I have always believed that you should only write or talk about what you know
It is rather foolish to pick salvia as a ‘plant of the week’ because there are so many salvias! There are hundreds of species and they vary from annuals to shrubs. Everyone knows the brilliant red bedding salvias, treated as annuals, but not everyone knows that the herb sage is a salvia and rosemary has…
Easy and tough, shrubby potentillas are often overlooked as garden shrubs. Their flowers are small and the brown, twiggy stems add nothing to the winter garden. But these unsung heroes of the garden are true workhorses, reliably plodding along creating a haze of delicate flowers. Plant breeders have worked hard to bring this native shrub…
As autumn approaches, and September arrives, I always feel a little sad that summer is fading away. Sometimes even the thought of planting all the tulips and daffodils is not enough to cheer me up. Fortunately there are some autumn flowers that are so bright and wonderful that I look forward to seeing them and…
Grasses are enjoying enormous popularity but they are a confusing bunch. Lots of plants sold as grasses are not grasses at all but are sedges and rushes. Some are grown for foliage while others for their delicate flowers. Magazines glitter with wonderful photos of brassy grass stems gilded with frost but in our wet and…
Persicarias are not terribly trendy plants, though their use in ‘Prairie Planting’ might change that. But I have planted at least a dozen in my garden and feel I should extol their many virtues. The garden kinds are related to some awful weeds including the dreaded ‘Japanese knotweed’ but don’t panic and do not rule…
Hydrangea The wet July did not suit everything but hydrangeas have loved it. Famed for their long-lasting flower heads in pink or blue, they are unrivalled for bringing colour to the summer garden. There are lots of hydrangea species but I am going to restrict myself to the most popular, ‘mophead’ and ‘lacecap’ hydrangeas, called…
Plant of the week Echinacea Why grow it? Few flowers are as fashionable right now as echinceas (cone flowers) and few other flowers have received as much attention from plant breeders. The common, pink, Echinacea purpurea has long been valued for the long-lasting blooms, which attract butterflies and bees, but in the past 20 years a huge…
Plant of the week Nicandra physaloides Shoo fly plant Why grow it? Most people who have this plant don’t actually plant it – it just appears in their garden. In my other roles I answer a wide range of garden questions from a number of sources and every summer I get lots of questions, to…
Plant of the week Achilleas are useful and colourful plants in the summer garden. There are many different achilleas but the most popular are the coloured forms of the common yarrow (Achillea millefolium). These grow to about 60cm high, have flowers in shades from orange, cream, pink and red and suit lots of garden styles. …
Figs are not the most obvious garden crop but they are a viable option and the plants are attractive as ornamentals too. Figs are hardy, deciduous shrubs or small trees. They have rather thick branches, large, hand-shaped leaves and prefer a well-drained soil in sun. They can be grown in most soils including chalky soils…