A lesson learnt during these last few months, is how good it is to have two or three favourite, local/easy to get to, uplifting places to visit. Although I’ve been a visitor to R.H.S. Wisley Garden for decades, over the past few months I’ve come to appreciate it more than ever. During this time when […]
What to do in your Garden in October
October is usually a nice month here. The days are shorter, but mild and lovely to be outside, it clears the head and steadies the nerves. The Vegetable Garden in October: It’s nice to be planting vegetables and looking ahead to next year. Garlic is one of my favourite vegetables to grow, it’s simple to […]
Reasons to Plant Trees
It always takes me a while to get used to the idea that summer. But the wonderful colours and fruitful bounties of autumn, eventually convince me it’s time to move on. This season also brings the opportunity to do our bit to counteract the climate emergency. Numerous small changes in the way we garden, will […]
What to do in the Garden in September
The garden may seem to be winding down, but it’s a pivotal month of preparation, with plenty of things to look forward to. Spring Flowering Bulbs: Every year I’m delighted by what beautiful flowers are produced from such unpromising little lumps. Buy them now to get a good choice of varieties. Keep tulips somewhere cool, […]
Sustainable Gardening Ideas – Two
I hope you enjoyed last weeks post about sustainable gardening, here’s a few more ideas to help you. Small steps and we will get there, reducing our carbon footprint and making gardens a more welcoming habitat for all those birds , bees and butterflies that are struggling and endangered. How to use less plastic in […]
Sustainable Gardening – One
August is a busy month in the garden, thankfully a lot of that is harvesting vegetables and cutting Dahlias. But I’m also thinking about the bigger picture of sustainable gardening, and how I can do more of it. One of my goals is to improve the ecosystem in our garden, so as many plants, animals, […]
What to do in the Garden in August
August this year feels very different to any other year. Covid has changed everything in recent months, but we’ve also had to deal with brutal heat. Plants that normally survive in semi shade have become scorched, blasted by just a couple of hours of ninety degree sunshine. But back to the garden in August: There […]
How to Collect and Store Seeds from your Garden
Deadheading plants is a nice task, almost mediative, and it keeps plants flowering for longer. However, if you want to collect seeds from your favourite plants, you have to let the flowers go to the next stage and produce seeds. The advantages of collecting your own seeds are many: You get free seeds, which is […]
What to do in the Garden in July
Here we are right in the middle of summer, and I hope you find time to just sit in your garden, and do nothing but enjoy it. However, we have to look ahead, and plan what we can harvest and how the garden will look later in the year, when the bounty of summer is […]
Favourite Gardens from R.H.S. Hampton Court Show
Following on from yesterdays post about past Hampton Court Garden Shows, here’s more of the glorious show gardens from recent years. In no particular order, but starting with The Summer Retreat Garden, designed by Amanda Waring and Laura Ariston. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, it featured this lovely summer-house. Going back to 2011, […]
Dreaming of Hampton Court Palace Garden Show.
Some say that the best gardens evolve over time, that layers of beauty can only be added with the years. But garden shows demonstrate that it’s possible to build a garden of beauty and character in a matter of days. But as we know, unfortunately the R.H.S. has had to cancel all their Shows this […]
Beautiful Biennials to Sow Now
Biennials plants sown from seed are easy and such great value, and now is a good time to sow them. Biennials germinate and grow their leaves, often as a low rosette shape, they flower, set seed and die the following year, job done. Although they’re short-lived, they spread their seeds around, giving you a constant […]
What to do in the Garden in June
These long, midsummer days are blissful. But we’re just past midsummer now, and the days are beginning to gradually get shorter. Gardening needs a change of gear, as time is running out for plants to fruit and flower before the end of summer. It’s definitely not a time to dilly dally. Plants to be planted […]
Chelsea Flower Show 2020
Like many things during this pandemic, the Chelsea Flower Show is happening in a virtual world, Each day this week, on the R.H.S. website there’s a great mix of well-known designers & gardeners talking about their gardens & giving plant advice. I was hoping for more of a look round their gardens, but they’re more […]
What To Do In The Garden In May
The last week has been spent battling with pests in the garden & trying to encourage friendly creatures to create some sort of balance. This is typical May, the weather improves, the days lengthen & all residents of the garden make their presence known. Some residents are more welcome than others. Box Tree Caterpillars (Cydelima […]
Gardening To Help You Feel Good
We all know how nurturing plants & watching them grow, enjoying the colours & scents in a garden, help reduce anxiety & stress. It’s not surprising then, that doctors can send patients with mental health problems to Community Gardens instead of prescribing medication. Here’s a few ideas to help your garden become a place of […]
What To Do In The Garden In April
The current lockdown & plethora of seeds I’ve accumulated, has focused my mind on the business of sowing plants from seed this month. Fortunately April is a good time for this. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that the delayed gratification of waiting for seeds to develop, is not such a feature of my life […]
How To Grow Edible Flowers
Edible flowers are just the thing to grow at the moment. They’re easy, your food will look amazing & many flowers are surprisingly full of punchy flavour. Let’s take every joyful experience we can right now, however small. Most edible flower plants are small, so a balcony or window-box will do just as well as […]
How To Grow Herbs – part 2
Following on from how to grow hardier types of herbs, Part 2 of How To Grow Herbs is all about growing annuals. Quick and easy to grow, they’re the gems of the herb world. Sown from seed each year, they provide flavour & variety. Most are small & ideal for growing in containers or on […]
How To Grow Herbs – Part 1
Freshly picked herbs are a complete joy, they add so much flavour to any dish. Think of parsley or coriander scattered over a dish, or mint simmered with new potatoes, they all radiate freshness & vitality. Growing your own herbs is also a great way of gardening sustainably. Shrubs, such as Rosemary, continue providing every […]
How To Grow Fuss Free Vegetables
How different everything is in the short space of time, since I last wrote on here. In our own little way, growing a few fuss-free vegetables will make a difference to our lives & health more than ever before. Few of us can be self-sufficient, but we can grow a few vegetables & herbs to […]
What To Do In The Garden In March
Fat little buds are developing on trees & shrubs in the garden, & the glorious sound of singing birds has begun. All this is usual for this time of year, but it’s been a very unusual few weeks. There have been deluges of rain, terrible floods for many in other parts of the country & […]
The Joys Of Growing Plants From Seed
The joys of seed sowing are many, but probably the most joyous thing, is how these little seeds will, within a matter of weeks be transformed into plants. There are plenty of other reasons: Seed is very cheap compared to buying plants. There’s the immense satisfaction of growing your own plants from just a speck […]
What To Do In The Garden In February
The days are lengthening, & more daylight means the garden is waking up fast. It’s the perfect time of year to get set for the coming seasons in the garden, a way of buying time for when there’ll be lots to do out there in a few months time. Plan now for the year ahead: […]
What To Do In The Garden In November
It’s that quiet time in the garden when growth slows down, at least it does above ground. Frankly, it’s quite a relief after months of rampant plant growth & unpredictable weather, meant the garden needed a lot of attention. It would be tempting to abandon the garden until next year, & buy small winter bedding […]
The Big Benefits Of Planting A Tree
The benefit of planting trees is huge. To begin with, you probably know trees have this ability to soak up CO2 emissions. We need all the help we can get to do this, because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by over a third since the Industrial Revolution, & this contributes enormously to Climate […]
Autumn Sown Sweet Peas.
As everything winds down in the garden, I almost forgot about sowing sweet peas this month. Here’s a reminder about why autumn sown sweet peas are such a good idea. It may appear that it’s all slowing down out there, but the temperature is relatively mild & although daylight is shrinking fast, there’s enough for […]
What To Do In The Garden In October
Autumn reaches its’ peak in October. The colours are at their best, not yet spoiled by wind & rain. There’s still a reasonable amount of daylight & the light is low & soft, making autumn colours glow beautifully. It’s worth bearing in mind that when you plant for autumn colour, place the plant so that […]
What To Do About Climate Change Overwhelm.
When climate change-overwhelm & frustration gets to you, & it does pretty much on a daily basis. Remember this positive fact. Your garden, balcony or window box, however small, forms a network of gardening spaces. There are an estimated 24 million gardens in the U.K., that’s a lot of grass, trees & plants, all providing […]
What To Do In The Garden In September
Right on cue, as August ended there was a real autumnal feel in the air, bringing chilly evenings & shorter days. Nevertheless, it’s a joyful month. Our little vegetable garden is bursting with fresh vegetables, including spinach, tomatoes, salad leaves & courgettes. Growth in the garden has slowed down to a more manageable rate, which […]
How To Take Pelargonium Cuttings
For gardeners, there’s a fine balance between enjoying the present moment & planning ahead. It’s not a difficult to achieve this in August, because apart from harvesting the rewards of the previous months work, there’s not too much to do. However, one of the planning ahead things in the garden this month is to take […]
What To Do in The Garden In August
After months of working hard in the garden to get things to grow, August is the month when quite a bit of effort has to be put into stopping plants from growing too much. The real answer to what to do in the garden in August is to mainly curb its’ enthusiasm. Our mission is […]
What To Do In The Garden In July
The trick with gardening is approaching it as a pleasure rather than a chore. I’ve found the best way to do this is to have a daily wander round the garden. Stopping to pinch out the side-shoots on the tomato plants, checking how the buds on the Dahlias are fattening up & what needs tying […]
Do we need fewer garden chores?
I didn’t intend to spend half the weekend gardening, it’s just that it all took much longer than I thought it would. Does this happen to you, & if it does did you stop & consider how the garden takes up a bit too much of your weekend? I started thinking about my ground rules […]
What To Do In The Garden In June
This is one of those glorious months in the garden, when the work really begins to pay off. Now that night-time frosts are no longer a possibility, I’ve been busy planting the more tender plants out in the garden. Having first hardened them off to acclimatise them to the real world of wind, rain & […]
Unmissable Garden Shows in 2019
Garden Shows are the perfect day out. There’s the opportunity to talk to plant sellers, the people who actually grow the plants. This is the case at Royal Horticultural Society Shows. The Plant Marquees are choc full of beautiful plants. The scent is amazing, this is such a vital part of choosing plants & something […]
What To Do In The Garden In May
This is it, the time is here to plant out those carefully nurtured seedlings & small plants, & generally get things ship-shape for summer. All plants grown under cover need hardening off before being planted outside. This means placing them outside in a semi-shaded place to get them used to the different temperatures, bring them […]
How To Grow Plenty Of Plants From Seed.
Growing plants from seed can be an uncertain business, so let me share a simple method that guarantees plenty of plants for your garden. Sowing seeds is attractive, because it’s a cheap, easy method of growing plants. However there are many variables that easily disrupt the whole process from seed to plant. The weather here […]
What To Do In The Garden In April
What to do in the garden in April, well quite a lot since you as you ask. Though its all quite manegable, I’ve been making lists & getting through them one at a time. Seed sowing & general propagation: I sowed tomato seeds last month, & they’re now tiny plants, currently in the summerhouse where […]
Gardening with less plastic.
My word, April is a busy time in the garden, but busy in a good way, with the promise of this fresh season unfurling before us. And because we’re in the garden a lot more now, it seems like a good time to think about how to use less plastic. Just a couple of small […]
How To Re-Pot Houseplants
They’re there day after day, almost part of the furniture, but houseplants deserve more than a weekly watering, they also need to be re-potted into fresh compost from time to time. Their roots will stretch out into this fresh medium, & you’ll notice that water stays in the pot to be gradually taken up […]
What To Do In The Garden In March
We’re teetering on the edge of Spring here in the South-East of England. The days are getting longer, & there’s more bird song around, it really is a time to be savoured. Its also a time to have plans in place & be getting ready for the garden bursting into life. Checking seed packets is […]
How To Grow The Best Sweet Peas.
I’m dreaming of a billowing row of divinely scented, colourful sweet peas, lasting all summer long. So here’s the plan to help you grow the best sweet peas, & to have as many flowers as possible. How To Sow Sweet Peas: Fill pots with good, peat-free compost, lightly water the compost to make it damp […]
What To Do In The Garden In February
I’ve been wondering about re-naming this monthly series of looking after your garden. I don’t want it to sound like a list of chores or something you put off doing. But I reckon if you like gardening, you’ll be in it for the joy, the satisfaction & how good it makes you feel, & you […]
Vegetables To Grow And Sow In February
What vegetables to grow & sow in February largely depends on the weather. The longer days are noticeable, but its a few weeks before there’s a good amount of daylight & milder weather that signals most plants into growth. There have been many disappointing attempts to sow seeds, I eventually realised that sowing too early […]
The Advantages of A January Garden.
As the end of January approaches, I have to admit, I’m going to miss her. There’s a clamour & a whole host of hashtags dedicated to the arrival of Spring, a sense of just hanging around, waiting for it all to begin. But I’m in the camp that sees a lot of advantages in a […]
How To Grow Chillies
And we’re off! … its time for the first vegetable seeds to be sown. January is too cold & dark for most seeds, but ideal for chillies. Chilli plants like warm, sunny weather, slightly cooler nights & hate being wet. They’e originally from South America, so that gives you a good idea of the conditions […]
Garden Plans For 2019
Here we are, teetering on the edge of a new year, with dreams of a garden of lush vegetables, fragrant herbs & sweet smelling roses. But this will only happen with a plan transferred from your imagination to paper. It’s the best way to get the most from your garden, not to have regrets & […]
What To Do In The Garden In January
Given kind weather, gardening at this time of year is a particular joy. I spent a couple of happy sessions having a clear-up in the garden during the Christmas holiday. Close inspection of the first border revealed small tufts of grass & baby dandelions already growing & looking settled in for the year. However, they’re […]
Glorious Autumn Colour For Your Garden.
I hope you’re enjoying the autumn colour, that last fiery farewell in the garden before winter gets a grip. I’ve made a determined effort after the high winds & dashing rain of this last week, to notice the fabulous colours before they disappear completely. I read somewhere once, that buying a seasonal plant […]
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