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Archives for 2023
What’s wrong with artificial lawns?
Replacing an existing lawn with a plastic carpet is a bit like taking out your kitchen and putting in pretend appliances that look the part but don’t work? And maybe go on to create havoc or worse inside your home? Or Like buying a car without an engine and parking it on the drive because […]
Overwintering a black-eyed Susan vine
Now that the greenhouse has been emptied of the mass of soft green growth that fills it over summer – mainly tomatoes, which are now thoroughly over, those many that didn’t ripen sitting preserved in chutney in the cupboard – I can think about how I might use it over winter. One of the ways […]
Carnivorous Plants
Although most plants convert light energy to chemical energy by photosynthesis, not all obtain the nutrients they need through their roots. Many of those that don’t live in bogs where their roots are permanently in low-nutrient, poorly-drained soil. One adaptation in this environment is obtaining nutrients, especially nitrogen, by digesting insects that visit the plants. […]
Acmella, the Toothache plant
A lush foliage plant for a cool greenhouse Acmella makes a cascading mound of verdant foliage with almost non-stop production of cheery yellow pom-pom flower heads. Also known as the Electric Daisy, Alphabet plant, Australian cress, Para cress, Cresson du Brezil, Hoko So and Toothache plant, Acmella oleracea was originally Spilanthese acmella before moving from […]
Succulents – orderly symmetry in a pot
If there’s one plant at the height of the fashion stakes, it’s the succulent. We can’t get enough of these fleshy-leaved beauties with their intricate swirls and whorls. They’re on countless nursery stands, at all the major flower shows, and they’re found in every garden centre across the land. And rightly so, for these easy-care […]
Urban Forests and Foraging
The autumn foliage was quite something this year; the fact that along the Rockies, instead of going straight from summer to winter, we had a fine fall helped…in fact, it persists. The native grasses, especially the big bluestem; the one I grow, ‘Wind Walker’, went from steely blue to rusty red; a nearby golden yellow […]
Sweet peas, salads, and floral displays.
Sow sweet peas in a cool greenhouse for an early display next year. Soften the seed coat, by putting the seeds between two layers of kitchen towel on a dinner plate. Dampen the towel, drain off excess water, sow those that start to swell or sprout, usually after about 48 hours. Leave any others a […]
Plants Do Wheelies Between Greenhouse and Home
One of the traditional benefits of a greenhouse is to supply your home with décor—particularly cut flowers—in the off seasons. This month, I’m talking to Nicholas Staddon, a garden expert with a deep knowledge of plants, and company spokesperson for Everde Growers, a nationwide wholesale company, that features a wide assortment of plants, from trees […]
Storm warning
With increasingly wild weather the only certainty in future forecasts, greenhouse gardeners need to ready their structures for a stormy ride. Like it or not, increasingly powerful, destructive storms are now wired into the decades – centuries, unless we hit the emergency brake on carbon emissions – ahead. Everyday life, for us and for all […]
Cleaning the Greenhouse, Hoovering the Garden
Autumn in my corner of the Rocky Mountain’s Front Range arrived on the dot – October 14th – and so began the great garden clean up, starting with the windows of my ersatz Greenhouse. The space is glassed-in breezeway, but it serves a purpose adequately. But to make the most of winter’s weaker (but by […]
Growing Strawberries in Your Greenhouse
How much do you enjoy biting into a luscious, rich red strawberry? If the answer is greatly, you may want to grow your own strawberries in your greenhouse. Doing so isn’t difficult, and the results can be delectable. To get started, you need to decide what type of strawberry you want to grow. There are […]