Dede Sophie

Tropical effect gardens live on the edge of what can survive a typical British winter, so whenever an unseasonably cold winter arrives plant death and destruction will surely follow – something we witnessed this year at RHS Wisley Exotic garden!  Exotic plants that can be quite happy with English winters unfortunately struggle to survive in these exceptional 1 in 10 years where temperatures drop to below -6 degrees Celsius! So plants which have established to become handsome specimens can be completely destroyed, ruining the effect of many exotic gardens. So in this video we visit RHS Wisleys Exotic garden to see how they coped with the coldest and longest winter seen in at least 12 years. If you would like to see more content like this then check out YouTube channel ‘Walking Talking Gardeners’. It is absolutely free to subscribe to and you can unsubscribe instantly at any time. Don’t forget to click onto the notification bell icon to be notified of all our future videos.

A holiday to Madhya Pradesh traditionally meant visiting one of its famous national parks and watching its tigers up close in the wild. After all, it is where ‘The Jungle Book’, Mowgli, Bhalu, Bagheera and Sher Khan were born. But, there is so much more to Madhya Pradesh than just its tigers and national parks. Owing to its unique location in the heart of the Indian subcontinent, it is home to a variety of cultural and heritage sites that can be considered as the pride of India. This central location has been allowing civilizations, kingdoms, dynasties, rulers, warriors, traders, armies and many more people to overlap for thousands of years and it is due to this exchange that you see some legendary heritage sites here. Some of them have been recognized by UNESCO as world heritage sites, while the others are sites of national importance. Here are 8 such heritage destinations that you must visit on your next trip to Madhya Pradesh. Each of these heritage destinations have had a rich past

He was the last of the strong Mughal Emperors who ruled over almost the entire Indian subcontinent for a period of 49 years. He was an accomplished military leader who has also been described as the most controversial ruler in Indian history. He was given the title of Alamgir or conqueror of the world. And the world knows him by his popular name ‘Aurangzeb’, which translates to ‘Ornament of the Throne’ in Persian. But, in spite of his titles, regal status and rich legacy, his final resting place is a simple and unmarked one. Why is Aurangzeb’s tomb a simple one when his predecessors had grand mausoleums built; some of which are large monuments of Mughal architecture? Be it Babur’s tomb in Babur garden, Afghanistan,  Humayun’s tomb in Delhi, Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra, Jehangir’s tomb at Shahdara Bagh, Pakistan or Shah Jahan’s tomb at Taj Mahal in Agra along with his wife Mumtaz Mahal, all of them symbolize the magnificence and architecture of Mughal architecture. While all of Aurangzeb’

I don’t know why the Kailasa temple at Ellora is not one of the seven wonders of the world. It’s excavation, carving and stature is unparalleled in the whole world. After all, it is the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world. Ellora caves is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world. Dating from the 6th century CE, this UNESCO World Heritage site houses monuments and artwork is dedicated to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Like I mentioned in my earlier photo essay article on Ajanta Caves, the 2200 year old rock cave wonder , photographs don’t allow you to experience the magnitude of its magnificence and size, but it still gives you a good idea about one of India’s best heritage sites. The idea is to give you a sneak peek into the rich architecture, stunning sculptures, gorgeous carvings and inhuman excavation capabilities of Ellora caves through this photo essay. I hope it takes you on a virtual tour through one of Incredible India’s rich

Domestic and international travelers to India usually know the popular tourist destinations that our beautiful country has to offer. But, there are so many hidden gems out there that are as beautiful and offer a rich experience to its visitor. Shouldn’t we visit such lesser known places? Let’s take the state of Madhya Pradesh as a case in point. It’s popular tourist destinations are its tiger reserves of Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench, Khajuraho and Sanchi Stupa. While these destinations are fabulous, there is more to the state of Madhya Pradesh. And not only are they as special, they span the full spectrum of diversity ranging from culture, heritage, nature, adventure and more rich wildlife avenues. Below are four such lesser known destinations that need to be a part of every Madhya Pradesh holiday itinerary. 1. Bhimbetka – is an archaeological treasure and these rock shelters encompass over 500 caves. They exhibit the earliest traces of human life and gives us a sneak peek into the ev

There is often some confusion when it comes to dead-heading Dahlias as the spent blooms and the newly forming buds can look very similar. Also there seems to be a general habit of snapping off the heads of Dahlias and leaving unsightly stalks behind. So if you want to know the difference between an finished flower and a bud about to bloom and the best technique to remove the stalks then check out our video above on everything you need to know about dead-heading dahlias. If you have any questions at all then don’t forget to leave a message in the comments, we would love to hear from you. Also consider pressing the subscribe button so that you never miss an episode.

If you are interested in growing African cacti then Orbea variegata is probably the easiest species to begin with. Although not actually a cactus but instead a specialist succulent it is super-easy to grow, super-easy to propagate and will even survive outside in an unheated greenhouse (at least it will where I live on the south coast of England. And this isn’t a bad thing as when the blooms open they will smell of carrion!  They can be difficult to find but they will pop up at Cacti and Succulent shows as well as maybe some plant material on-line from which you can propagate your own specimens. Of course the best thing about these wonderful plants are the gorgeous blooms which are incredible intricate in their colouration and design. The second best thing this that they will thrive on neglect just so long as you water them at least once a month but preferably weekly during the growing season. If you would to see more content like this then why not consider subscribing to our YouTube