If you’ve been enjoying flowers in your garden recently then now is the time to make sure you have another good display next spring. Commiserations if you haven’t had a good display but a few preparations now will improve matters next spring. Split or plant some snowdrops and/or winter aconites. Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have […]

We all want happy and healthy plants and good soil is key to making that happen. (Of course, there are a few happy and healthy exceptions to this: air plants, hydroponic plants and perhaps plants growing on gravel but here we’re talking about plants that grow in soil.) For happy and healthy plants we have […]

Sow flower seeds in March? Yes, you can sow flower seeds in March. It may not feel like a peak gardening month but (slightly) warmer weather and longer daylight hours trigger plants to grow, leaves to unfurl and seeds to sprout. So join in, look ahead, and sow flower seeds to fill gaps in your […]

Sow and grow veg to reduce air miles, have food on your doorstep, eat more and more tasty veg - oh yes, and beat the effects of supermarket shortages. Did you hear that the rain in Spain which led to shortages of green and salad vegetables in some UK supermarkets led to a run on […]

As we're all told, patience is a virtue, and gardeners know there are very many occasions in gardening when it’s needed. Having patience is more than simply waiting for time to pass. It’s about watching and thinking. It’s about paying attention and also just letting time roll by. Patience is the thing that garden centres […]

Grow some fresh green herbs on your windowsill this spring. They make all the difference to food and their brightness will lift your spirit. Grow some herbs on your windowsill Home-grown herbs have so much going for them: they are very easy to grow and are something that most of us can grow on a […]

It's time to spring clean your rattan garden furniture! We’re in that undecided period of the year when it’s far from clear whether it’s spring or whether it’s winter. There’s evidence on both sides. On the side of Spring – snowdrops, daffodils, birds singing, earlier sunrise, later sunset. On the side of Winter – snow, […]

It’s remarkable how useful a garden parasol can be and how it adds a sense of fun and occasion. It’s essential for relaxing around a shady table enjoying a long and leisurely lunch. And it’s such a relief to cluster under the parasol, sheltering from that sudden summer downpour. What can a garden parasol do […]

Many years ago I volunteered to help a local school create school gardens that could provide quiet places for children to enjoy breaks and which involved them in improving their school. We started small, with an overgrown patch of what was once a garden and within a term it was a pretty bed of herbs and […]

Garden paths are important: they take you from one place to another and, after wet weather, keeping your shoes clean as you trundle to the compost heap or a quiet seat in summery shade. And much more than that. Garden paths connect your house and garden, lead the eye and imagination into, and beyond, your […]

A ground floor extension has a closer relationship to the garden than the rest of the house, probably because it tends to be built in an existing garden. Immediately, then, you’re ahead of the game of bringing the garden inside, the aim of so many of us nowadays. Extension is simply an umbrella term for […]

Mowing, weeding and watering are the most disliked jobs in the garden. Follow our suggestions about working with nature to create a low maintenance garden. After the initial work you’ll soon see the benefit. Gardening is made very, very much easier when we work with nature and our soil conditions, climate, rainfall and local wildlife. […]