The greenhouse is now playing host to all of those plants that need a bit of protection over the winter, cheek by jowl. Wasabi is not one that needs it, and yet I have found a corner for it anyway. I have been growing wasabi ā the stuff that you dab delicately onto sushi and […]
Astonishing discoveries about the biological communications network beneath our feet suggest new ways we can wire our gardens into the web of life. Almost a year ago to the day, I began liberating parts of my garden from what had become a black plastic mulch-covered tomb. I imagined, amidst the enthusiasm, that it was all […]
Iāve made plenty of mistakes in my gardening life. One of the biggest isnāt about plants; itās about pots. I brood on this mistake every year about this time, as I nurse sore muscles from hauling 35 or 40 terra-cotta pots down the basement stairs. Years ago, I decided I liked the look of terra-cotta […]
Pomegranate, Punica granatum, is a small tree native to the Mediterranean reaches of the near east, and so in zones where the temperature drops below 40F, is a pretty and productive addition to a conservatory garden. Otherwise it will be happy outdoors in regions with arid hot summers and cool winters. In either situation, pomegranate […]
Jean Vernon retells the story of Johnny Appleseed and encourages a little tree planting Yes you can grow apple trees from the pips inside ripe apple fruits, but if you want a reliable crop of tasty apples itās not the best way to get started. If you have a large area and want to experiment […]
āSuit your plants to your soil, rather than creating soil to suit your plants.ā Thatās what Paul Bonine tells me. Heās the co-owner of Xera Plants, in Portland, Oregon, and author of the upcoming Gardening in the Pacific NorthwestāA Complete Homeowners Guide. The results of following his advice? Weād all experience less struggle, less work, […]
As many of you may know I live in the wonderfully named village of Cold Aston, up above Bourton on the Water, and it lives up to its name wonderfully well because itās chilly throughout the year.Ā Many gardeners get my village mixed up with Cold Aston near Bath, the home of Derry Watkinās Special […]
You need a greenhouse to crop Feijoas though not to grow these as ornamental evergreen shrubs. For these are fairly hardy, tougher than thought. Iāve had a couple surviving outdoors here in Norfolk for twenty plus years which have never fruited. First introduced from S. America in 1898 these are found in Botanic gardens though […]
Now it is getting chilly, terracotta or glazed pots should be wrapped with several layers of ābubble wrapā or hessian and raised from the ground on bricks or pot feet to stop water-logging and reduce the chances of cracking. They can also be over-wintered in a frost-free glasshouse, at the base of a sheltered wall, […]
