In the dog days of summer, entering the greenhouse is like entering a sauna. Working there, even with the door and windows open, is a form of masochism that even I balk at. But work in it I must. Although my 200+ plants have been moved outdoors, there are still summertime maintenance tasks to do […]
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It’s that time of year when flowers, all kinds of flowers, take center stage. This month, I’ve asked my garden colleagues—from Alaska to Puerto Rico—to nominate their longest bloomers. Consider adding these power-packed blossoms to your garden. Many may be started in the greenhouse for next year’s long-running displays. Alaska Pat Ryan, Education Specialist at […]
In a dangerously overheating world, it’s more important than ever to keep it cool in our gardens and greenhouses. Twenty years ago, my garden was on fire – or, more accurately, my garden-to-be was on fire. When I became keeper of this then bracken-riddled bank, I was on a new and exciting learning curve. I never imagined […]
Many greenhouse plants are poisonous so one always needs be vigilant if children visit. And particularly with seeds of the pretty Castor Oil plant, Ricinus communis, from the Euphorbia family. Though the foliage and flowers are poisonous these seeds are extremely toxic. Once known as Palma Christi the seeds have been found in Egyptian tombs, […]
We were thrilled to showcase a variety of structures from our prestigious Greenhouse and Glasshouse ranges on our Five Star and Best Tradestand double award-winning stand at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show this year. The ‘Feel Good’ themed installation featured four distinct handcrafted Greenhouses, each exhibiting an array of magnificent homegrown produce to underline […]
Delicate herbs – lemon verbena, bayleaf, rosemary, lavender, lemon balm to name few – benefit from greenhouse cultivation, because they are either not cold hardy, or the open garden is shady, so the herbs don’t receive the minimum six hours of direct sunlight they require to do their best. Given a seat in a sunny […]
You can’t have failed to notice the change in the weather due to climate change. Last summer a lot of my garden frazzled in the dry heat and I didn’t feel that I could water it due to the drought. It recovered again in September, once we had rain, and then we seemed to get […]
Imagine if we could bottle or preserve the spirit of summer and then return to it in the depths of winter, when we yearn for its presence. It’s not just about the taste and flavour of summer raised ingredients, though that in itself will lift your spirits. There is also the flavour of fragrance. A […]
The greenhouse is full to bursting at the moment with tomatoes coming into fruit, peppers still thinking about making fruits but looking very happy and healthy as they do, as well as a couple of cucumbers, a melon and lots of basil plants, created from buying one supermarket pot and splitting it, to make a […]
Once tomatoes have set their fourth or fifth truss of fruit, cut off the main stem one leaf above the terminal truss, so the moisture and nutrients are focussed on swelling and ripening the fruit. Tap the open flowers around mid-day when the pollen is dry to encourage further pollination and tie the stems to […]
Let’s face it, a real joy of gardening comes from buying plants. However, consider taking cuttings from tried-and-true plants in your own garden or greenhouse. It’s a game of numbers. This replication allows you to design with large drifts of the same plant, or repeat certain plants in various containers in order to visually unite […]
