Arriving at Allt-y-bela feels a little like driving straight into a picture, perhaps because I know it so well from all the magazine pictures I’ve seen. Despite this familiarity, it’s an impressive arrival, after driving a mile or so down a track. We’d booked a couple of nights bed & … [Read More...]
What To Do In The Garden In September
We’re right in the middle of that time between summer & autumn, when a shift in the garden is poised & ready to happen. It's a time when a few simple tasks … [Read More...]
What Do We Think About Garden Power Tools?
Generally I like my gardening to be a calm activity. To maintain this calmness, any garden power tools have to earn their keep. For instance, I used a battery … [Read More...]
What To Do In The Garden In August.
August seems to be one of those pivotal months in the garden. The vegetable garden is at full tilt & we're realising the fruits of our labours, … [Read More...]
Delightful Dahlias & How To Keep Them Flowering.
We’ve had plenty of sunshine & rain here recently, & everything has taken advantage of this, growing at a fast pace. This of course, includes the numbers of … [Read More...]
A Day The Hampton Court Flower Show 2017
I have hazy memories of visiting the first Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 1993 & my how it's changed over the years. My impression is that in those … [Read More...]
Easy Elderflower Cordial.
Elderflower cordial is one of those things that's deeply satisfying to make. This is an easy recipe & has a lovely, fresh flavour & tastes so much better … [Read More...]
Best Gardens at The Chelsea Flower Show 2017
The best gardens at The Chelsea Flower Show, are the ones that I find myself returning to a couple of times during the morning, taking more photos & generally … [Read More...]
Hardening Off Plants ready for the Big Outdoors
This is first year of having a greenhouse & it’s been so helpful to have extra growing space. Though without heat, seedlings were still housed on bedroom … [Read More...]
10 Tips for Sustainable Gardening, you know it makes sense.
A new season in the garden, & a very busy one at that, but I've made time to think about how I go about gardening. We've been here for 2 years, so it seemed a … [Read More...]
Lemon Polenta Cake
This weekend has been designated a gardening weekend, there's loads to do out there, but we will find time to sit & have a cup of tea & a slice of cake in … [Read More...]
The Garden In April
It's all change out there, the roadsides are filling up with clouds of cow-parsley [aka Queen Annes' Lace] & the bluebells have begun to carpet the woods with … [Read More...]
The Vegetable Garden In March
The allotment or vegetable garden in March is gearing up to be a busy place, at this time of year I'm either about to sow seeds or I'm looking after early sown … [Read More...]
What To Do In The Garden In March
Hello, I’m back from a wonderful couple of weeks in India. It’s good to be back, there’s s pretty froth of blossom in hedgerows & a noticable difference in the … [Read More...]
English Garden Visits 2017
Visiting gardens is such a joy, it's usually inspiring, a good day out, there may be little plants to buy, & there is always cake. Every year I have a list in … [Read More...]
The Vegetable Garden in February
So what's a good time for a vegetable gardener to go away on holiday? Of course you can't make this the only criteria for holiday planning, but it did cross my … [Read More...]
Finding Time To Grow Vegetables.
There's no doubt that growing your own vegetables is good thing, but when I first had an allotment I got completely carried away. In my enthusiasm I grew lots … [Read More...]
How to Grow Half-Hardy Annuals from Seed
How was your weekend? I spent some time looking through photos of summer gardens this weekend for inspiration , & I'm pretty excited about the flowers I'm going … [Read More...]
Growing Hardy Annual Flowers from Seed.
Although the temperatures here are a bit lightweight compared to say Scandinavia, what I call The Big Freeze carries on. I'm not complaining, it all looks rather … [Read More...]
My Guide to Sowing Seeds.
Our garden is frozen solid, & has been for a few days now, which is fine because staying inside & planning what to grow this year is a lovely thing to be … [Read More...]
Some Of The Vegetables I’ll Be Growing In 2017
2017 is going to be the year of growing vegetables again. Not having an allotment anymore & the new garden being re-done in 2016, meant thin pickings. I missed … [Read More...]
My Garden In December
With the end of the year just round the corner, it seems like a good time to look back on the garden in 2016. Our garden changed a lot in late summer when the … [Read More...]
Organic Gardening – Making Garden Bird Food
How's your garden, now that we're properly into winter? This shift in the season has made a welcome change, there's a kind of stillness in mine as everything … [Read More...]
Join Me On A Trip to Wisley Gardens.
A world famous garden just 30 mins drive away, you'd think I'd be there every couple of weeks, but a couple of months can go by without a visit. But yesterday was … [Read More...]
What to do in the Garden in November
Planting spring flowering bulbs is such a positive thing to do at this time of year, when the days are short & chilly. It's the promise of good things to come … [Read More...]
My Vegetable Garden in November
The clocks going back & shorter days have made a big difference to the garden here, but that’s not the only big change around here. We’ve also had proper … [Read More...]
Show Me The Way To Amaryllis
Amaryllis [Hippeastrum] are splendid, showy plants, originating in South America, they're definitely indoor plants. I find them very cheery at this time of … [Read More...]
The Walled Garden Arundel Castle
The visit to Arundel Castle last week was to spend the day there with my eldest son & his 2 young boys, that in itself is a joy. Add-on a visit to a garden that … [Read More...]
More of My Garden in October.
According to our kitchen calendar, British Summer-time finishes at the end of the month. I'm not one for mourning the end of summer though. Autumn has been glorious … [Read More...]
My Garden in October
What a lovely month it's turned out to be, we were away in Suffolk earlier in the month & it really didn't feel like October, the skies were vivid blue & we … [Read More...]
Garden Design Tips from Suffolk.
Hello, I hope your weekend was good? We're back from a week of mostly clear, blue skies & sunshine in Suffolk. If you don't know it, it's a pretty county in … [Read More...]
The Prettiest Onion Ever.
Have you bought all your spring flowering bulbs yet or are you, like me, just getting round to it? Either way, plant some of these & I promise you won't be … [Read More...]
The Garden In September
It just so happens that September is s good time of year for landscaping to be all done & dusted & for planting to start. The construction is almost all done … [Read More...]
An inspiring day at Deans Court.
Well it's back down to earth this week after spending a lovely day last Thursday at Deans Court in Dorset, hosted by William & Ali Hanham & Lottie Sharland. … [Read More...]
The Vegetable Garden in September
Hello, well these last few days have been a bit of a roller-coaster for us. If you've got a pet you'll know how much a dog really means to you, they find a place … [Read More...]
Plant of the Month- Cosmos bipinnatus
Hello there, what a difference a few days make, we're into September & doesn't it it feel like there's been a big shift in the seasons? It's probably because … [Read More...]
Big Changes To Our Garden.
I do like growing things & pottering around in our garden, but it's been a bit tricky since we moved here 18 months ago. The garden was a big reason for … [Read More...]
Let’s Talk Tulips
It's blisteringly hot here & the sky is a cloudless, deep blue, but it's time to think about the garden next spring, specifically it's time to plan & order … [Read More...]
Getting Creative With Topiary
One good thing about not having any sunshine, I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons - like not getting too hot or having to water the plants so often- is that … [Read More...]
Late summer flowers
One of the things that people find challenging about their garden at this time of year, is how there's a bit of a lull as summer plants come to the end of flowering, … [Read More...]
Grow Your Own Cutting Garden.
September is the perfect time to start sowing seeds if you fancy having a cutting garden like this next year. These plants in the walled garden at Port Eliot … [Read More...]
The Garden In August
Hello, I hope you had a good weekend? We were busy re-building a dry-stone wall that was partially dismantled when some redundant old drain-pipes were removed. … [Read More...]
The Vegetable Garden In August
August has had an exciting start, The Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall was fun, I rediscovered how much I like making things, and there were some wonderful people … [Read More...]
An inspiring garden in Somerset.
I was going to write a post about gardening jobs for August, but that'll have to wait for a few days because we visited a fabulous garden on our way to Cornwall at … [Read More...]
Why We Need Butterflies In Our Gardens.
The butterfly population in the UK has declined by more than 3/4 in the last 40 years, that’s quite shocking don’t you think? I must admit that I don’t know much … [Read More...]
How To Grow Hollyhocks
Welcome to the start of another sunny week, I'm getting used to this weather and it's motivating me to get out into the garden and water before the sun gets really … [Read More...]
My Garden & The War Against Slugs
You have to admire plants, when the conditions aren’t right they slow right down, ticking over and waiting for favourable conditions to return. This little heatwave … [Read More...]
The vegetable garden in July
July is the month of long days and plenty of sunshine, and after all that rain earlier in the month everything has grown like mad. So whether you’ve got a balcony, … [Read More...]
What to do in the garden in July
A bit more warmth would be nice don’t you think? But on a positive note, the rain is keeping everything gloriously green here. I've declared war on the slugs, … [Read More...]
Bees’ Needs Week
Did you know it’s Bees' Needs Week? And their needs really matter these days, so there's this a big push to get gardeners, farmers and growers to help pollinating … [Read More...]
A Vintage Garden Barn Sale
July is well underway and so far this summer there've been plenty of garden-related events. This time last week I spent a wonderful day at The Hampton Court Flower … [Read More...]