Quick, easy annuals

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…

Crops in containers

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…

Growing Sweetcorn

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…

Growing squash

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…

Growing lettuce

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…

Easy veg: beetroot

Beetroot is an ideal veg to grow if you are a beginner. There are lots of reasons. The seeds are large and easy to handle and they do not need special conditions to germinate. Because they are large they are easy to space so that reduces the need to thin them. Beetroot has few pests,…

Easter daffodils

Happy Easter. With warm weather forecast we should be enjoying the best of daffodils and no flowers are quite as lovely at Easter. By choosing different varieties you can have daffodils in flower from January to May. I have planted almost 100 kinds in my garden but I can never decide which I like best….

Easy Veg: Peas

Although the weather is not always springlike at the moment, just a few days can bring a huge difference and spring is upon us even if we can’t quite believe it at the moment. Many of us want to grow some fresh vegetables and many are easy to grow to supplement our meals so, over…

Marvellous marigolds

When you need summer colour you can rely on, there is no better choice than marigolds. They have been garden favourites for centuries, ever since many of them were introduced from Central America. No respectable garden was complete without them in the 1960s and 70s but then they fell from favour as tastes became more…

Peony perfection

Is there a more perfect garden plant than the peony? The flowers are beautiful, sumptuous and often fragrant. The plants are hardy, live for decades with little attention and the foliage is never an embarrassment in the border. I was made aware of their longevity long ago when, as a child, I found an overgrown…