It’s that time of year again, time to venture into the hot September greenhouse and start preparing for the colder weather to come. Soon you’ll be bringing in all the plants that have spent the last few months outdoors. But before you do that, you should make sure that everything in the greenhouse is clean […]
I’m summer weary and tired of picking tomatoes, making jam in the evenings, watering and weeding! I’m waiting for the first frost, although last year we only had a couple and they came well after Christmas for it was the mildest winter ever in the cold, cold Cotswolds, in the wonderfully named village of Cold […]
Every year I look forward to my end-of-summer treat—seeing the plant selections in the New Varieties Showcase at the Farwest trade show in Portland, Oregon. These are the glorious newcomers, sold to wholesalers who will grow them on in greenhouses, and bring them to market next year. Here’s a look at the “oh wow!” plants […]
I want to make good use of the greenhouse over winter and to that end I have decided to rescue some herbs from the slow autumn slump. Right now all of my herbs are looking pretty good, and it is easy to be fooled into imagining this will go on, particularly when the September days […]
Successfully raising seeds in a greenhouse for next year’s crop is just one of the many pleasures and contentments of gardening. But there are others. The garden year is ending and it’s time we took stock of our gardens and the successes and failures experienced from which we can learn what works…and what doesn’t require […]
Sow no harm: if you grow insect-attracting flowers from seed, you will reap nothing but delight. I love you, my dearest dahlias – I really do. And it’s on hot, comforting days like this, when we’re lulled by echoes of ebbing summer, that I adore you more than ever. Today you brought an airborne frenzy of […]
If my plants were toddlers, they’d start doing one of two things right now: melting down in fiery tantrums or sitting still with drooping eyelids. Either way, I’d know it’s close to bedtime. No more roughhousing, or the kids will be too excited to sleep. It’s the same in the garden and the greenhouse. My […]
