Earth-friendly gardeners are committed to composting all organic matter – so why not extend the principle to our own remains? An innovative ‘deathcare’ project in Seattle is developing a better way for gardeners to go. Of all the things that please me about my modest home, the one I take most delight in is the […]
Like every man-made structure, a greenhouse has an embedded ecological cost – the inspiring difference being that with a greenhouse, you get the chance to clear the debt. These days nudging each side of the spring equinox – when day and night match each other in length – are for me among gardening’s headiest. March’s […]
There is an easier middle way between the effort of traditional composting and the specialised requirements of a wormery: invite the worms into your regular bin, and let them do the work. Of all the ongoing experiments and trials in my garden, the longest-running, most revealing and ultimately most fruitful are those around compost-making. I’m […]
If reason and persuasion don’t work, we need to start hitting the less ethical elements of the gardening industry where it hurts: below the profit margin. Yes, you read that right: it’s time for us to start revolting. Unless you subscribe to the against-the-clock, TV makeover, artificial, fashion-fickle version of gardening, you’ll know that it’s […]
Forget Black Friday – green is the new black, if you’re a gardener. As someone who hasn’t owned a television for countless moons, I find that the snatches I do catch on others’ sets often make for painful viewing – and I’m not just talking about the toe-curling goings-on of gardening shopping channels. Seductive as […]
Dumbing down the National Pollinator Strategy is unlikely to inspire gardeners to take their vital role seriously – so it’s hardly going to help the bees. My job, as an independent gardening writer, is not just to tap out occasionally colourful, hopefully informative, possibly thought-prodding and – dare I say it – sometimes witty prose […]
Bulbs are packed with promise, heralding the return of the light. Choose organic bulbs and earth-friendly growing methods, and that sense of hope can embrace the natural world. After being shoved, protesting, into winter by the turning back of the clocks, we gardeners need an antidote to our enforced cutback on daytime pottering. We need […]
Canny gardeners don’t leave leaves lying – this autumn windfall matures into gardening gold. There’s one turning of the seasons which arrives here with a right old clatter. After a cold jolt in August, most gardeners have been teased throughout September with only vague hints of impending autumn. In my garden, warm, balmy days and […]
The RHS Award of Garden Merit is under review – so perhaps we should take the opportunity to raise the bar on what we mean by ‘merit’. A recent episode of ‘Gardeners’ Question Time‘ (GQT) on Radio Four aired one of the most mind-numbing segments I’ve heard in a while. Although it was some relief from […]
If you cultivate an enlightened attitude to wild plants instead of trying to eradicate them, your garden can share in their success. Put ‘kill dandelions’ into a search engine and up flash nigh on half a million ‘hits’. A good chunk of these include advice on exterminating dandelions using chemical weedkillers (especially the worldwide pollutant […]
“A Buzzing Hotel that helps the environment” Here at Hartley Botanic, we know how important it is to look after the animals and insects that are found within our gardens. Working in conjunction with John Walker the expert in earth-friendly gardening we developed this fun guide to help you create the most important hotel for […]
Back in the 21st century, food security was taken out of our hands, and all but destroyed. But our keepers haven’t just saved seeds and knowledge – they’ve saved hope. As he peered over the edge, Noah’s long golden curls floated on a warm, skyward breeze smelling all at once of cabbages, beans and onions. […]
