Studying natural history may open young minds – but if it’s to win their hearts, they need the chance to get their hands dirty. A huge, positive and potentially generation-shaping shift is underway in the world of education: there’s to be a new GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) in natural history. Students study for […]

There are all sorts of good reasons to be happy about living in Colorado: sunny, warm, hardly-humid-at-all days fade into sweater-weather evenings. Of course, there’s the rainfall shortage, low-snowpack contributing to a scary wildfire season. But, hey…rough with the smooth, right? As a fervent gardener, one is used to that scenario. And as the (many) […]

There are so many great reasons to feed our plants naturally says Jean Vernon. The cost of everything is rising. Don’t let the rising price of fertilisers affect your plants and gardens. Instead use natural and low-cost alternatives to get the results you want. Plants make their own food in their leaves using sunlight and […]

This is the moment in the greenhouse – with warmer nights finally arriving, the soil temperature rising, the light long and generous – when basil stops being a struggle and becomes worth growing. Even if you haven’t started yours yet you can get it underway in June and you’ll be cutting handfuls of the stuff […]

A gloriously sunny late-May, with record temperatures, has turned into something of a damp squib with June’s arrival. Not that I’m complaining, for 30C in May and no rain means one thing – watering, more watering and yet more watering. The roses and peonies haven’t minded the hot, dry weather one bit, but everything’s flowered […]

A once much loved conservatory and cool greenhouse plant this is long overdue for a comeback. Though the Latin name has always been a hindrance as near comical and an unwelcome challenge in any spelling contest- Antirrhinum. This Snapdragon, A. majus, is surprisingly a native and one of our most gorgeous though seldom seen in […]

Fill your watering cans with water and allow them to stand in the greenhouse for at least 24 hours to warm before watering your plants. You may need to water two or three times while the weather is hot especially if you are behind on your potting on and large plants are in small pots. […]

I am the proud owner of two Hartley greenhouses, one heated and one unheated. I have a problem, Houston! They’re just not big enough at this time of year for all the things I want to grow. By early May they’re both groaning under the weight of dahlias, tomatoes, pelargoniums, countless annuals, sweetcorn, peppers and […]

Isn’t it confusing? We all love the garden birds and wish them no harm. But feeding them seems to be causing problems. So, what do we do to keep the garden birds safe? Everyone loves garden birds. We stop and listen to their melodious songs, we watch their funny antics around the garden and we […]

Compost, leaf mould, bracken, wood chips, even grit… it’s time to sieve your way to gardening gold. Blackcaps are serenading overhead. Spring sun warms my cheeks. A cool, light breeze gets the bluebells shimmying – and I’m joining them. My arms and upper body are moving to a steady, repeating motion, left-right, left-right, as I […]

My greenhouse in May feels like it is buzzing with potential, the warm, humid air, the trays of seedlings stretching towards the light. This May has felt a little different. There are still trays of seedlings but it has been so cold of late that there isn’t the feeling that everything is bursting to get […]

Purple Passion is a striking greenhouse soft shrub, the reddish violet colour alone makes it stand out. As you look more closely you notice amazing furriness on every part. As soft and hairy as Lamb’s Quarters (Stachys) in the open garden, similarly gentle under the fingers. Indeed a tactile plant you are driven to touch […]