I have always believed that you should only write or talk about what you know
With so much to do in the garden our houseplants can get a bit neglected at this time of year. Yet it is the ideal time to repot any that are getting potbound and generally give them a clean or tidy. I have been repotting some of my houseplants. It is often recommended that houseplants…
This weekend may be all about celebration but gardeners don’t need a reason to celebrate. I have been enjoying the tulips for many weeks now: the cool weather has helped them to last well. The red tulips with the wallflowers have coincided well and done exactly what I wanted – colour and scent. They are…
As children, we probably sowed hardy annuals but they are slightly out of fashion these days. It is a shame because they are some of the most beautiful of all summer flowers and they flower quickly from seed. They often dislike transplanting so are not easy to buy in pots. Instead we sow them where…
Even if you don’t have much of a garden you can grow some tasty veg in containers. A sunny patio area can be very productive and definitely add to your healthy diet even though you won’t be self-sufficient. You may even save some money, but the main benefit is the fresh food and sense of…
With the weather looking like it is going to improve in the next week it is time to think about summer crops. I was a late convert to the true delights of sweetcorn. I must have been 30 when I was visiting an old gardener (well he was about the age I am now!) on…
Happy Easter! I grow a wide range of vegetables and they are all useful in the kitchen and tasty to eat. But the most exciting of all are the squashes. They are just fun to grow. The seeds are large, the plants grow quickly and are often vigorous and huge and the fruits are so…
I am afraid I am a bit of a traditionalist but I am sure I’m not alone when, if I’m preparing a salad, it usually starts with ‘take one lettuce‘! Lettuces are easy to grow and are tolerant of a little frost so they can be grown from March to October without the need for…
If we were busy in autumn and planted our patio pots then we will be enjoying lots of colour now and over the next few months. But, thinking ahead, what should we do when the flowers fade and what should we plant next? Most of my containers are changed twice a year. I remove the…
The recent shortages of salad crops in supermarkets has sparked renewed interest in growing your own. Growing tomatoes is on everyone’s mind. Lots of us grow tomatoes already and we know that you can’t really grow tomatoes to pick anytime except in mid- late summer. That doesn’t bother me because I cook and freeze my…
I can’t imagine a garden without roses. They are the UK’s most popular flowering shrub but many people have a love/hate relationship with their roses. We all love their flowers but roses are prone to diseases and covered in prickles. And the pruning is SO complicated. Well, let’s get a few things sorted. Roses do…