Adding sparkle to water

I would love to have a stream running through the garden, to bring movement and sound as well as wildlife, but few of us are blessed with natural water. Most of us have to be content with an artificial pond, usually lined with a butyl liner. My ‘new’ garden, being created from a field, is…

Planting patio pots

With frosts behind us (I hope) it is time to plant out tender bedding plants and plant up pots on the patio. If these pots were filled with flowers for spring, these plants need to be removed. Daffodils should be dying down and tulips can be carefully lifted, taking care not to break the stems…

Easy veg: Calabrese

Calabrese is surely the most popular veg we buy. It is available all year round and is easy to prepare and cook. Not only that but it is insanely healthy to eat. No wonder we buy it so much. But we usually call it broccoli. So why am I calling it calabrese? There is a…

Easy Veg: Super sweetcorn

Sweetcorn is one of the best treats of late summer. Nothing is quite as delicious as freshly picked cobs, eaten raw, still warm from the sun. Sweetcorn has a reputation for being a risky crop to grow and older kinds did not do well in our short, erratic summers. But look for F1 hybrids, which…