New to gardening? Don’t grow tomatoes, says Jean Vernon There I’ve said it. Don’t grow tomatoes if you are starting out. They are not for beginners. They might be one of the most popular seeds and plants to grow, as I keep being told by industry manufacturers and suppliers, but I honestly don’t think we […]
Now’s the time to capitalise on the current warm spell before the onset of autumn, and a chance to get into the garden and enjoy the sunshine. Wherever a plant goes, the label goes too, so check that tender plants in borders like Cannas and Dahlia’s still have their labels, so you know what to […]
‘Keep quiet and grow on’ simply isn’t tenable any longer. What we do in our gardens does make a difference to climate change – for better or for worse. It needs a snappier name for sure, but Gardening and Climate Change Day might be just what we need to snap us out of the comatose […]
A frost free greenhouse that stays cool all summer is perfect for this exotically perfumed climber. Indeed this is excellent run along high wires in a shady greenhouse or conservatory as this will seldom get too hot and there will be enough light next to the glass. Mandevilla suaveolens is a tender deciduous climber from […]
There have been few times the greenhouse has looked scruffier. This year I have grown a couple of tomatoes and aubergines in there, rather than transferring everything to the polytunnel, and it is true that these few lonely plants are still ripening up their fruits and looking green and healthy. But the rest of the […]
Having a lovely greenhouse may not have worked out quite the way I’d like. As you may know ( from previous griping) the Best Beloved has filled it with edibles – sweet peppers, tomatoes and aubergines mainly. However I do manage to reclaim some space for my twenty or so nerines and they produce spectacular […]
Happy in a cool greenhouse Maidenhair ferns, Adiantums, have the reputation of being easy to kill as a houseplant. They just do not like hot dry conditions. Indeed they’re most satisfied in a Wardian case, or even a bottle. Still a cool greenhouse is good and set in dappled shade amongst other plants they usefully […]
There are many reasons we grow our own food. There’s nothing better than the living larder that the garden and greenhouse creates. For me it’s a reality check. While pretty much everyone relies on supermarkets for some of their shopping, being able to not only supplement the weekly shop with some really fresh and tasty […]
September is traditionally the month of lawn maintenance, helping the grass to recover from summer and prepare for winter. Rake out the dead grass and moss (collectively known as ‘thatch’) that has accumulated over the mowing season with a wire rake. On larger lawns, hire a scarifier sharing the cost and use with friends or […]
There’s an effective response to the savage treatment of roadside verges by local authorities: say it with flowers. Revenge, the saying goes, is a dish best served cold. I’m not the only gardener to have looked on aghast at the treatment that’s been meted out to the wild flowers (not to mention the wildlife) along […]
I count an excess of basil as one of the real luxuries of owning a greenhouse. I was never able to produce much of it before, but now I have it in aromatic abundance. Outdoors it always struggled for me, and created a meagre, sickly crop that I would have to eke out with a […]
Over the years I’ve trailed and tested a whole raft of garden gadgets and equipment; there are literally hundreds of tools and accessories for every garden task. Take watering for example. The first tool for garden watering is a good watering can. I’m a big fan of watering cans because they make you think about […]
