Hartley Magazine

All the latest news, hints, tips and advice from our experts

The Greenhouse Floats on Water—water and glass, a winning combination

This May was a season of firsts. It was my first time attending the fabled Chelsea Flower Show in London. And it was Hartley-Botanic’s first time building a display garden on the Main Avenue. I met up on Press Day with Catherine MacDonald, the garden’s award-winning designer. She invited me to experience their magical woodland […]

ROCKERIES, TROUGHS, AND CREVICE GARDENS, OH MY!

Eastern European ways with rock garden design have changed how we garden with alpines. Once upon a time, the alpine glasshouses at RHS Wisley, the famed display gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, south of London left me in speechless awe.  It was like visiting an art gallery: Nano-tufts of rare aubretia, doll-sized clumps of […]

Shade Cloth – the greenhouse savior, no matter what latitude

One recent sunny day I forgot to open my greenhouse doors and windows in the morning, and by noontime the temperature inside had reached 108˚. The plants were sadly wilted, so I quickly misted the entire greenhouse to lower the temperature and raise the humidity. Fortunately, by late afternoon, the sagging plants had recovered, but […]