Spring has been one of the best for years, after several mild winters when plants couldn’t decide whether to be dormant or grow, they’ve responded to a cold rest and sunshine by blooming beautifully, so our spring has been filled with flowers. One interesting feature has been the constant cold winds, which have been present […]

Twice a year I march out into the garden with a scrubbing brush, cloth and bucket of warm water to clean the grime from the frame and panes of my greenhouse, it’s essential for good plant growth and seed germination but an arduous task that I hate as much as pot washing, as I always […]

During last month’s sunny weather I replanted my collection of cordon gooseberries, that had been lifted when new paths were laid around the raised beds and greenhouse, now all they need is to be tied in to a support. They will welcome the improved soil and with plenty of TLC should re-establish rapidly when the […]

Here’s an urgent reminder to anyone reading my diary early in the month. March is at the extreme end of the planting season for bare rooted trees and shrubs – field grown plants that are not sold in containers. They are traditionally planted between leaf fall and bud burst so when the weather starts to […]

This winter is like the winters of old and is the coldest for over ten yars, with snow and chilling winds. It will be interesting to discover how many of the plants that have overwintered over the past few milder years, still survive. Unfortunately, the thermostat on my greenhouse heater failed during one of the […]

The only way to get through January, is to think of spring! Those long dark days and evening are the ideal ‘Preparation Time’ for warmer days ahead, it’s a chance to browse through seed catalogues or websites and order anything from an ever increasing choice of new vegetable varieties so you are ready for seed […]

The wonderful display of lush leaves from my Canna’s this year has now been frosted and now the foliage has been cut back and composted, the rhizomes will be stored in their pots in my frost free greenhouse. This once popular ‘exotic’ plant has been blighted by the arrival of a virus, reducing their vigour […]

October is peak time for apple picking in my garden – most of the twenty four varieties growing as easy to manage cordons are ready by then. Harvesting is easy, ‘lift and twist’ gently and the fruit should detach, if not try another day. It’s a leisurely and therapeutic operation, pop five fruits in a […]

It is always great to have an early Autumn surprise in the garden, particularly after the second dreadful summer in succession. Those who still talk of water shortages and the need for ‘dry’ gardens to counter the predicted hot dry summers should surely reconsider their views as global warming seems to be going to extemes […]

I have found symptoms of American Gooseberry mildew, a form of powdery mildew on one of my gooseberry plants, as there is a purple bronze tint to the leaves. It is one of many forms of this disease that can be a problem in summer, on a range of plants. The upper leaf surfaces are […]

A warm spell, followed by several days of unpredictable wet, cold weather with four seasons in one day is typical of March and has left the soil in most parts of the country cold and waterlogged. Seeds only germinate when the soil is warm and moist; sow too early, even if it is the suggested […]