Ode to Echiums for the Guardian

Two separate travel experiences during spring 2018 brought the Echium genus into focus for me. The first was a visit to Gran Canaria, and seeing so many varieties – some unique to the island – in flower along its ridges and ravines (pictured below). The second was a walk around the ‘desert’ landscape of Dungeness in the south east of England. Great drifts of viper’s bugloss (E. vulgare) were in flower all over the beach, and the colour was just spectacular (bottom image). Having grown tree echiums (E. pininana) at the Garden Museum for many years, and enjoyed their enormous bee-covered, monocarpic blooms, I suggested a piece for the Guardian covering the history and cultivation of the wider Echium genus (published 15.06.19 and can be read here).

Echium decaisnei seen growing near Roque Nublo on Gran Canaria (April 2018)

Echium vulgare (viper’s bugloss) growing wild in the grass scrub surrounding Dungeness (June 2018)

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Garden featured in ‘Great Gardens of London’

Really pleased to have had the garden photographed and featured in this fantastic book. I feel very honoured to be included alongside such iconic London gardens as Lambeth Palace, Winfield House, Hampton Court and even 10 Downing Street..

The book was written by Victoria Summerly and included photographs by the fantastic, Hugo Rittsen-Thomas. It’s available from Amazon.co.uk, and here’s a sneak peek..

Ivy Cities Journal

During the course of my time at the garden in Richmond I’ve recorded notes, thoughts and reflections on this blog, however I’ve also been keeping a physical diary. Spanning the five years I’ve spent developing the grounds, numerous notebooks have been (almost) daily filled, with not just the mechanical day-to-day lists and reminders of a working garden, but with observations that recount everything else that comes with working in an outdoor, and often wild environment.

In late 2015, I spent some time putting together a journal which I’ve named, ‘Ivy Cities’. The journal comprises diary entries, photographs and workings selected from my notebooks, and serves to preserve, in a small way, some of the memories and experiences that went with caring for this wonderful garden.

In putting together the journal I was fortunate enough to be able to enlist the help of Good Empire: for styling and paper sourcing, and Maria Nilsson: for her wonderful illustrations.

Ivy Cities has had a limited print-run and copies are available for order. I ask for a donation of £8 per copy, which covers printing and postage. Please contact me at: matt@orangetip.co.uk for orders and further information.