Replacing an existing lawn with a plastic carpet is a bit like taking out your kitchen and putting in pretend appliances that look the part but don’t work? And maybe go on to create havoc or worse inside your home? Or Like buying a car without an engine and parking it on the drive because […]

Now that the greenhouse has been emptied of the mass of soft green growth that fills it over summer – mainly tomatoes, which are now thoroughly over, those many that didn’t ripen sitting preserved in chutney in the cupboard – I can think about how I might use it over winter. One of the ways […]

A lush foliage plant for a cool greenhouse Acmella makes a cascading mound of verdant foliage with almost non-stop production of cheery yellow pom-pom flower heads. Also known as the Electric Daisy, Alphabet plant, Australian cress, Para cress, Cresson du Brezil, Hoko So and Toothache plant, Acmella oleracea was originally Spilanthese acmella before moving from […]

If there’s one plant at the height of the fashion stakes, it’s the succulent. We can’t get enough of these fleshy-leaved beauties with their intricate swirls and whorls. They’re on countless nursery stands, at all the major flower shows, and they’re found in every garden centre across the land. And rightly so, for these easy-care […]

Sow sweet peas in a cool greenhouse for an early display next year. Soften the seed coat, by putting the seeds between two layers of kitchen towel on a dinner plate. Dampen the towel, drain off excess water, sow those that start to swell or sprout, usually after about 48 hours. Leave any others a […]

With increasingly wild weather the only certainty in future forecasts, greenhouse gardeners need to ready their structures for a stormy ride. Like it or not, increasingly powerful, destructive storms are now wired into the decades – centuries, unless we hit the emergency brake on carbon emissions – ahead. Everyday life, for us and for all […]

It is becoming hard to ignore the fact that my tender plants need to go back inside the greenhouse. It has been a mild autumn so far, and the temptation to leave them outside is huge. They look so nice, and are still mixed up with the houseplants too, which have been outside for a […]

More trees please! Why it’s time to make trees the new fashion icon of gardening. Trees matter and old trees are simply the best The devastating felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree in Northumberland has focused attention on trees. And that is a good thing. Trees are absolutely vital. And trees are beautiful too.   […]

I think I can say that this year has been the most difficult gardening year I’ve ever known. And I’ve known a lot! Temperatures fell a full ten degrees at the beginning of the year, following an exceptionally mild spell and lots of plants were caught out and subsequently perished. Penstemons and echinaceas were my […]

If you wish to enjoy the most tasty Edamame beans simply grow some in your greenhouse so you can pick these really fresh. Edamame are green beans, steamed and podded hot or cold they’re gourmet delights very popular in Japanese cuisine. They’re also nutritionally rich in Vitamin C & K, Elements Ca, Fe, Mg, P, […]

It is interesting how different each year can be. In 2023, I had no problems with red spider mite, whitefly, or blossom end rot on the tomatoes; I cannot recall when that last happened, or if it has ever happened at all. It is down to a cool summer where temperatures have been warm enough […]

Compost fodder, plant support, greenhouse shading, mulching material, soil enricher, winter fuel, garden screen, wildlife haven… there’s no end to the potential of the versatile willow. Our first stormy autumn night didn’t disappoint: warm, lashing rain, high, cottage-shaking winds and two mini power cuts – then a proper time-for-bed blackout. My head torch-illuminated check outdoors […]