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Tag: Old Man’s Beard

Wordless Wednesday

November 9, 20162 Comments

Snowberry (Symphoricarpus) in front of a blanket of old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba)

Wordless Wednesday

September 7, 20162 Comments

IMG_4746 (2).JPG

Wild Clematis seedhead – Clematis vitalba

Dogwooddays Blog

Hi, thanks for visiting the blog. I’m Nic – a garden and nature writer based in Hertfordshire. I’m also a peat-free gardener, keen birdwatcher, inveterate bookworm and mum to two budding growers. Join me as I follow my crops from plot to plate, explore new plants and share the wonder and beauty of the nature world…

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I called my blog 'Dogwooddays' in celebration of those magical winter moments when fiery cornus stems set the borders alight. The epitome of light in the darkness, its hard wood possibly led to both Latin and common names: 'cornus' from Latin for horn, as its wood is as hard as horn, and dogwood from dagwood/dagtree - the hard wood used for daggers or butchers' skewers, from 'dag' - to pierce or stab.

So chuffed to have the opportunity to write about the place of gardens in the wider & wilder landscape in December's RHS The Garden magazine. Writing about an issue that means so much to me has made my year!

Flames licking round the shed - self-seeded, fan-trained cotoneaster and self-suckered Midwinter Fire.

Hour off from board games, pie baking and assorted family activities to spend dusk at the foot of the black poplar listening to the bubbling Ashbrook and other almost imperceptible crepuscular sounds as the field margins fade to night.

Out among the beeches in Letchworth. In the face of their warm marcescence all the surrounding trees seem gappy and stick-thin. The word that lingers on my tongue? Butterscotch.

The Ubatuba and Aji Bolsa de Dulce still think it's mid-September...

Last of the summer tomatoes...

Wow! So pleased to have been shortlisted for the Beth Chatto Environmental Award by the @gdnmediaguild for my piece on peatbog restoration, to help ecosystems that support birds like this beautiful golden plover.

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Top Posts & Pages

Save Our Rainforests: The Peat-Free Nurseries List
Nettles revisited: how time removes the sting
10 Ethical Gardening Gifts For A Green Christmas
What's In A Name? Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'
My Garden Right Now In Pictures
Winter Treats: Redwing and Fieldfare
5 Environmentally-Friendly Ideas to Take Home from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Gardeners' World Live: Water, Water, Everywhere...

My Favourite Blogs

Nature Notes

Nature Notes. December 1, 2019
Old Gods & Raven Calls. These winter days, we become crepuscular. Sometimes it feels that, outside, only the glow from big round hazel leaves, or the gold flare from a little quince tree in the hedge, with its hard, yellow-green fruits, provides the only natural light. Like a stored memory; a facsimile of sunshine, a … Continue reading Nature Notes.
nicolawriting

Landlines: Nature Writing

‘A Year in Kingcombe’ by Anita Roy October 30, 2019
Today’s guest blog comes from one of the finest new voices on the British nature writing scene, Anita Roy, with extracts from her wonderful account of a calendar year at Kingcombe in Dorset. First published month by month in Little Toller’s online nature journal The Clearing , the diary quickly gained a devoted following. It is now […]
carminamusic

The Unconventional Gardener

GoffW: 97530.64 December 6, 2019
Blast off! It's time for another exciting Gardeners Off World adventure!
Emma

Gardens, Weeds and Words

Day 341: nature unconcerned December 7, 2019
A walk through the London streets in the run up to Christmas, yielding me perhaps the most unlovely garden detail, though one I can’t help but return to consistently…
Andrew O'Brien

Mark’s Veg Plot

Shutting up shop for Winter October 12, 2019
I haven't posted anything here for ages, so you probably guessed this: I'm shutting up my blog for the Winter.My garden looks bedraggled and messy at present, and there is very little for me to write about. Who wants to see photos of my last few tomatoes, still holding out against the encroaching Blight?My remaining cucumber plants are still produc […]
noreply@blogger.com (Mark Willis)

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Disclaimer

Nic Wilson and Dogwooddays do not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. Always ensure it is legal to forage and where identification is concerned, if in doubt, leave it out.

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© Nic Wilson and Dogwooddays, 2018. 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 Nic Wilson and Dogwooddays with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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