Years ago, as a beginning gardener, I visited a British friend in northern California. Her country garden surrounded her house, a symphony of color and texture. I knew she took care of it herself. What was her secret? She leaned toward me, and in her terrific accent whispered, “Shrubbery.” I’ve never forgotten. Now, any time […]
The concept of ‘beneficial insects’ overlooks the fact that in the greenhouse, some of our most important allies are of the eight-legged persuasion. They tend to startle rather than dazzle, and have us recoiling rather than rejoicing. They’re upstaged and outshone by their six-legged, airborne cousins, and they frequently make us jump out of our […]
Get to grips with plant labels now and be ready for your spring sowing spectacular says Jean Vernon Plant labels are the bane of my life, but maybe, just maybe I’ve found the solution We’ve all been there haven’t we?? You’ve taken the cuttings, sown the seeds, planted the plant and searched around for a […]
Some allotment friends were talking to me the other day about growing wedding flowers for a friend, in their greenhouse and on their plot. My first question was the date – around midsummer, they said. My second, rapidly, worriedly: have you already sown? No. I tried not to instil panic, but one thing I do […]
In colder climates, the fall is a good time to kill a few plants. It happens when you close your greenhouse at night because a frost is forecast and then forget to open it in the morning before the sun heats it up very hot. I did that a few weeks ago when I had […]
That’s the idea that seems to underlie the exhibitions of art glass by Dale Chihuly that travel to botanical gardens around the world. In September, I saw the latest version at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on a tour as part of the annual conference of the Association of Garden Communicators. The fantastic and colorful glass […]
You need a heated greenhouse or conservatory where the temperature never drops below 20°C/70°F to safely grow these rare bulbous plants known in Latin as Hymenocallis. Very closely related to Amaryllis (note the similar strap like leaves) these are amongst the most beautiful of flowers carrying a heavy vanilla perfume to add to their pristine […]
Early in the month it is time to check that the glasshouse is ready to accommodate your tender plants, so you are ready when temperatures drop. Pick your last tomatoes and ripen them on the windowsill. Blemish free fruit can be stored in a cool drawer, to be ripened in the fruit-bowl as needed during […]
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 […]
