Whether you want to plant for wildlife or deter burglars, the humble bramble has many attributes I have a long and chequered history with the humble blackberry. As a child I lived on a crescent of houses and in the middle of the crescent was an allotment site, where we had a plot. We didn’t […]
Most gardeners love to inject their garden with a huge dose of colour, Whether that’s flamboyant bedding schemes, flowers for cutting or the spring spectacular of flowering bulbs. Colour is the lifeblood of most gardens. But it doesn’t have to be dramatic and lairy, it can be soft and calming too. Learning how to use […]
Don’t get despondent if there are weeds on your patch. Most are wildflowers and have a vital role for our pollinators and insects. In my world there is no such thing as a weed. Weeds are wildflowers. Many of our wildflowers evolved side by side with their pollinators or other creatures that depend on them. […]
Can I grow lemons in my greenhouse? If you want fresh lemons for your summer drinks maybe it’s time to grow a lemon tree in your greenhouse? Growing things to eat is one of the greatest pleasures of gardening and indeed owning a glasshouse. Growing high value ingredients is possibly the number one rule. Add […]
Our gardens really do have a route into our mind, body and souls. I don’t know about you but I simply love to lose myself in the garden or in nature. It’s something that I have always done and I didn’t realise it was a kind of meditation or mindfulness. There is something about escaping […]
We need to rethink our stance on greenfly, aphids, slugs and snails, says Jean Vernon Everything in nature is interconnected, pretty much every single creature has a role to play and a vital place in the food chain. It’s like a baton being passed from runner to runner in the Olympic relay race, but the […]
Anyone that follows my features in the Hartley magazine, knows that I don’t usually encourage new gardeners to grow tomatoes. And that’s because they are precocious little madams that demand constant attention and care. Now I don’t mind mollycoddling plants to ensure that they perform to their full potential, but there are a few booby […]
It doesn’t matter how long you have been gardening there is always time to learn something new or change the way you do things. The greatest thing about gardening (for me anyway) is that there are a hundred and one ways to do the same thing. There may be lots of rules, but you learn […]
As the winter solstice passes and the days begin to get slightly longer, the importance and the wonder of light becomes more and more apparent. Just as the moon controls the tide and other life rhythms the daylight length is tightly intertwined with growth, nature and the cycle of life. At Christmas or Yule we […]
It’s the focal point in most homes at Christmas, but is the traditional Christmas tree an essential ingredient for the festive season? With the cost-of-living crisis biting some families hard, every purchase at this time of year needs scrutiny and that includes our festive decorations. You don’t need a statement Christmas tree to complete your […]
Replacing an existing lawn with a plastic carpet is a bit like taking out your kitchen and putting in pretend appliances that look the part but don’t work? And maybe go on to create havoc or worse inside your home? Or Like buying a car without an engine and parking it on the drive because […]
More trees please! Why it’s time to make trees the new fashion icon of gardening. Trees matter and old trees are simply the best The devastating felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree in Northumberland has focused attention on trees. And that is a good thing. Trees are absolutely vital. And trees are beautiful too. […]
