I’ve been having one or two problems with Blossom End Rot, where the end of tomatoes becomes circular, black and flattened. It occurs in peppers and aubergines, squashes and watermelons but is most often seen in tomatoes and is caused by lack of calcium in the fruits. Plants growing in soil, growing bags and potting […]
I don’t think I can ever remember such a glorious June because it’s been warm – even in the wonderfully named Cold Aston! It’s a blessing for me (and the plants) after such a long, cold winter and my roses have really appreciated it. They are better than they’ve ever been at Spring Cottage. Most […]
In the spring I started my dahlias in the greenhouse and then planted them half and half at the allotment and on my veranda, wondering which would win the race to flowering: breezy and exposed with full sun at the plot or sheltered and protected but with a little bit of shade back home. I […]
Grow your own greenhouse shading: nature offers earth-friendly alternatives to parched plants and plastic pollution. Since the end of May, in most parts of the UK, it’s been hard to pin down the oft-cited ‘joy of greenhouse gardening’. Right now, even with a sun hat on, surely ‘hell’ is the most apt substitute for ‘joy’. […]
While temperatures remain high, watering and ventilation are top of the list. Open vents early in the morning, as temperatures in the greenhouse soon rise (shading should be in place by now), water preferably in the evening or early morning and check plants several times a day to ensure that they don’t dry out. Consider […]
As often found in an alpine house as a greenhouse many Bellflowers, Campanulas, are rock garden and border plants. However some low growing and prostrate species are delightful under cover for filling in around the base of taller plants with their verdant foliage and masses of cool blue flowers. Campanula is an interesting, floriferous and […]
When you are looking to buy a greenhouse you need to do your research very carefully, where better to see a glasshouse in the flesh than an RHS Flower Show, says Jean Vernon Buying a glasshouse is usually a once in a lifetime investment. It’s really important that you can see some of the options […]
Back in 2018, a few forward-looking people envisaged – though it was largely wishful thinking – a network of ‘pollinator pathways’. Today, we’re opening our first insect superhighway. Fenn was anxiously watching two screens at once. The one on his tablet showed footage streaming live from the Earth Court of Environmental Justice. The other was […]
Gardening makes me move about. It makes me stretch and lift and breathe fresh air and all of those other things that make me feel just that little bit healthier at the end of a day gardening than I do at the end of a day sat in front of the computer. But let’s face […]
The Lupin is a plant of my childhood and my suburban London garden, just like most people’s gardens in the 1950s, contained George Russell’s lupins. I can still remember packets of seeds with George Russell’s picture on the front. By then he was elderly, but he still had a wicked twinkle in his eye, and […]
Now your greenhouse tomatoes are growing steadily, it is important to remove the side shoots of ‘cordon’ varieties to form a single productive stem. You don’t need scissors or secateurs, just snap them off with your finger and thumb. Make sure your tomatoes are well watered, too, particularly if they are in growing bags where […]
Jean Vernon explains the June Drop phenomenon, what it means and what to do June can be a strange month in our gardens. While the garden is burgeoning with lush vegetation in the moist warm weather, something very strange is happening on our fruit trees. Particularly the apples. If you watch your apple trees carefully […]
