July, what an interesting month you've been. Vegetables have been slow coming this year, what with the slugs that thwarted my early sowings & the lack of rain. There are pickings from our little vegetable garden every day now. Its always a thrill to nip down the garden for something fresh. … [Read More...]
How To Avoid Watering Your Garden
We're right in the middle of a summer heatwave here in the UK, which has meant soaring temperatures of at least 85 degrees on a daily basis, & no … [Read More...]
The War On Slugs
One of the joys of gardens is how the same one can vary from one year to the next, as new plants are added, & how the weather affects the size, shape … [Read More...]
Plants At The Chelsea Flower Show 2018
Now that the initial excitement of the Chelsea Flower Show is over for this year, I've been looking back through my notes & photos, & I’m reminded just how … [Read More...]
Great Gardens At The Chelsea Flower Show 2018
The Chelsea Flower Show this year was a good one, it's inspiring to see how over the years, many of the designs have adapted to the world we live in now. Generally … [Read More...]
What To Do In The Garden In May
May is such a lovely month in the garden. Vibrant, fresh growth, the promise of things to come, & all with a backdrop of the sweetest birdsong. But time is … [Read More...]
How To Grow Your Own Herbs.
Growing your own herbs is one of the easiest things to do for a more sustainable life-style, & fresh herbs straight from your garden, have so much … [Read More...]
Three Simple Ways To Garden Sustainably
Hello how’s your garden (or window box) growing? Rain has limited gardening outside, so I’ve been sowing seeds & pottering about in the greenhouse. This has … [Read More...]
What To Do In The Garden In March
I’m not a natural list maker, I have to fight the urge to just get on & do things, but, when I’ve made one, I immediately feel organised. They've … [Read More...]
New Garden Gear To Make Life Easy, Stylish & Sustainable
The view from my kitchen door, early one morning, just before heading off to London last week for the day. I love a visit to London, to walk through the city … [Read More...]
Spring Flowering Bulbs – A Quick Hack
I rather like this stage of winter. The trees are still bare, the light is steely-grey, but a close look reveals green shoots nosing their way through the … [Read More...]
The Garden In January
It’s a bright, cold day here, & if I wasn’t writing this, I’d be out in the garden, … honestly I would, because if you’re wrapped up well, it’s a fine place to … [Read More...]
Last Years Favourite Garden Visits.
When I lived in Oslo in the 80's, I'd ask Norwegian friends how they got through the long winters. Their answer was always the same, warming … [Read More...]
Come & Have A Look At This Beautiful Garden.
As the year draws to a close, I've been thinking back on gardens I visited this year. One of my favourites, had a few moments of fame as the backdrop to a recent BBC … [Read More...]
The Garden In December.
December in the garden is a good month. It's the ideal antidote to the business of Christmas, a time to wrap up & quietly get on with things outside. I've … [Read More...]
The R.H.S. Autumn Show 2017
Hello, it's nice to see you here, I wanted to share my visit to The R.H.S. Autumn Show in London last week with you. I hate to miss this one, it always feels like … [Read More...]
Join Me On A Visit To Sissinghurst Garden
Sissinghurst, that iconic garden, is only a 90 minute drive from us, but it’s been at least 4 years since the last visit, so on one of those beautifully, bright … [Read More...]
What To Do In The Garden In October
I hope you're enjoying the autumn colour, if you're in this part of the world? It almost makes me happy that summer is over. I've got a whole list of things to do … [Read More...]
A Fabulous Garden Tucked Away In The Welsh Hills.
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 … [Read More...]
What To Do In The Garden In September
We’re at that time between summer & autumn, when the garden is poised & ready for change, & when a few simple tasks, will make all the difference to the … [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 is a busy, productive month in the garden. The vegetable garden is at full tilt & we're realising the fruits of our labours, picking vegetables … [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...]