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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Prune Perennial plants can be pruned back to allow for a healthy growth in spring, but any new growth should be left alone Apple and pear trees should being to be pruned, as this is best done when they’re dormant Any ornamental grasses should be cut to around an inch before new growth begins Plant […]
If reason and persuasion don’t work, we need to start hitting the less ethical elements of the gardening industry where it hurts: below the profit margin. Yes, you read that right: it’s time for us to start revolting. Unless you subscribe to the against-the-clock, TV makeover, artificial, fashion-fickle version of gardening, you’ll know that it’s […]
I have come to believe that the way to succeed with broad beans is to sow them every which way: autumn in the ground under cloches, winter in the greenhouse, spring direct and with no protection. Sow only in autumn and there will follow an extremely hard winter to knock the stuffing out of them. […]
Amongst very showy greenhouse specimens difficult to name out of flower yet most obvious in bloom are Flaming Sword, Lobster Claws and Painted Feather. These names accurately describe the fantastical red and yellow waxy flower spikes of massed bracts. Blooms once seen never forgotten, almost surreal, and so resembling plastic that people feel it necessary […]
Nurturing precious plants is just one of the delights of the winter greenhouse. But when you are intent on the three R’s, (reducing, reusing and recycling), heating the greenhouse is just not an option. You wouldn’t have a single glazed room in your house, exposed on all sides to the elements, with a concrete floor […]
