Apios is one of those forgotten greenhouse gems seldom come across nowadays. It was once very popular in late Victorian times for the violet scent from the small racemes of purplish flowers. However after the First World War the shortage of labour and its slight tenderness made this plant unattractive. Indeed in the UK it […]
Itās August and I feel as if Iām losing the battle. The plants definitely seem to have won this year, so Iām pulling out and cutting back lots of things that I donāt want to self seed quite as much as they did last year! Iām aiming to leave about 20% in situ for next […]
Wet, wet, wet is one way to describe June 2016. Thank goodness for the greenhouse. It shelters not just the plants nestled on the benches from the wind and rain, but also the adventurous gardener who chooses to ignore the weather and potter around under glass. Most gardeners become hooked on one plant group or […]
In the greenhouse in spring I sowed lots and lots of courgettes. Really plenty, at least twelve in the hope of planting out about ten. I see you tutting and shaking your head but I am no newbie to the horrors of the courgette glut. I had a plan, and that was to grow many […]
Could plants tagged āperfect for pollinatorsā actually be poisoning them? A new crowdfunded project is aiming to find out. Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at Sussex University, is a scientist on a mission. After a childhood spent chasing butterflies and collecting birdsā eggs, he went on to study biology, did a PhD in butterfly ecology, […]
Despite the damp dreary weather, you still need to water your hanging baskets and containers as most rainfall runs from the leaves onto the ground around the pot. Ā Petunias and pelargoniums are drought resistant, but if the compost gets dry, under watered fuchsias and lobelia can take weeks to recover. Feed your flowers weekly with […]
Polygala x Dalmaisiana is a superb choice for conservatories and cool greenhouses with beautiful purple pea like blooms throughout much of the year. These decorative flowers are produced almost continuously along the ends of lax stems of attractive grey green evergreen foliage. Not so much an impressive centre piece perhaps but excellent as the supporting […]
