Hartley Magazine

All the latest news, hints, tips and advice from our experts

Cannas, Sweet Peppers, Chilli and Silver Birch

The biting chill of early snow and promises of a cold winter have made the shelter of a cosy greenhouse very welcome! This year I‘m really feeling the cold; until late November I was basking in tropical sunshine on a cruise through the Caribbean and Panama canal, a fact envied by several friends who had […]

Buying Flowers For your Garden in Madeira

Madeira, a jewel in the Atlantic with a balmy, maritime climate, is known as the ‘Island of flowers‘ and every year, particularly in early spring, British gardeners arrive on its shores to savour the joys of landscapes awash with wild flowers and gardens burgeoning with blooms. The major town, Funchal, (so called because early Portugese […]

Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds

Growing vegetables in raised beds, a technique developed centuries ago in Asia, is the perfect way to make small domestic plots productive. There are many tempting advantages; the soil warms earlier in spring, extending the growing season, they are easier to maintain as you don‘t have to bend to ground level, crops are sown closer […]

Pelargonium Flowering in the Summer

We‘re past mid-summer and the erratic spring weather that overstayed its welcome has been replaced by a spell of high temperatures and traditional thunderstorms. All of the lovely rainwater is too good to waste so I‘ve somewhat belatedly added water butts to the down pipes on the greenhouse. There‘s a range of designs on the […]