Dede Sophie

Ahh, Tree Echiums or as I clearly like to call them ‘Giant Echiums’, which of course they are! The problem with growing them on the south coast of England is that they live on the very edge of where they can survive. This means that a harsh winter here can really damage them. So in order to survive into the following season they will need some frost protection – which creates its own problem. When left hidden under cover, it is possible that caterpillars are in there too meaning that they can happily munch on the succulent new growth throughout the winter leaving you with a damaged, poor quality specimen come the spring! No at first sight your specimen my look absolutely fine, and of course these plants really want to grow so will happily produce luxurious side shoots as soon as the weather improves. The problem is that these side shoots are always weakly connected to the main branch. So as they grow upwards to produce the flower spike they will not be able to hold themselves in strong

When people think of Iran, they think of the large square and bustling bazaars of Isfahan , the ruins of Persepolis and the tea houses of Tehran. But, when I think of Iran, I think of the desert city of Na’in, the mountain village of Abyaneh and Yazd, the city of wind towers, Zoroastrianism and the one that has a sweet tooth . I think of the rich Iranian hospitality , the beautifully woven carpets, the endless conversations had over many cups of tea, the super friendly people and the ubiquitous door knockers . In this article, I wish to talk about Na’in, one of the cities mentioned above. Located 140 kilometres east of Isfahan, Na’in is one of those Iranian cities where it feels like time has come to a standstill. It’s citadel, it’s mud houses, its gorgeous mosques and its busy bazaars transport you to a different era. You cannot stop admiring the door knockers on its house doors as you walk past its narrow lanes. Each door has a male and a female door knocker and they came in diffe