All gardening makes life better in the here and now – but when you plant trees, you’re also growing a better future. Nowadays, amid the wonder, awe and gratitude I feel whenever I gaze upon trees, lurks something else: an odd feeling of sadness. This has nothing to do with how a particular tree might […]
Forest bathing, or taking an aware walk in the woods, has become popular for its health benefits—it’s known to lower blood pressure and boost immunity. The name is a literal translation of the Japanese term shinrin-yaku, or taking in the forest atmosphere. Last weekend I had a chance to go on a guided forest-bathing walk […]
Heat extremes, aka the Heat Dome, such as we’ve been experiencing this past month is not something any gardener would wish to entertain again. Weather conditions are always the no.1 topic of conversations having to do with horticulture, and, clearly, I’m no exception to this rule. Not only have the plants not tended within the […]
Many vegetables in the garden are now ready to be picked, most notably garlic and onions. Some of the potato plants are also ready for harvest. If you grow as I do, in four-foot (1.2m) wide beds rather than in rows, removing plants from the garden leaves large open spaces. For example, I planted garlic […]
Can I grow lemons in my greenhouse? If you want fresh lemons for your summer drinks maybe it’s time to grow a lemon tree in your greenhouse? Growing things to eat is one of the greatest pleasures of gardening and indeed owning a glasshouse. Growing high value ingredients is possibly the number one rule. Add […]
British summertime seems to have reverted to the normal state of play because it’s wet and not that warm. Wimbledon was a washout, for the first time in many years. The rowers at Henley Regatta were wet before they entered the somewhat polluted water and staycation holiday makers can be seen dodging the puddles. I’m […]
It was such a slow spring for the vegetable plants that I started in the greenhouse this year, but harvest time has finally begun! There are now finally enough crops coming to make a good salad each day – and that will do for now. The spring started off so very wet that in truth […]
‘Simple Elegance – A Traditional English Garden’ Hartley Botanic, as England’s most historic and respected Glasshouse and Greenhouse manufacturer, took our award-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show tradestand – ‘Simple Elegance – A Traditional English Garden’ – to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, with a smaller, more accessible design gardeners could recreate at home. […]
At last temperatures have risen and there’s been some sunshine. Keep twining cucumber stems round their supports and cut back the side shoots two leaves beyond the flowers and fruits, as they grow. Increased air movement, keeping the foliage dry, plants well-watered at the base and mulching all combine to reduce chances of powdery mildew […]
An unlikely plant to encounter in a greenhouse has been Kale. Completely hardy, Kale’s effectively a cabbage but tougher, eventually a large plant several feet tall. Seldom eaten save as a deep-winter vegetable the leaves have seen increasing demand year round by health seekers for super-nutritious smoothies. It’s quite feasible to grow Kale plants to […]
