Hartley Magazine

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

Why keeping honeybees won’t save the bees

Keeping honeybees to save the bees just won’t cut it and here’s why, says Jean Vernon. Bees, as we know, are in deep trouble. Dubbed the modern coalmine canary; their spiraling demise has scientists, naturalists and environmentalists running scared. Become a beekeeper?? The knee jerk reaction by many well-meaning bee supporters has been to take […]

Written in United States

Starting Out With Orchids

Orchids are probably the largest genus of flowering plants with nearly 30,000 species. Because these plants are fairly easy to hybridize there are somewhere around 100,000 hybrids. Orchids grow almost all over the world, yes, even in the arctic circle, but mostly they grow in tropical rain forests. That said, orchids can be found in […]

Written in United States

Design Your Garden to Save Time—and you’ll save resources

Water in the Western United States is a fast-diminishing resource. Just ask Cynthia Bee, Outreach Coordinator at the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District in Salt Lake City. Last summer, I got so excited when she shared the district’s new creative solutions for reducing water use through garden design. These tips can also save you other […]

Tulbaghias, do you eat, play or wear these?

This curious genus of pretty onion like flowers from South Africa will both grace, and scent, your cool greenhouse though perhaps in ways you did not expect. Much grown outdoors in countries warmer than Britain and often along paths in the manner of chives this tuberous family also much resemble those Alliums in having garlic […]