Imagine if we could bottle or preserve the spirit of summer and then return to it in the depths of winter, when we yearn for its presence. It’s not just about the taste and flavour of summer raised ingredients, though that in itself will lift your spirits. There is also the flavour of fragrance. A […]
The greenhouse is full to bursting at the moment with tomatoes coming into fruit, peppers still thinking about making fruits but looking very happy and healthy as they do, as well as a couple of cucumbers, a melon and lots of basil plants, created from buying one supermarket pot and splitting it, to make a […]
Once tomatoes have set their fourth or fifth truss of fruit, cut off the main stem one leaf above the terminal truss, so the moisture and nutrients are focussed on swelling and ripening the fruit. Tap the open flowers around mid-day when the pollen is dry to encourage further pollination and tie the stems to […]
Let’s face it, a real joy of gardening comes from buying plants. However, consider taking cuttings from tried-and-true plants in your own garden or greenhouse. It’s a game of numbers. This replication allows you to design with large drifts of the same plant, or repeat certain plants in various containers in order to visually unite […]
HARTLEY BOTANIC SHARES ITS GREENHOUSE INSPIRATION FOR GROWING WITH CHILDREN You may be sharing the load when it comes to looking after young grandchildren this summer, and with at least three weeks left to fill, Hartley Botanic has shared some Greenhouse growing ideas and inspiration to both keep them entertained and instill a love of […]
Dahlias have become a very popular flower to grow in home gardens, but in New England the season for them is normally quite short. It’s best to plant dahlia tubers outdoors when the ground temperature is above 55oF (12oC), which for me in Rhode Island means not until late May or early June. So if […]
Paging through the annals of Hartley Botanic’s online magazine, I came upon the headline from a piece published nearly two decades ago, titled “Use winter to read up on gardening and greenhouse techniques”. It’s not an exhaustive piece of garden know-how but is a guide back in time to a couple of worthwhile books by […]
It’s one of the joys of having your own greenhouse. You can use it to propagate your own plants. You might think it’s all about saving money and, in these straitened times, that’s a definite consideration. However, raising plants from cuttings is far more than a financial matter. There’s a certain excitement and satisfaction to […]
HARTLEY BOTANIC RETURNS TO RHS TATTON PARK WITH A ‘FEEL GOOD’-THEMED TRADESTAND, SHOWCASING THE WELLBEING BENEFITS OF ‘GROW YOUR OWN’ Hartley Botanic, England’s most historic and respected Glasshouse and Greenhouse manufacturer has revealed details of its 2023 RHS Flower Show Tatton Park tradestand. The ‘Feel Good’ by Hartley Botanic tradestand will display four of the […]
Even in the 2020s, gardeners could still depend on a familiar seasonal cycle. In today’s altered world, gardeners’ – and nature’s – ingenuity is needed more than ever. ‘Sprummer?’ Kris squinted at the endless blue sky. ‘So what you’re saying is…’ ‘That there’s no difference between spring and summer now, no matter what the old […]
If you didn’t manage to get your vegetable seeds sown in the greenhouse earlier in the year, you can still fill your veg beds for summer. Go into any garden centre now and you will find rows and rows of small vegetable plants, ready to plant straight out. These little plants are a great resource […]
As June unravels in our garden world, the weather, as always shapes our gardens and our greenhouses Keeping new plants alive in hot weather can be a challenge. Don’t let the dry spell cost you in terms of water or lost plants. There are so many ways to make the water you use in the […]
