The entry fee to Open Garden Days is $20 per person. Parking is limited, so I advise carpooling if possible. Email me at jennyrosecarey@gmail.com to reserve your spot!
2026 Dates:
September 25
(Note, in previous newsletters, I had shared that the September Open Garden day would be on Saturday the 26th. I apologize for any confusion!)
Plant of the Month:
Tall Bearded Irises
My obsession with Irises has grown after including this wonderful group in my recent book – The Essential Guide to Bulbs. (If you have the book, check out more photos and information on pages 97-102).
I am not alone in this passion. I have talked to many of people recently who see this as a period of resurgence for this once hugely popular group of garden plants. My daughter bought a house, dating from 1702, that has a garden with super beds full of irises. My friend Jacki gave me back some irises that had belonged to my husband’s grandmother and great-grandmother that I had lost (Yay for sharing plants with friends – thank you Jacki.)
What am I seeing in this group that makes it worth another look for our gardens? For a start, they are drought-tolerant. Their rhizome is their storage organ that is not a true bulb, but it serves the same function of keeping the plant going through inclement weather.
Their period of bloom in late spring-early summer is after the main rush of spring flowers, but before the summer annuals and perennials. It is a time when you need a bit of flowery drama, and tall bearded irises can give you that. Their blooms are elevated on elegant stems above the crowd of moundy-leafy perennials that will bloom later in the season.
And beauty! How about the sheer joy that one iris flower can give you. Irises always win in planting designs because of their unique three-parted form. Then the range of colors lives up to the name iris – flower of the rainbow – with colors and bicolors galore. There is no brilliant red, but add some poppies for that.
After a few years, divide the clump of irises right after blooming–to give the newly divided plants a chance to grow new roots before winter. This is also the time to share with friends. When you lever up the clump or take parts off the outside, check the rhizomes for a nasty critter called an iris borer–if found–don’t be squeamish–squash it. Apart from that, have fun and don’t forget to post your iris flowers to Instagram, where all you will get are many ‘Likes’.
Check out this gallery of incredible irises from the Historic Iris Preservation Society.
Book of the Month:
Everything you can do in the Garden without actually Gardening
What a fun read! Philippa is an astute observer of human behavior. Due to her former job as an image researcher in Britain, she had a vast collection of images to choose from – in the days before there was the internet.
Throughout the book, there are brilliant illustrations and many lovely examples of how people have used their outdoor spaces. The photos are paired with quotes from fiction and non-fiction books of the equivalent era. This brings the images to life and explains some of the social history. For example, who would think that in the British climate, sitting in the shade was preferred until the early twentieth century, when Vitamin D and its benefits were discovered.
Some of the weird sections include garden hermitages, wildernesses, cold baths (very cold in England), water jokes, watering devices, and much more. For places to sit, Philippa includes medieval turf seats, hammocks, folding garden furniture like deckchairs (very hard to unfold without pinching your fingers), and teak furniture made from old British warships and liners.
Those of you who have attended my Women in Horticulture lectures know how much I love a photo of a woman in a garden. Philippa has some lovely ones. Did you know that playing croquet in the 1870’s gave women the chance to show their ankles, thus causing jealousy in others, followed by tennis, which was the next big garden sport craze?
The section that made me laugh the most was the part about barbecues. Philippa says that in the 1970s “The British needed educating in the new art.” As a child, I always wanted a barbecue for my birthday, but it invariably rained. My Dad must have been reading these instructions about how to make a barbecue from a “footscraper” (used to clean mud off shoes) because, in my memory, there were piles of old bricks and a random metal grid that rarely was used. I hope that you have lots of summer barbecues and that the rain only rains enough to water your newly divided irises.
In Case You Were Gardening…
In The Pink – Flowers Version, May 19, 2026
Notes From English Country Gardens, September 15, 2025 (There are some lovely iris pictures in this one!)
A Rain Garden for Every Garden, August 28, 2024
If you like this newsletter, please tell your gardening friends about it. It is easy to subscribe by contacting me via my website.
If you would like to see photos of my garden at Northview and images of my garden travels, please follow me on Instagram @NorthviewGarden and @JennyRoseCarey
Goodbye for now, Gardening Friends. Relish this glorious month of June.
Want More? Check Out My Books!
While shady areas can be a challenging area for gardeners, Glorious Shade shows you how to make the most of it by helping you chose the right plants for the space and sharing key designing and maintenance tips.
The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Guide gives gardeners the confidence needed to create the flower-filled garden of their dreams. Instead of concentrating primarily on color, it brings flower shape and texture to the fore, helping homeowners to create cohesive, yet unique, flower gardens.
The Essential Guide to Bulbs is a gorgeously photographed, comprehensive, and inviting resource. While many gardeners may be familiar with the early show of spring bulbs, there are so many more to choose from that provide three-season color, drama, and spontaneity in the garden.
Not only are these books an excellent addition to your gardening book collection, I personally sign every book purchased directly from my website as a special thank you.
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