British summertime seems to have reverted to the normal state of play because it’s wet and not that warm. Wimbledon was a washout, for the first time in many years. The rowers at Henley Regatta were wet before they entered the somewhat polluted water and staycation holiday makers can be seen dodging the puddles. I’m […]

I feel as though I’ve been climbing up a very steep mountain, well more of a hill really, and I’ve got to the summit and admired the view and cooed and now I’m plodding down again – with an air of sheer relief. Yes, I’ve been to this year’s Chelsea Flower Show and I’ve seen […]

May is the perfect month to plant those slightly tender, late performers such as salvias, penstemons, fuchsias and pennisetums, because they need to develop good root systems before winter arrives. All too often, nurseries sell these late-summer jewels in autumn when they look magnificent. However, there’s not much chance of them overwintering if they’re planted […]

I picked up a copy of The Times the other day to be met by a headline declaring that the wet weather we’ve been having is affecting our mental health. Yes, we are all feeling under the weather Mr Times, but we’ll all recover once the sun shines again. And so will my garden. It’s […]

It’s time to get sowing and growing, because spring is in the air. In the last few days, I’ve had a cup of tea in the garden, my face warmed by the sun for the first time this year. My ginger tomcat Frank has been rolling about, with his legs in the air, and this […]

It’s cold in Cold Aston and my two lovely daughters do a wonderful Stella Gibbons act in the same sort of northern accent you get on the Hovis advert – where the young lad pushes the bike up Gold Hill in Shaftesbury in Dorset.  I have trouble propelling myself up that steep hill, let alone […]

We’re in the bleak midwinter in the village of Cold Aston, high in the Cotswolds. And yet, there’s solace in the garden despite the bitter easterly wind and the threat of snow lingering in the pink-tinged clouds. We do snow well in Cold Aston, it falls thick and deep. However, I already have one witch […]

Real gardeners go out whenever they can and, at this time of year, there’s a lot to do. I’ve been busy, very busy, because it’s been dry and cold rather than wet and warm. Several white dumpy bags full of leaves, testament to my efforts, are discretely tucked away on the far side of my […]

If there’s one plant at the height of the fashion stakes, it’s the succulent. We can’t get enough of these fleshy-leaved beauties with their intricate swirls and whorls. They’re on countless nursery stands, at all the major flower shows, and they’re found in every garden centre across the land. And rightly so, for these easy-care […]

I think I can say that this year has been the most difficult gardening year I’ve ever known. And I’ve known a lot! Temperatures fell a full ten degrees at the beginning of the year, following an exceptionally mild spell and lots of plants were caught out and subsequently perished. Penstemons and echinaceas were my […]

I am delighted to say that I have a new Hartley Greenhouse, a Wisley Grow and Store, to play with. It joins an older Hartley Greenhouse that’s now twelve years old – but still as good as new. My new addition’s a gardener’s Greenhouse with full-length glass and staging and I’m going to grow seeds, […]

When you’re obsessed with plants, as I definitely am, there’s a tendency to want to grow as many different things as you cram in. You see something lovely and then you take it home, like a trophy. Your Best Beloved ruins it by saying – where’s that going to go. And one day, ladies, he […]