This week I've been weather watching as I gear up for my local Flower Show and have been monitoring the temperature fluctuations in my greenhouse. I've been missing my usual range of home grown vegetables but delighting in how advanced the dahlias are. Greenhouse temperature monitoring I'm not one for [...]
My gardening week has seen much watering but also lots of joy at the beautiful flowers in my garden pots, borders and greenhouse. I'm sharing a picture of my sweet potato vine and relieved that my Wisteria survived our building works. I've also taken pictures of 'Love in a Puff' [...]
The sun is relentless and moisture absent except on my brow. It is officially too hot to do anything strenuous in the garden. I wilt in strong sunshine and yet I bravely faced the melee of the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show on Thursday to get some inspiration and do [...]
To quote the brilliant TV comedy The Fast Show, this week has been "Scorchio" and the temperature in my greenhouse has been in the thirties. Despite this, the lure of my new greenhouse is unshakeable. This week I'm focussing my six on ornamental plants in the greenhouse. Some I've grown [...]
Who doesn’t love a traditional village show? As the holiday season approaches organisers air the beer tent, hammer signs into the village green and untangle the bunting. But what sort of person enters these competitions and what experiences await first timers? If you're a gardener or allotment holder you may be shy to get involved in showing or question why you even would. Here I share my story as a first time entrant and some special tips for exhibiting from a local judge.
This week has seen the summer solstice and the year's longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. It's been a beautifully sunny week and I've been admiring plants best described as sun-worshippers, including alpines, sweet peas and roses. I've also been taking the opportunity to position my armillary sphere accurately. Positioning [...]
This week has seen quintessential June weather - the sunny days I remember from childhood but which have seemed lacking in recent years. The garden is filled with roses and peonies but for some reason I have mostly chosen a series of other plants to talk about, including a couple [...]
Edelweiss is a flower known to many thanks to 'The Sound of Music' but I suspect that few could describe what it looks like. Up close it does look interesting but the word beautiful doesn't spring immediately to mind. If Helen of Troy's face was one to launch a thousand [...]
Alpine troughs are perfect containers to let your garden design skills run riot, but in a small space. Alpines are small, pretty and above all diverse. If you like designing but don't have much space, alpines are a perfect set of plants to experiment with creative combinations. Once you've understood [...]