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When it comes to planting potatoes, the old saying goes, “Get your earlies in late and your lates in early”.
Just as well considering the weather we’ve been experiencing this spring. Last weekend was the fist chance I’d had to get on the soil and plant out my chatted first early Pentland Javelin, even then I had to do it in…
I’ve recently moved house and taken on a block paved front garden, without an inch of open soil. This is a no-no in my book and I’ll be looking to add some planting space down the line. Ahead of that, I’ve added a few pots of winter bedding for a bit of colour and have placed my potted camellia by…
I took my daughter to nursery this morning to find that the stately cedar tree in their front garden has lost some huge limbs under the weight of the snow that fell last night (I’m going to pick some of the cones from the fallen branches when I pick her up later, they make a nice feature when brought in the…
I love it when a plan comes together!
I potted my store bought amaryllis bulbs in mid November (see the video here), hoping to have colourful blooms in time for Christmas.
After a couple of weeks waiting, the flower stalks started to rise. Having waited for the signs of success, I kept one back for myself, gave one to my parents and…
When I started out in horticulture, I soon realised that carrying a bag with my favourite tools in it, was the best way to garden on other sites. I carried this bag around with me everywhere, and I still do. My trusted bag of tools, plant labels, pens, tape measures and various other bits is always by my side. Last…
I hit my local garden centre this week, just as they were creating a stock clearance area out in the car park. I assumed this would be a range of half dead summer bedding but was surprised to see a wide range of shrubs and perennials all heavily reduced for quick sale.
With gaps in the herbaceous border this was a…
2012 hasn’t provided the ideal conditions for growing heat- and sun-loving chillies, so I am proud to show off the results of my February-sown chillies. So much so, that I’m taking a trip to The Great Dorset Chilli Festival this weekend (4-5Aug) in Wimborne St Giles, to see if I can bag a prize for my pot-grown chilli ‘Chenzo’ plants…
Since we heard the news that London would be host to the 2012 Olympics, organisers and Government have been banging on about the lasting legacy it will leave us.
I’m not so sure – if you look at recent host cities all many seem to have been left with is a lot of debt.
However there is potential for one lasting legacy…
At last we have had some sun, so I had no excuse not to tackle my very overgrown border. I needed to have a good clear out and get rid of those plants (weeds) that had grown rampant over the last month.
I cut back my standard rose from Dave Austin, which was growing out of control. You can lightly prune…
There have been a few under performing plants in my garden this season thanks to the deluge we’ve received this year, but one display I’m proud to show off this week is my vertical wall planter filled with Begonia ‘Non Stop Mix’ below a row of trailing Begonia ‘Citrus Shades’.
Grown from plugs, they were slow to start, but in the…
