Itâs not just garden plants and wildflowers that offer vital food sources for our wild bees. Many plants that some regard as weeds are also rich in pollen and nectar Plants and bees have evolved together over millennia, with their lives intertwined so intricately that one without the other will struggle to survive. We know […]
Aphids beware: the earth-friendly greenhouse gardener has a secret weapon, and itâs homing in on you. Donât dwell on this for too long â it needs your quick-fire answer: which greenhouse gardening ally found in nature⌠is an acrobat, entertainer and plant pollinator, doesnât bite or sting (although it fakes the latter), rids plants of […]
Toni Gattone doesnât ever want to stop gardening. This prolific writer, dynamic speaker, and author of an upcoming book on adaptive gardening from Timber Press says, âWe all have physical limitations. Especially as we get older. But the question isâhow and when and what do you change so you can keep on doing what you […]
Growing dahlias with relative ease is one of the joys of having a glasshouse. Not that it is impossible to grow them without one â you can stick the tubers straight into the ground if you like â but starting them in the greenhouse gives them the best possible head start, and means that the […]
Avocados and mangos are both very popular fruits, not just for their delicious flavors and versatility, but also for their significant health benefits. Both are loaded with vitamins and powerful antioxidants, in addition to many other nutrient properties. These characteristics are among the reasons why health-conscious people are increasingly adding them to theirdiets. Most of […]
Some plants, and oddly rather many glasshouse plants, have somewhat misleading common names. This gem has perversely come to be known as Cineraria though it is not a Cineraria but a Senecio. Cinerarias are so named for their soft white downy leaves like cineres the Latin for ashes. Some Senecios also have white or grey […]
Have you noticed that produce has become more expensive in supermarkets lately? One reason is the cost of transporting fruits and vegetables from the southern hemisphere, another is unfavorable recent weather in California, a major supplier of produce, and a third is a decreased number of migrant workers available for harvests. If youâre a greenhouse […]
Thereâs a lot of unnecessary myth and magic about making garden compost says Jean Vernon First letâs unravel the confusion between the compost that you buy in bags for container plants and growing seeds. This, the trade, is called growing medium and is basically specially formulated to a precise recipe with a variety of ingredients, […]
I once received a breezy Christmas letter with the adviceâ âEveryone should take their family to the Galapagos.â I fell out laughing. Really? Everyone? What would the Galapagos look like then? And yet, when I walk into the garden of Marietta and Ernie OâByrne, I understand that letter writerâs impulse. Everyone should see this acre-and-a […]
Plastic-free gardening is an admirable aim, but before we rush headlong down any of the alternative routes, we need to check for pitfalls. As much as gardening is about going forward â at full throttle at this time of year â sometimes itâs also about stepping back. As we champ at the bit to launch […]
