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 […]
Although it is May and the garden centre is awash with beautiful bedding, it’s better to resist the temptation to buy until you are certain that the last frost has past – particularly after the erratic spring we’ve just experienced – if you live in a ‘frost pocket’ or northern parts of Britain. Suppliers make […]
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 […]
Beetroot is an excellent vegetable which is packed with goodness, so it’s always worth sowing a few. Sow just enough for your needs at monthly intervals for a constant supply. The first sowings can be made under cloches in early March, providing soil temperatures are not below 7C (44F) for harvest in late May or […]
The arrival of February is a reminder that spring is just one step closer, it quickens the heartbeat, brightens the spirit and sends gardeners running to the greenhouse to start the seed sowing season. Plants like peppers, chillies and aubergines which need a long growing season, up to five months to mature should be sown […]
Once we’ve passed the shortest day and January rumbles slowly on towards spring, life is filled with a twinkling sense of optimism in the knowledge that the grey days are numbered and within weeks we will be seed sowing and working contentedly in a garden bathed in warm spring sunshine. At this time of the […]
December began with strong winds and heavy rain, setting the tone for the start of another potentially mild, wet winter. It blew all of the remaining leaves from the ‘Silver Birch’ in my garden and has concentrated them all to one side of the garden, alongside those that have already fallen, making them easier to […]
Over the past few years there has been a major resurgence of interest in vegetable growing on as people discover the joys and health benefits of home grown food for the table but you can add more interest to your ‘five portions a day’ by growing apples or pears. Forget any ideas of giant unmanageable […]
At the beginning of the month, I was privileged to give the annual Percy Picton Memorial lecture at Colwall gardening club, the timing was perfect for a visit to the Old Court Nursery and Picton Gardens, home to the National Collection of Asters. Ernest Ballard of Colwall near Malvern, a chemist in the family cider […]
