Even though I added an entire truckload of horse manure, several lawn-tractor cart loads of seaweed, and so many wheelbarrow loads of compost that my body ached from moving it, the peppers, tomatoes, and other fruiting plants in my garden had less than ideal yields this year. The lower-than-normal harvest of tomatoes especially suggested that […]
As the year draws to a close, we garden writers begin receiving notices about the fresh trends for the garden in the coming year. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s list of all that is new for the New Year arrived yesterday. For nearly 200 years the PHS, as it is commonly known, shared its top 10 […]
Start Amaryllis bulbs into growth, watering sparingly at first; just trickle a little tepid water around the bulb, gradually increasing the amount as the bud appears. Once it is actively growing, keep the compost constantly moist but not waterlogged and take care not to wet the growth tip. The growing temperature should be around 20C, […]
Escape the stress – festive and otherwise – with a midwinter project that weaves calm, control and creativity back into the season. Tight. Knotted. Coiled like a wound-up, corroding spring. Stuck. All too much. That’s where my mind is right now. It wasn’t a quick journey getting there, via the stress-fuelled frustration superhighway – but […]
The greenhouse in December is still, cold, and dark. It feels like a moment of deep pause. But it’s also precisely the moment when us gardeners – particularly those of us with greenhouses – can begin coaxing the first signs of spring to life. We usually associate forcing bulbs with Christmas displays, but I am […]
I am spending every moment I possibly can in the garden and every second is precious because the days are getting shorter and shorter. If it’s sunny I have to come in before the sun sinks towards the low horizon and blinds me, so I’m under time pressure when I’m cutting back, tidying and leaf […]
Are you looking for the precious present. Something for the gardener in your life? Here are some ideas of gifts that are thoughtful and inexpensive I don’t often sit and contemplate what I’d like as a treat, even as Christmas approaches. To be honest, sometimes it’s just enough to be alive, with a roof over […]
An intriguing greenhouse plant I’d long vaguely known of just never got round to growing is this curiously named Mexican Cigar flower, Cuphea ignea. Obviously it could not really grow cigars, and seeing it was neither scented nor edible this ranked low on my list to try. Well what a pleasant surprise, not difficult to […]
