garden care

Ah, spring! The time of year when Mother Nature emerges from her winter slumber, and the world explodes with vibrant colours and the sweet scent of blooming flowers. But before you can fully embrace the joy of spring gardening, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty (in the most delightful way, […]

The garden centres are full of summer bedding plants, tempting you to buy and plant to brighten up your gardens now the bulbs are mostly over. The late spring bank holiday is the traditional time for a bedding changeover. In this post, we dig down (sorry!) for a little information to bring your summer garden […]

Spring is now well underway and everything is growing fast, weeds included. Weeding now stops weeds getting well established. It makes all the difference! Here are six tips to help you. 1. Know your enemy A regular stroll around your garden will show you where the weeds are and where action is required. Get to […]

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 […]

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. […]

Oh, I do like a garden trellis. I like it if it’s smart and upright, and I like it when it’s missing bits and lurching unsteadily. Whenever I see one I feel quite encouraged. I think it shows that somebody cares and that somebody has made the effort. Or at least that they did, once […]

We can really feel the days lengthening in February and the birds are starting to sing, morning and evening. As long as the ground isn't rock hard with frost or snow, it's time to get ahead with February jobs in the garden. February jobs: chit potatoes It’s time for people in southern parts to chit […]

Gardeners are natural citizen scientists Birds are sensitive to environmental changes and so they are a good gauge of the health of your local ecosystem. That’s part of the thinking behind the Big Garden Birdwatch which takes place this year on Saturday 28th, Sunday 29th and Monday 30th January 2017. The Big Garden Birdwatch is […]

It’s so easy to choose Christmas presents for gardeners. Here are ten ideas which might suit a gardener you know. Plus a bonus idea for luck! Under £15 1. Seeds and/or a tin to keep them in Herb seeds (chives and parsley are good choices) will always be welcomed by people who love cooking. If […]

Clear up and use your garden compost to sort out your plants and improve the soil ready for next year. It will make your garden look and feel loved for the winter too. We have given you tips for autumn tidy ups in our previous blogs, and now we are gearing up for winter. Q: […]

Gardening novices, this is for you! Here we bring together the main points of what to do in autumn, with links to our more detailed blog posts. Autumn begins on 22nd September 2017. It’s not as busy a time in the garden as the spring but there’s still lots to do. Things to do ‘just […]

As the cooler weather of autumn arrives, it’s time for us to help the last of the tomatoes to ripen and to protect more tender plants. Time has flown and here we are in September. Like it or not, the summer is bowing out and the autumn’s gales and rain will soon be coming on […]