I heard someone say recently: ‘I don’t wish to sound like a farmer, but the weather has been dreadful this year’! Whatever your profession, it has more than justified being our favourite topic of conversation. Cold, drought, heat, flooding and incessant rain have all affected our gardens, plants and morale! High rainfall has encouraged masses […]
Removing faded flowers or ‘dead heading’, (see image) is a wonderful job for a late spring day, it extends the flowering season of annuals, hanging basket plants like Pelargonium’s, herbaceous plants – even shrubs, where it’s practical and is vital for sweet peas, which stop flowering if they are allowed to produce seed. Cutting bunches […]
As predictions of ‘a worse drought than 1976’ hit the headlines, here are some water saving tips for your garden. Seven water companies in southern and eastern England – Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water, Anglia Water, Sutton and East Surrey, Veolia Central and Veolia South East – will soon be starting hosepipe bans; […]
The end of last month took us from -15 C to 15C in a matter of two weeks in parts of Britain, some gardeners I spoke to expressed surprise; others, wore that knowing, well worn look based on years of experience. I clearly remember when I was a teenager (yes, that long ago!) planting trees […]
I dread January; it is often the coldest month of the year, when snow makes its presence felt. If last year, was intent on reminding us that cold winters are not a thing of the past, it worked! (Do double check that you have wrapped your pots in hessian or bubble wrap if snow is […]
What – its December already? I can’t believe it! It seems that time passes more rapidly every year. Perhaps it’s my age – surely not; it’s just that there is so much to do and so little time! November was an extraordinary month, with bouts of unseasonal temperatures, which made it feel like spring. I […]
Now’s the time to plant garlic. The year before last, my garlic was successful and my onions were not. This year is has been the other way round! They were both planted at the same time and treated in the same way but the results are different! It is interesting how success and failure are […]
Little did I know, when writing last month’s diary, expressing my hopes for an ‘Indian Summer’, it would manifest itself in record breaking temperatures at the end of the month and 29.9C at Gravesend on the first of October! It has thrown plants into confusion, I am not alone in having fruit trees, like the […]
September is often the most settled month of the year and after this year’s erratic weather, wouldn’t it be wonderful to welcome an ‘Indian Summer’, this month, with a month of still, sunny, days? During the unsettled weather in August, I gambled on planting a mixed border, with the help of my friend, Paul, using […]
Watering becomes increasingly important during drought, which often occurs at this time of year, so here are a few tips, so your plants flourish. Check hanging baskets and containers three times a day, if possible; push your fingers into the compost, if is moist, compost crumbs stick to your fingers; if they are clean, give the […]
Diary – July 2011 Now’s your last chance to sow biennials. ‘Brompton Stocks’ and ‘Forget me Nots’ are fast growing and can be sown later and slow growing ‘Canterbury Bells’ should be planted in late spring but the remainder need sowing now. Space them out well to reduced thinning and transplant to their flowering position […]
June is still a good time to sow fast maturing vegetables in areas usually affected by late frosts, something that ‘caught out’ many gardeners last month in areas where the last frosts are generally much earlier. Spring onions, parsley and other salads that are harvested successionally should continue to be sown regularly until August, to […]
