Like every man-made structure, a greenhouse has an embedded ecological cost – the inspiring difference being that with a greenhouse, you get the chance to clear the debt. These days nudging each side of the spring equinox – when day and night match each other in length – are for me among gardening’s headiest. March’s […]
Can someone please explain to me how a headline that states that one in two of us will get Cancer in our lifetime has apparently been swept under the carpet as if it’s acceptable? Is anyone paying attention? Are we allowed to ask why, or point a finger or question the huge increases in not […]
It’s March and I suddenly want to be in the greenhouse. Although it has looked like spring, it hasn’t felt like spring, but now the sun is out and even my rickety panes take a little of the remaining chill off of the wind. Step inside, close your eyes, turn your face to the sun […]
Download March Gardening Guide Prune If wisteria haven’t been pruned, do so now as it’s the last chance before they can be pruned without bleeding sap New trees, hedges and climbers can all be continually pruned as needed The stems of willows and dogwood can be pruned to encourage new growth Roses should have their […]
So come on March, are you coming in as a lion or lamb? With hemerocallis rapidly emerging, species tulips, Tulipa humilis already in flower and Sambucus ‘Black Lace’ coming slowly into bud, I am hoping for a lamb. Whatever March decides, it is going to take a while for the soil to warm, particularly on […]
Perfect for the warm greenhouse or conservatory or even as a houseplant in a warm light window The Croton is actually a Codiaeum. The genus Croton are different plants although both are in the Euphorbiaceae. There are only a few species of Codiaeum and in cultivation you almost always find a plant to be Codiaeum […]
There is an easier middle way between the effort of traditional composting and the specialised requirements of a wormery: invite the worms into your regular bin, and let them do the work. Of all the ongoing experiments and trials in my garden, the longest-running, most revealing and ultimately most fruitful are those around compost-making. I’m […]
There are few crops that store so well that you can eat them right up until next year’s sowing time, but winter squash is one. The squash that I sowed at this time last year, grew on in my greenhouse, planted out in early summer and harvested in autumn are still in perfectly good nick. […]
Has the world gone bonkers? Are we totally brainwashed by capitalist adaptations of age-old celebrations? Think Valentines Day? And you may just start to understand where I’m coming from, but it’s not the only hijacked ‘festival’ in our calendar. Don’t get me started on Christmas and Easter! Everywhere you look at the moment are adverts […]
Long term greenhouse crops like peppers, chillies and aubergines, taking up to five months to mature, should be sown this month. The third week in February is ideal, mid March is fine; by the first week in April, you are pushing your luck! Water the surface of a 10cm pot of multipurpose compost with a […]
Prune Wysteria should be pruned now, as they will bleed if left too late Hardy evergreen hedges Conservatory climbers should be pruned back before birds begin nesting Any winter flowering shrubs which have finished flowering Apple and pear trees should be pruned by the end of February Plant Roses can now be planted – if […]
Of the many poisonous greenhouse, conservatory and house plants one you come across almost everywhere is Dieffenbachia, the Dumb Cane. This is a delightful architectural foliage plant with large attractive variegated leaves, and seldom has it caused accidents. Still you should be aware the sap is very irritant and poisonous and so this genus should […]
