With spring in the air a place to plant, pot up and generally potter is a fabulous garden haven for the gardener. It doesn’t have to be a shed, but traditionally the gardeners of the house (back in the days of larger estates and kitchen gardens) had a large shed or work room where they […]
I do love plants with silvery foliage, the trouble is they’re difficult in Cold Aston because we get a lot of rainfall dumped upon us and silvery plants hate wet. They would much rather grow on thin soil in places like East Anglia – where rainfall is far lighter. However I’ve developed an area, underneath […]
Fan palms, Livistona chinensis & L. rotundifolia, are tough enduring specimens for frost free greenhouses, conservatories or even as house plants. These endure considerable neglect yet make highly decorative foliage displays year round. Although flowering and even fruiting does happen this occurs when mature- by which time these could be 30 feet for the chinensis […]
I apologise if you’re a Daphne, but Daphnes are capricious creatures. However I’m not talking people, I’m talking plants. These gloriously scented, shrubby plants, designed for hedonsists as well as gardeners, cast a special sort of magic and they’re an essential part of my garden. However, just when they’re at their best, they’re likely to […]
At this time of year, investment in a glasshouse is paying dividends by extending the growing season. Sow aubergine, celeriac, celery, lettuce, parsley, sweet and chilli peppers, tomatoes and French beans in pots, trays or modules in a propagator. Larger seeds like peas can be sown in multipurpose compost; smaller seed like tomato and lettuce […]
There have already been a couple of days when the mini greenhouse has been flung open to let in some longed for fresh air and sunlight. And I cant help it, I find myself wondering if I’ve done it, if I’ve actually got all of the tender aeoniums and pelargoniums through winter this time. However, […]
As ecological crises deepen, we need to start gardening differently. On compost – peat-free, of course – the answer could be to think closer to home – and outside the bag. We often hear the term ‘blue-sky thinking’, which is consultant-speak for creative thinking that’s beyond the norm, outside the box – thinking that’s not […]
You don’t need an allotment or a veg patch to grow your own food. You can grow a variety of crops in pots and containers either on the patio or inside a greenhouse. There’s a huge question mark over the long term availability of fresh produce after Brexit and the one thing we can all […]
The beautiful flowers of Ranunculus asiaticus have been cultivated for centuries and are especially good for growing in modern frost free greenhouses. With their long stems and perfect form their blooms are both excellent for cutting or adding colour to a foliage display especially in early and mid summer. Credited with coming from Persia these […]
Peppers, chillies and aubergines should be sown this month. Gardeners who find, that theirs haven’t ripened by late summer, usually sowed too late. The third week in February is ideal; mid-March is fine and the first week in April is the limit. They need light, warmth and constant temperatures for germination; if you can’t provide […]
If there’s one plant that makes April special in my garden it’s Erythronium californicum ‘White Beauty’. The creamy flowers have six upturned petals that fly outwards to form a wide lily shape. Seen from above the petals display a cool hint of green as they meet the stem, catching the same glint of green found in the […]
I was lucky enough to spend a few glorious days in the greenhouses at West Dean at the height of chilli season last year. I was attending the annual West Dean Chilli Fiesta, which was started up to celebrate this moment in the year when their greenhouses are full of fiery colours and even more […]
