I have always believed that you should only write or talk about what you know
Many years ago, when I worked at Nags Hall, alstroemerias were far from popular garden plants. The only kinds you could get for the garden were forms of Alstroemeria area, in gold and orange and they were not good garden plants. They flowered profusely in June but then set seed, and died down by August,…
You may think that secateurs are something you use only in winter but you should really be using them all year round. Apart from using them for cutting flowers, you should be pruning different things all year round. Summer is the time for pruning plums, gages and damsons and peaches. These must never be pruned…
Summer is in full swing now and traditional border favourites such as lupins, delphiniums, iris and peonies are filling well-planned gardens with colour. Of all these, I find peonies the easiest to please and the least work because they bloom reliably every year, are hardy and they live for years, indeed decades. Unlike the bedding…
It can be difficult to get your veg plot started in early spring. The plants grow slowly, seeds may take a long time to germinate and there seems to be an endless list of pests ready to eat your plants before you do. But now that frosts are over and plants are growing so quickly…
With RHS Chelsea Flower Show next week the whole nation will be thinking about their gardens! Of course, some of us are thinking about our garden all year. Chelsea always means the introduction of new roses. I can’t wait for my roses to be in full bloom. A few are already opening and I am…
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…