I have always believed that you should only write or talk about what you know
A dedicated band of enthusiasts never lost the faith with dahlias but it is a sad fact that for too long dahlias fell from fashion. It is with great relief; actually more like joy, that dahlias are finally not only acceptable but actually embraced by gardeners. Part of the reason for the revival in dahlias…
If you want a crop of tomatoes that taste better than anything you can buy in the shops, now is the time to plan your sowing and planting. Tomatoes are not difficult to grow but there are a few important considerations regarding what type to grow and where to grow them. Pots, bags or borders?…
There are lots of advantages in growing your own vegetables; and we all have our reasons. I don’t have enough room to grow everything I need but my raised beds allow me to grow a fair amount and I have a poly tunnel that allows me to grow crops that might struggle outside and to…
Continuing from last week’s post about buying seeds ready for sowing in spring, today I’m highlighting those cottage-garden favourites, the hardy annuals. These are flowers that bloom the same year as sowing and then die. But unlike the Half Hardy annuals discussed last week, these are hardy which means that they can withstand frost and…
Annuals are the least expensive and quickest way to fill a garden with colour. The photo above is of a garden that was completely bare in February but, by August the same year, after laying new turf, was filled with colour from annuals. All from a few packets of seeds I had sown that March….
Rhubarb is one of the simplest home-grown crops. A clump should remain productive for up to a decade and can be relied on to produce tasty crops every year. Rhubarb is hardy and will grow in most soils, provided the soil is not waterlogged in winter or too dry in summer. But rhubarb does appreciate…
The weather is not exactly conducive for doing much in the garden. It is either cold or soggy underfoot. I find myself staring out of the window wishing spring were here. But it isn’t far away and now is the perfect time to think about spring sowing and getting everything ready. Most plants can be…
… except that it is not like winter at all. It has been unseasonably mild and not at all like winter. It is strange how plants react to peculiar weather and although some plants have been behaving oddly, with flowers on the apple trees, others seem to avoid being tricked by mild nights. The witch…
As the year nears its end we look forward to a new gardening year and make plans for 2022. Those of us with gardens have been fortunate over the past two years; to have somewhere to go and work and lose ourselves. I am sure our gardens have all progressed well as we have been…
If you want to give a gift that has a touch of class and could last for years, choose a moth orchid (phalaenopsis). Many years ago, when I started gardening, orchids were rare and expensive. I was desperate to own and grow orchids but they were hard to find and the most common were cymbidiums…