Now I must admit these are not the most attractive nor compact of plants however the Physalis family are exceptionally valuable subjects for growing under cover. Closely related to tomatoes but never suffering any of their problems these are surprisingly easy to cultivate and one can even substitute for a tomato crop. The best known […]
Even the smallest greenhouse can benefit from a couple of chilli pepper plants. Two plants will provide enough spice and flavour for a small family for the rest of the season, though if you are hooked on the buzz this crop creates in the kitchen you may want to grow a few more. Each plant […]
Despite a few sunny days and the welcome appearance of daffodils and early bulbs, it is still very cold. Eighteen inches of snow in Northern Scotland on 31st March as the month ‘goes out like a lion’ and the latest spring in 30 years, confirms a slow start to the gardening year. With the ongoing […]
I have my potatoes chitting in the greenhouse, ready to go out on Good Friday (the traditional day to plant spuds, this year 2nd April). My husband is feeling very pleased with himself because he managed to find a variety called ‘Record’ which a potato expert in Aberdeen once told him was THE very best […]
Nothing surpasses the flavour of home grown tomatoes, and with hundreds of different varieties available to grow from seed, you can indulge a desire to grow just about any type you fancy. Greenhouse tomatoes can be sown as early as January but to do this you need to provide warmth and keep them totally frost […]
What an old fashioned winter, it‘s been! Old country lore is that it‘s ‘February fill dyke‘, but it‘s not just the rain that‘s done the damage, the melted snow has turned the whole garden into a sodden puddle of clay and filled nearby ditches as well! The grass around my fruit trees is waterlogged, the […]
Now this is one of the finest conservatory and warm greenhouse plants you can grow. It is not quite, but almost, hardy in some varieties. Well it will survive a single short snap, but will expire if kept too cold for long. However it does not need much heat and it’s easy to grow replacements […]
I have a beautiful shrub in my front garden which is admired by all who see it in flower. So much so, that when it’s in full swing in May, I put a large name label on it so that people can read what it is, which at least stops some of them from knocking […]
A belated happy 2010 to all visitors to this site. I’ve been off air for a couple of months, taking care of family life, and, in this last week, before the Siberian winds set in, preparing the soil on the allotment for the warmer weather to come. A strange thing always happens to me at […]
Angels trumpets, or Angel Strumpets as someone punned, are spectacular, and easy. Once known as Datura now some are reclassified as Brugmansia which is not appealing and rebelliously many still prefer Datura. The most commonly grown form, D. suavolens, has huge lily like white trumpets with the fantastic scent most marked in the evening. There […]
This cold winter has been a shock and I wouldn’t be surpised if there’s yet more snow to come. Even now there is some lying in a large patch behind a nearby hedge reminding me of the old country saying that if the snow lies more will come to take it away. The meltwater soaking […]
With the nights drawing out very noticeably and a slight rise in temperature the garden is starting to come alive. Spring really is only a few weeks away. In the greenhouse the plants are starting to sprout into life. Cuttings over-wintered in the shelter of the glasshouse have rooted and are ready to plant out. […]
