Now anyone with a greenhouse really must have a pot or two of Lippia species. The nomenclatural botanists have fiddled with this genus, so some are also known as Aloysia, and others as Phyla, the names keep changing. However they are all closely related, mostly South American plants. Members of the verbena family they tend […]

Now here is an interesting and rewarding genus of somewhat unknown tender shrubs for the greenhouse. Whether you want an attractive foliage plant, gloriously scented flowers or to grow an unusual but useful fruit Carissa grandiflora or Natal plum (once known as Acokanthera) ticks all the boxes. Perhaps the only drawback is the spines, not […]

Greenhouse space is usually limited so we cannot fit in everything we want and must choose just those that most appeal to our needs for bloom, foliage or produce. However there’s also growing something for the sheer fun of it, allowing in plants that may be unlikely to flower, would be a poor show if […]

I doubt there’s any other tender plant so many gardeners, even really good ones, have failed to keep going. Accept a gardenia will not live long and it’s a fair price to pay for such complete loveliness. After all we do not expect a bunch of flowers to endure forever. So if we think of […]

The Marvel of Peru, the Four o clock or Tea time plant, Mirabilis jalapa was a great favourite in Victorian times but seldom known now. Which is a shame as it is one of the prettiest and most reliable performers you could try, and once got going almost bomb-proof. You see although you may occasionally […]

Just when you have learnt to spell these, they move them to Delosperma, Dorotheanthus, Carpobrotus or Lampranthus. But does it matter as these are still Mesembryanthemaceae, or are they now called Azoiceae? Anyway this huge group includes many succulent genus including the almost cacti-like Lithops, Living Stones, and the really weird finger like Dactylopsis digitata. […]

At first glance some may not think of aubergines or egg-plants as much more than novel foreign vegetables useful for bulking out tastier ingredients. And indeed the supermarket is the only way many are acquainted with these as relatively few gardeners grow them. Closely related to tomatoes, peppers and potatoes these solanum fruits were long […]

You may know of the giant water lily, Victoria regia /amazonica. The remarkably rigid structure of the leaves with their upturned rims and interlaced ribs makes these stiff enough to support a child. They gave Paxton his idea for the iron framework of the Crystal Palace. Unfortunately apart from needing more than considerable warmth this […]

I guess many of us started our interest in gardening with cacti. Despite their obvious drawback of really nasty spines they are so often given to children as first plants. I guess because it’s thought, quite rightly, that these don’t quickly die of neglect. However you can kill them with kindness- too much watering or […]

There are few other flowering plants that will give you such an impact over so many weeks and even many months as a selection of tender Fuschias. Although these can be moved outside for the summer come autumn they need to be brought under cover and it is then that they prove their worth. With […]

I doubt there is any plant ornamental or productive that has had as meteoric rise in popular culture as the hot or chilli pepper. A decade ago few gardeners grew peppers of any sort.