gardening, growing food, plants and flowers.
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 in our garden, there's just the greenhouse to put up & a small summer-house is arriving in a few weeks time. The timing is down … [Read More...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
I went to the Hampton Court Flower Show on Monday and bought a greenhouse... I didn't actually take it home with me, just ordered it ready for delivery in September, … [Read More...]
Back home after a wonderful day at Hampton Court and keen to share one of my favourite gardens, The Summer Retreat, with you. The garden was designed by … [Read More...]
It isn’t easy being an organic gardener, there are times when I’m really tempted to grab some glyphosate and blast the weeds. They do seem to be winning at the … [Read More...]
As a last hurrah for elderflowers and because together with gooseberries they are a match made in heaven, so I've made a cake that combines both of these lovely … [Read More...]
The longest day happened this week, it’s hardly noticeable … unless you’re a plant, it makes a big difference to them because light is such a big factor in their … [Read More...]
Today is Summer Solstice, the day when we have the most daylight of the whole year, there’ll be a whopping 17 hours of daylight today. It feels significant, the days … [Read More...]
In some sort of attempt at healthy eating, puddings are usually reserved for weekends in our house, and since it's Saturday, I’ve picked rhubarb from the garden and … [Read More...]
I like a garden that looks relaxed, as long as it has a shapely structure, a sort of backbone to it, an informal, sprawling mass of plants is what does it for me. … [Read More...]
June is one of my favourite months, the countryside is looking lush and green, there’s still lots of cow parsley filling the road-sides and the roses in the garden … [Read More...]
Our total garden renovation start in a few weeks time, there'll be less lawn which not only means less to mow -hurray!- but more places to grow plants, especially … [Read More...]
Clipping plants into shape is favourite garden task, I like how it brings structure into the garden, even better if there's some loose, wild planting nearby that … [Read More...]
Maybe I just wore the right shoes [these things matter when you're walking round for six hours] or got there when the light was just right, but I particularly … [Read More...]
It has been a slightly giddy, over the top kind of day, made even more intense by catching the first train at 5.40 am this morning. But it was worth it just to be … [Read More...]
Having flowers in the house always feels like a treat. They're cheery things, making a room more lively and fresh and if you're lucky, they'll do their best to … [Read More...]
May is a fabulous month, suddenly the wisteria has appeared everywhere in full bloom and the road-sides are billowing with cow parsley, and from now onwards it’ll … [Read More...]
Not only are the plants in the garden making lots of fresh vibrant growth, there’s a lot of wildlife activity too. I've seen persistent little blue tits and robins … [Read More...]
It's hard to pick a favourite month for the garden, but with its' fresh, vibrant growth, May comes pretty close to the best. I went to New Covent Garden Flower … [Read More...]
I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend, for those of us in the U.K. we’ve had an extra day which always feels like a nice bonus. It was lovely and warm with a … [Read More...]
I'm making an extra effort this year to have plants in the garden that attract pollinating insects, there are so many plants that fit the bill, so it's pretty … [Read More...]
I'm a big fan of Deans Court and their lovely photo-stream on Instagram, so a weekend away with the family in Dorset was the ideal opportunity to take a little … [Read More...]
I love this time of year with so much fresh, green growth everywhere, there's a chill in the air, but the days are longer and there's a fair bit of sunshine … [Read More...]
Hello, how is your week going, are you managing to get outside and enjoy the sunshine? I haven’t managed to do any gardening for over a week, what with being away … [Read More...]
Do you ever have that feeling that your garden is past it’s best by the middle of the summer, that most plants have finished flowering and there’s a bit of a lull … [Read More...]
Have you been limbering up ready for this busy veg growing time? … it's been a slow start for me this year, mainly because I haven’t got a proper vegetable garden … [Read More...]
Lets focus on the now, live in the moment ….. most of the time this is a good idea, but us gardeners need to step out of that zone from time to time and plan … [Read More...]
I hope your weekend was good. It was so lovely to be out in the garden this weekend, these longer days mean that a little progress is being made out there, weeds are … [Read More...]
Well hello April, you seem to have crept up, but you’re very welcome. April is the first whole month in the year when daylight and nights are equally long, so … [Read More...]
How is your Easter weekend, have you had a good time and did you remember about the clocks changing? Isn't it nice to have more light in the evenings now. It's … [Read More...]
Have you got gardening plans for this long easter weekend? I bought some herbs at the wisley plant fair last week, they’re really small at the moment so the … [Read More...]
The birds are singing thier little hearts out, the garden is sprouting, and the spring equinox arrived, so it’s official. I took the photos of these … [Read More...]
I made a quick trip to the Wisley Spring Plant Fair yesterday, it was mainly to look, but inevitably I bought a few plants, because they were on my list anyway - … [Read More...]
I wandered round the garden with my first cup of tea this morning. All I can say is thank goodness for the hellebores that line the steps down to … [Read More...]