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Growing Dahlias – Why have I never grown Dahlias before?
I think the main reason I’ve never grown dahlias before, is because they are a tender plant. Meaning, they more than likely wouldn’t survive the low temperatures out in the border. Once the foliage has all died down, you need to lift the tubers out of the ground, dry them out and put them somewhere frost free for the winter. To me this is a bit of a faff. As far as the ornamental side of the garden goes I prefer hardy perennials, bulbs, and shrubs. Things that once planted, just look after themselves. The other reason I was put off dahlias was thinking of them as a show plant.…
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Am I turning into a Flower Arranger?
I suppose flower arranging has always gone hand in hand with gardening, but it’s just not something I’ve ever bothered with. I’ve never picked flowers from my own garden to bring into the house, preferring to see them growing naturally outside. Obviously I do my best when someone has bought me a bunch of flowers, I do like to see them arranged nicely. It’s possible that because my mum went to flower arranging classes years ago, and would come home with some spectacular but very formal displays, it put me off. My mum is exceptionally talented and can turn her hand to anything practical and artistic. She definitely brought me…
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Longest Day, Midsummer’s Day & Summer Solstice
As we left all of the Summer Solstice celebrations behind last week, we appear to have left the mini heatwave behind too. It has been lovely having some proper summer weather, allowing us to get outside more. As usual it broke before the weekend which is a shame for all the workers. Although as a gardener I’ve almost been doing a rain-dance, as the garden’s got drier and drier! It’s been crying out for a drink and watering had become a daily job. Even plants in the border were wilting and in need of an occasional soaking. The pond was also getting really low and as I’d put two new…
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Now for something completely different – The Purple Potato Project
My first early purple potatoes are ready! I wasn’t going to grow potatoes this year, as we really don’t eat very many, but when I saw the Purple Potato Project, I couldn’t resist! As I’ve said before, I am drawn to something a bit different, and I already grow so many other purple veg. They don’t actually taste any different, but they are better for you, with antioxidants in. The particular antioxidant they have is anthocyanin – known for its positive health benefits. It is purported to reduce inflammation and protect you from conditions like cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Anthocyanin is also found in red cabbage…
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The Madness of May!
May is the month when the garden seems to explode. Not only do new flowers appear everyday, but more appear during the day! When I go and open the greenhouse every morning, I have a mooch around. By the time I’m out there at lunchtime, more flowers have opened. The growing rate at this time of year is incredible! I keep toying with putting a time-lapse camera on the tomato plants. They seem to grow from hour to hour! The Edible Garden Crops we are already eating Breakfast has been zinged up now with the start of the rhubarb harvest. We simply stew it in it’s own juices, then eat…
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Sciatica Makes For A Frustrated Gardener!
I need an apprentice! This has to be the busiest time of the year in the garden. Unfortunately I am still struggling with sciatica. So I can safely say this is the most frustrating spring of my gardening life! There is a reasonably famous garden, blogger Dan Cooper, he calls himself ‘The Frustrated Gardener’. If he hadn’t have already used the name, I’d be pinching it! I’ve been comparing this time in my head to lockdown, stuck at home for weeks on end. However lockdown physically for me was good, beautiful weather, no bad back and all the time in the world to garden! On the other hand mentally it…
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Garden Diary – Wake up & smell the roses
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Catching-up with the White Garden – Part 1
Five years on from the first flowers being planted. The white garden is now needing a bit of a sort out. As with any new garden, or just new border, some things work out and some things don’t! You need to give plants a few seasons to see if they settle. Some plants need to put their roots down before they start to grow properly. This usually means after a couple of years of underperforming, I have a stern talk to them. It goes a bit like, “ok, one more year, if you don’t do anything between now and then, you’re out!” I’d say eight times out of ten, it…
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Early Spring 2022 – Let’s get back to the flowers!
Early spring is a wonderful time of year. It starts slowly with the snowdrops and hellebores. Incredibly the hellebores are still going strong, after all these weeks. Then the first of the crocus come out to join them. Suddenly, you can hardly keep up with things popping up, here there and everywhere. You notice the first odd flower on the primulas. It feels like the next time you look they’re covered in bright little yellow flowers. On a sunny day as you walk down the garden, you smell the hyacinths before you see them. Of course the bees have already found them. It’s so important to have nectar rich flowers…
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When’s the most exciting time in the garden?
Just like I constantly change my mind on which is my favourite flower in the garden. Depending on which ones are flowering at that moment! Deciding when the most exciting time in the garden is, changes continuously throughout the year! Tomatoes. Is the best sowing, planting, nurturing or eating? Take right now, as I start to sow my tomato seeds. This feels like the most exciting job. Especially having done very little gardening since the autumn. I simply can’t wait for the gardening year to begin! Tapping out those tiny little seeds into your hand, and placing them carefully on the compost. It’s a lovely job that I can’t wait…
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The Annual Holly Hedge Trim
We shouldn’t complain about this prickly annual job really, as the largest circumference of the garden is walled. But cutting the 80ft long 8ft high holly hedge isn’t our favourite gardening job! It’s supposed to be cut in November. But these days the weather just isn’t cold enough, to cause the perennials planted under the hedge to die back. Meaning we only have a small window of opportunity, between the perennials dying and the bulbs coming up. This now seems to be December most years, but this winter has been particularly mild. Even Harry, our resident hedgehog was confused, and was still bobbing around at the end of December. Obviously…
