There is still time in June to sow fast maturing vegetables in areas affected by late frosts, and affected by the erratic weather.  Spring onions, parsley and other salads that are harvested successionally can be sown regularly until August, to make full use of the growing season. Those needing warm soil like Florence Fennel, Courgettes […]

Little by little the greenhouse plants that have been sewn, potted on and juggled about for the last couple of months are finding their way outside. First they have to look sturdy and healthy, and to have produced a few leaves, then they get a week on the back steps – a gentle sunny and […]

Most Lilies don’t need to be in a greenhouse as they’re perfectly hardy. Of course amongst such a huge family there are tender sorts but generally those most commonly grown are happy outdoors all year round. However there’s one very good reason for growing these under cover and that’s Lily beetles. These have devastated lilies […]

As the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere crosses the symbolic 400 ppm mark, it’s time for gardeners – and those who represent us – to answer to their environmental responsibilities.

After a particularly long and cold winter of convincing ourselves that root vegetables make delicious salads, and that a daily baked potato makes a perfectly healthy one of your five a day, I finally have something fresh and new and green to eat. Today I have eaten my first salad of the year from the […]

Is it just me or do plant labels exist in a parallel universe? When you need some they are no where to be found, and yet they appear around the garden, like fallen tombstones seasoning the compost bin, the flower beds and the paths with a fine smattering of bright white plastic. Of course like […]

Every greenhouse should have at least one from this small genus of glorious plants whose blooms so closely rival lilies. For Crinums are robust, reliable and truly sumptuous display plants in either the greenhouse or plant conservatory. They are also excellent flowers for cutting and worth growing for that alone. The blooms of C. xPowelli […]

In the current economic climate it is sometimes hard to maintain a beautiful garden if you are working to a budget. If you don’t have the equipment, plants or fertilisers for the job, there are, as any experienced gardener will know, just a few tricks of the trade which will help keep your budget down. […]

I’ve started liking fennel. Really liking fennel. It’s not that I ever actively disliked it, but I was fairly indifferent. I certainly never craved it, never pounced upon each occasional bulb that lucked up in the vegetable box, never searched it out, and never grew it myself. But once you’ve slow baked baby fennel in […]

Now May has arrived, let’s hope that the weather has settled down, even though there is a mix of displays in the garden and time for some late daffodils! Early May is a good time to plant up hanging baskets. Always buy your plants from a reputable supplier, with a wide choice of varieties, that […]

In the mid-20th century the pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson warned of a ‘silent spring’. Today it’s only our elder gardeners who can remember ‘spring’ at all.