| Welcome to An Eclectic Journal of Curious Wonders I’ve always been curious. Not necessarily about any one particular thing, either. Wildlife, gardens, history, science, people, places, memories, films, forgotten things, peculiar things and occasionally things that probably shouldn’t happen at all have a habit of catching my attention. Sometimes it begins with something I notice while working. A plant flowering when it seemingly shouldn’t, an unfamiliar insect, a change in the weather, an old garden feature or something half-hidden beneath years of growth. At other times it might begin with a childhood memory, a photograph, a film I haven’t seen for forty years, something I once collected, somewhere I once lived, or simply a question that arrives from nowhere. And then there are the “what if?” questions. What if the world stopped working quite as we expected? What if something dismissed as myth turned out not to be? What if we looked again at something so familiar that we had stopped noticing it? And what happens when an apparently ordinary subject is followed just a little further than usual? That is what this Journal has gradually become. I am a working gardener, and gardening remains firmly among its roots. Plants, gardens, wildlife, insects, soil and the changing seasons are part of my everyday life, so naturally they appear frequently within these pages. But they now sit alongside history, memory, the natural world, curious discoveries, disappearing places, films, gaming, poetry, speculative ideas, strange stories and occasional journeys into considerably darker territory. There is no requirement for one subject to fit neatly beside the next. That is rather the point. This is An Eclectic Journal of Curious Wonders: a collection of things observed, remembered, questioned, investigated and occasionally imagined. Some articles are practical, some personal. Some look backwards, others look at the world around us now, and a few wander into worlds that never existed in the first place. The garden gate is still here. I simply stopped believing there was any particular reason to remain on one side of it. So, welcome to the Journal. Have a wander. You never quite know what we might find. |
Latest from the Journal …
Within Living Memory
A personal reflection on sixty-three years of observing nature, exploring childhood memories, environmental change, human responsibility and the enduring importance of curiosity.
When the Pacific Changes the Weather
Discover how to create a resilient British garden through healthy soil, wise planting, water management and practical preparation for unpredictable weather.
When a Growing Business Outgrows Its Tools
Discover why growing gardening businesses sometimes need fewer tools, not more, and how equipment rationalisation improves efficiency and productivity.
Under the Surface — The Winter We Try to Save the Worms
Why do earthworms emerge during winter rain? Exploring clay soil, worm respiration, no-dig gardening and our plans to prevent drowned worms.
The Other Side of the Flowerbed
Sergeant Formica’s ant colony faces chaos when a gardener blocks its supply route with compost. A funny wildlife adventure starring Private Derek.
The Films of My Lifetime
Returning to Britain in 1977, Rory explores a remarkable year of cinema, from The Deep and A Bridge Too Far to Star Wars, Suspiria and the actors who shaped his film memories.
The Ministry of Misbehaving Gardens
Discover Elderwick, a mysterious English village hidden in the mist, as The Ministry of Misbehaving Gardens prepares for its Christmas 2026 debut.
How to Grow Plants from Tomato Plants Past Their Main Growing Season
Discover how to overwinter tomato plants, grow new plants from cuttings, rescue heavily pruned stems and preserve your best tomatoes for another season.
Creature Features:
Explore Creature Features, a continuing journey through monster movies, giant insects, deadly animals and the wonderfully bizarre history of cinema.
The Secret World of Moths
Explore the world’s 100 remarkable moths in a 50-part journey through extraordinary species, fascinating adaptations and natural history.
Extraordinary Gardening Adventures
A Halloween gardening horror-comedy sees Rory and John trapped in a fogbound Kent garden filled with giant insects, monstrous snakes and B-movie nightmares.
The 30 Greatest and Most Gloriously Awful Creature Features
Thirty classic creature-feature horror and sci-fi films from 1950–1979, ranked from gloriously awful B-movies to unforgettable monster masterpieces.
If Gardens Had to Feed More Than One Household
What if one garden had to help feed two households? A speculative look at how British gardens might change if growing food became a necessity rather than simply a hobby.
From the Garden Archives
Rediscover the gardening archives of The Curious Gardeners Journal, featuring refreshed articles, practical horticultural advice and observations from the garden.
The Other Side of the Flowerbed
Mr Woodrow the Woodlouse faces a housing crisis when a gardener moves his flowerpot. A humorous garden wildlife tale of relocation, committees and chaos.
Within Living Memory
What can gardeners tell us about environmental change? A personal reflection on observation, soil, changing seasons and the realities of working with nature.
When the Pacific Changes the Weather
Discover how El Niño and La Niña may influence British gardens, from waterlogged soils and drought to frost, plant health and unpredictable growing seasons.
I Was a Gamer Before Gaming Went Online
A lifelong passion for gaming, from Napoleonic tabletop battles with Dad to World of Warcraft, exploring how gaming grew and changed alongside me.
Living with a Mad Gardener
How six months of telephone conversations introduced Suze to the eccentric Mad Professor who would one day become her Mad Gardener.
South American Insects
Discover South America’s extraordinary butterflies and moths, from blue morphos and Heliconius to clearwings, swallowtails and giant silk moths.
The Edge of Discovery
Explore the Orang Pendek mystery of Sumatra, from rainforest sightings and mysterious footprints to scientific searches for an undiscovered primate.
The Ministry of Misbehaving Gardens
Discover The Ministry of Misbehaving Gardens, a new Gardenverse mystery blending Gothic fantasy, folklore, steampunk and British gardening humour.
The Ground Beneath the Garden
Can ground-cover plants really replace weeding? Explore how living mulch suppresses weeds, protects soil and changes the way garden borders are maintained.
If Time and Seasons Lost Their Place
What if the seasons stopped arriving when gardeners expected them? A speculative look at changing seasonal rhythms, unpredictable weather and how gardens might adapt when the calendar stops being reliable.
The World’s 50 Most Remarkable Tarantulas
Discover three giant South American tarantulas, exploring their impressive size, unusual biology, habitats, defensive adaptations and natural history.
The Other Side of the Flowerbed
Colonel Croak the Frog prepares for war when the gardener approaches his hosta headquarters. A humorous wildlife tale of military mishaps and garden life.
The Films of My Lifetime
The Films of My Lifetime explores 1973–1976, from childhood reading and collecting to horror classics, disaster films and the unforgettable first viewing of Jaws.
The World’s 50 Strangest Insects
Discover five extraordinary insect defences, from bombardier beetles and exploding ants to corpse-carrying assassin bugs and golden tortoise beetles.
South American Insects
Explore South America’s leafcutter and army ants, stingless bees, honeybees and social wasps, and the extraordinary societies they build within tropical ecosystems.
The Quiet Lives of Britain’s Birds
Discover the extraordinary life of Britain’s declining European Turtle Dove, from its gentle summer song and African migration to the changing farmland habitats it needs to survive.
Within Living Memory
A lifetime of watching wildlife raises a troubling question: when did Britain’s ordinary insects, birds and small mammals become less ordinary, and why did we barely notice?
| © 2022 – 2026 Rory Matier – The Gardener’s Curious Journal – All rights reserved |
