Hartley Magazine

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

Is it worth growing strawberries?

Strawberries are possibly the plant, or fruit that just about everybody wants to grow. And with the extortionate price of these fruits in the shops and the deliciousness of these rich red fruits, itā€™s no wonder that everyone wants to grow them. When a bowl of strawberries at Wimbledon contains a handful of fruit (usually […]

Local School benefits by auctioning a Patio Glasshouse

St Maryā€™s C of E Primary School, in our Village recently held their Summer Festival. Bigger and better than ever for 2017 there were many wonderful stalls and entertainment throughout the day. Food and drink was in plentiful supply and everyone had a great time. Despite the ever unpredictable weather the event raised over Ā£6,500. […]

Pesticide roulette

New research confirms that ā€˜perfect for pollinatorsā€™ plants can contain potentially toxic pesticides ā€“ so what can gardeners do about it, and how can we improve the odds for insects? A year ago I interviewed Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at Sussex University, about his six-year study into the effects of pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids or […]

How to Grow Agapanthus

True-blue is an evening star because it glows as night falls. Iā€™m not talking cottage-garden, wishy-washy, ā€˜so-called bluesā€™ in shades that hover between mauve, lavender and grey. Many campanulas, lavenders and hardy geraniums, for instance, come in these softer colours but tend to look a milky grey in evening light. Radiant blues, on the other […]

James Alexander Sinclair Writes About Horatio’s Garden, Glasgow

Over the years I have made a lot of gardens in many parts of the world. They have embraced all sorts of styles and situations from the very formal, to the wildly unkempt from the classical to the modern. However, I think I confidently say that the garden we have made for Horatio in Scotland […]

Extending the flowering season and other seasonal suggestions.

Remove dead or fading flowers from ornamental plants to encourage a longer flowering season. Most can be removed by snapping them off between your finger and thumb or removing them with scissors. It is a particularly useful exercise with roses, because you can wrap your hand right round the petals, gathering them all before they […]

How to Grow Penstemons

Your greenhouse can revolutionise your garden, because itā€™s possible to grow a whole range of slightly tender plants, because you can raise them from cuttings. Many of these slightly tender plants come into their own from late-summer onwards, so they extend the season right up until winter beckons. This helps late-flowering pollinators (and gardeners)Ā  to […]