I started mine off reasonably early in the year, and moved them to the greenhouse at the right time, but they just haven’t come to much. They are very definitely alive but not particularly thriving and certainly not looking like they are going to produce any fruit any time soon. On holiday a couple of […]
Now anyone with a greenhouse really must have a pot or two of Lippia species. The nomenclatural botanists have fiddled with this genus, so some are also known as Aloysia, and others as Phyla, the names keep changing. However they are all closely related, mostly South American plants. Members of the verbena family they tend […]
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 […]
A while ago I wrote here about planting potatoes in big pots in the greenhouse. Well they grew like the wind, seven (or so) times faster than those in the ground, filling the greenhouse with big, leafy growth. I decided the other day it was time to try eating some, and I plundered the container […]
The fascinating heliquarium, or butterfly house, in the lobby of England’s newest luxury hotel prepares the visitor for the unexpected. London Syon Park, a Waldorf Astoria hotel set in the two hundred acre Syon House estate which has been home to the Duke of Northumberland for over 400 years, is no ordinary five star experience: […]
Owning a glasshouse is likely to feature at the top of any gardener’s wish list. Whatever the structure, from simple aluminium frame to the most luxuriously crafted designs, most of us would love the opportunity to garden under glass. It promises a world of new and exciting horticultural opportunties, where you can try out new […]
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 […]
Now here is an interesting and rewarding genus of somewhat unknown tender shrubs for the greenhouse. Whether you want an attractive foliage plant, gloriously scented flowers or to grow an unusual but useful fruit Carissa grandiflora or Natal plum (once known as Acokanthera) ticks all the boxes. Perhaps the only drawback is the spines, not […]
Cucumber Feast If ever there was a good reason to grow your own, this has to be it. An outbreak of E coli that has affected dozens of people has been blamed on cucumbers. The jury is still out as to the source of the infection but the scare has left a question mark over […]
Glasshouse garden’ inspires beginners and experts alike Compact versions of the grand estate glasshouses to be found at Kew, Hampton Court Palace and various RHS gardens are being unveiled by Hartley Botanic at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show (May 23-28) in a bid to appeal to amateur gardeners of differing skill levels. Their courtyard ‘glasshouse […]
In autumn everyone lines their greenhouses with bubblewrap to keep the warmth in. Then, once that has served its purpose, about now, everyone takes it all off again. But then it gets a bit hot and bright in the greenhouse so we all get up a ladder and paint it with shading paint, which then […]
I hate – almost to the point of wanting to stop growing them – tomato seedlings that have been in the house too long. Every time you water them the water spills out all over the windowsills (it’s gloss paint so it’s almost a waterproof tray, right) and it’s enough of a faff dashing to […]
