'A Year in Bloom' Book Event & Afternoon Tea with Lucy Bellamy

Join this exciting discussion to launch 'A Year in Bloom: Flowering Bulbs for Every Season', a growing guide by Lucy Bellamy, published by Phaidon.

Bulbs are an essential part of any gardener’s planting palette – from the first snowdrops of winter to the last crocus of autumn, they offer endless opportunities for floral impact and experimentation. This book showcases a wide-ranging selection of more than 150 bulbs and features contributions. Join us for this one-off event in our Garden Workshop with author Lucy Bellamy, contributor and renowned garden designer and writer, Mary Keen (who designed our very own Petersham House garden) compered Director of Horticulture, Thomas Broom-Hughes, for an informative discussion and Q&A around the emotive subject of gardening with bulbs. We will discuss the merits of gardening with bulbs for all year-round colour and how to work with them to create a harmonious planting scheme.

Organized into four seasonal chapters, this modern grower’s guide embraces familiar flowers such as tulips and daffodils alongside less common blooms, including dog’s tooth violets, gladioli, and autumn snowflakes.

Gardeners will discover bulbs suited for borders, containers, and grass plantings; bulbs to attract pollinators, for scent, for naturalized plantings; and reliably perennial bulbs that will flower year after year, supporting a sustainable approach.

Following the discussion, our signature Petersham Nurseries Afternoon Tea will be served in addition to refreshments on arrival. The price of the ticket includes all food and beverage, a copy of the book ‘A Year in Bloom’ and a selection of Petersham Nurseries spring flowering bulbs.

Lucy Bellamy is an editor and writer, specializing in gardens and plants. Her previous books include Brilliant and Wild (2018) and Grow 5 (2022). She is the former editor of Gardens Illustrated magazine and now writes about gardening in the national press.

Mary Keen

Mary Keen is a writer, lecturer and internationally known garden designer. The author of six books, she writes from the heart rather than to order. She has been a columnist for the Telegraph, the Independent and the London Evening Standard and is a contributor to many newspapers and gardening magazines, both here and abroad. As a designer, she works sometimes in partnership with Pip Morrison and sometimes alone, preferring to make gardens which look as though they have been there for years. Imposing displays interest her less than creating atmosphere and her own garden remains her favourite project . Her last garden was regularly open to groups from all over the world and her current, much smaller, plot has been featured in Gardens Illustrated, Country Life and House and Garden . It will be the subject of her next book, Diary of a Provincial Gardener.

Host or Publisher Petersham Nurseries