I have always believed that you should only write or talk about what you know
It will soon be time to think about spring and buy daffodils, tulips and crocus but, before that, there is a brief opportunity to plant autumn-flowering bulbs. These often get overlooked and the chance to plant them often passes quickly. They need to be planted this month because they bloom in September and October. They…
Last week I promised to tackle tomatoes and what to do to keep them healthy and productive. Everyone plants tomatoes at least once and they have the potential to be productive and delicious. But I can’t ignore the heat of this week and the ongoing drought conditions. You are quite aware of what is going…
Beans are well worth growing and are generally quite easy. There are three main types of bean that we can grow at home: broad beans, runner beans and French beans. These are completely different species and need different treatment but all grow best in moist, rich soil, ideally that is slightly alkaline and not too…
It is May and summer is coming! Think of summer meals and we think of salads. And salads mean lettuce. Although a wide variety of leaves are used in other countries, and we are getting more adventurous, lettuce is still the mainstay of the average salad. And lettuce is not difficult to grow. The great…
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,…
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….
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…
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…
I love to receive plants as gifts and I like to give them too. My only reservation is that I am aware that when I give someone a plant they then live in dread of my next visit in case I ask how it is! But I never do. When I give a plant as…
Although this winter it has not been particularly cold, it has been wet since a dry January. Lawns are in need of a little TLC to get them ready for summer and March is the ideal time to get your grass match fit. There is a lot to consider when it comes to lawns these…