I have always believed that you should only write or talk about what you know
You may not have room in your garden for another tree but I bet there is plenty of space in every garden for more daffodils. And now is the perfect time to browse the racks at Knights and choose some more to brighten up your days in spring. I only know one person that doesn’t…
Muscari are better known as grape hyacinths, and they are among the easiest of all spring bulbs to grow. In fact, the common Muscari armeniacum is so eager to grow and spread, by seeds and by bulblets, that it can become a weed in some gardens. It has a habit of sprouting leaves in autumn,…
With our thoughts turning to autumn and spring (I try not to think too much about winter) heucheras are very firmly in mind. As a child I knew them as tough, evergreen herbaceous plants with red and pink flowers in summer, useful for cutting. But at the end of the last century they were transformed…
We don’t know what the rest of the autumn will be like but so far it has been a relief after the hot, dry summer. Lots of plants have burst into growth after an enforced ‘shut down’ and I have honey berries, that are supposed to bloom in spring, coming into flower, and I have…
With spring-bulb planting now in full swing it is time to mention planting in pots. I have bulbs planted in many parts of the garden but every year I plant about ten pots with bulbs that stand at the front of the house. It gives me a chance to plant new or expensive varieties so…
It was inevitable that the August Bank Holiday would coincide with wet weather. But, for once, we are grateful and instead of sitting for hours on the M23 on the way to the seaside we can get into the garden, stand in the refreshing downpour, and do some gardening. Wet hair and clothes never felt…
It is lovely to be able to go into the garden and cut some flowers for the house. Some people think of this as ‘robbing’ the borders but I always think that it is good to pick flowers and appreciate them close up. Most of the cut flowers you buy in supermarkets have been grown…
And the heat goes on. I am now watching the weather forecast and checking my phone several times a day to see if there is any chance of rain. I am not the kind of person who is glued to my phone – quite the opposite in fact – but I am checking it several…
I am beginning to think I must be careful what I wish for! After a long, wet winter when I was longing for some dry weather I now wish it would cloud over and rain! I guess gardeners are never happy with the weather. It is tough on our gardens and on us. I am…
Helleborus niger is popularly called the Christmas rose but, of course, it is not a rose, nor anything to do with roses. But the flowers are vaguely rose-like and it can bloom in time for Christmas. Native to central Europe, usually in woodland on alkaline soils, it has long been a feature of British gardens….