When I was a young thing in my twenties, I spent some time in a lowly position in plant breeding and we worked on producing better cauliflower varieties. Each cauliflower in the field, and there were thousands of them to assess, was individually scored for depth of curd, colour and rice-like quality. The latter was […]
There are lots of positive things we can do to support our garden birds. High on the list is ensuring a rich supply of natural food, including insects. If you love the garden birds you need to love insects too because without insects our birds (and many other creatures would die). We need insects and […]
Last year the US Department of Agriculture released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which is based on average minimum winter temperatures over the prior 10 years. Most locations were given a somewhat higher categorization on this new map to account for global warming. So, because of ongoing climate change, gardeners may be seeing earlier […]
One of the delights of this moment of the year in the greenhouse is my dwarf nectarine, in a pot on the sunniest side. It is true that spring is starting to show itself elsewhere: I have a collection of pots and plugs of seed compost on the greenhouse bench that are showing little signs […]
At this time of year, a weather beating greenhouse is invaluable. Hot sunny days, followed by clear, cold nights means that the remains wet and cold, so it is too early for sowing outdoors directly into the soil. It’s long been accepted that parsnips are sown outdoors in February but the truth is that sowing […]
Our greenhouses are graced with many from the Malvaceae family: Abutilons, Okra, Sorrel and Hibiscus, all somewhat resembling our wild Mallows possessing mucilaginous sap and attractive flowers. Amongst these the tropical Hibiscus are famously large, flamboyant and popular as cut flowers so often seen in tropical hotels as slow to wilt in the heat. And […]
For more than twenty-five years, with few time-outs, I have attended Seattle’s Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. This year, in the gardens created on the show floor, I was struck by the tawny shades of winter—tan, brown, gray, and almost black—apparent in many of the displays. Not that the gardens didn’t show off massive amounts […]
In an increasingly uncertain world, food security is high on the national agenda – but sowing, growing and saving our own seed sparks a virtuous cycle that lets gardeners take back control. What if I told you that the adaptability and resilience we’ll need to navigate the growing uncertainties in a future of profound climatic […]
Many people use a greenhouse to start seeds, but where do you put all the potted-up plants when the greenhouse isn’t large enough for them? An outdoor, raised bed can be an ideal location. Plus, with a few additions, the bed can be easily converted to a polytunnel or even a small, temporary greenhouse. The […]
From March onwards the greenhouse will start to fill up, but currently it is still and quiet and pretty empty in mine. There is time to make one last winter use of it, before the spring rush begins, and force some lily-of-the-valley pips. This is something I love to do every few years. The greenhouse […]
I have to be honest I usually find February a bit of a challenge. Of course, I know that spring is much closer, but February is still winter here in the UK and it’s still a bit early to be actively gardening. Even so, any sunny day provides a window to do a little outside […]
I have a VERY soft spot for the daffodil because they brighten up March, a month that often promises spring but doesn’t always deliver sadly. Almost twenty years ago, after moving to Spring Cottage in December 2005, I was thrilled to see lots of daffodils popping up in the garden because it had appeared to […]
