Imagine garnishing a home-made pizza, roasted vegetables or meatballs with your own home grown herbs. Herb growing is one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening. They look, smell and taste great and are easy and fun to grow, so why wouldn’t you give them a go?
Begonia ‘Nonstop’ really are a favourite amongst bedding plants. Big blooms, vibrant colours and wonderfully textural foliage, but growing and raising your own from seed can be a challenge, so it’s best to buy them as plants. As their name suggests they really do flower nonstop, at least from April through to the first frosts and that alone should earn them a place in your garden. With just a little care you can produce astonishing displays this season.
What is an Alpine?
Alpine plants, or rock garden plants, are all grouped by the habitat in which they are found growing in the wild; this being above the tree line and below the permanent line of snow. Of course the altitude of these habitats can vary hugely from near sea level in areas such as the arctic and as high as 6,000 feet above sea level in mountainous regions. Alpines are often found growing in crevices of rocky landscapes and in remote places but are perfectly happy growing in a variety of environments such as meadows and even woodlands, which is one reason they have become a popular garden plant in the UK. So in simple terms an alpine is a hardy and compact, perennial which often, but not always, originates from high altitude and rocky environments.
Now that March is well under way things really start to heat up on the veg plot and it can be a very exhilarating, albeit frantic time of the year. Now is the perfect time to really get your teeth into sowing, both indoor and outdoor for some varieties, although regularly check the weather for adverse conditions. Continue reading
Strawberries are one of the nation’s favourite soft fruit both in terms of eating and growing. Their popularity stems from ease of cultivation and maximum reward. Strawberries are a great crop for first time gardeners or those of you who have little or no space; they don’t require an actual garden or plot because they can be grown in containers and in fact do very well from it. Continue reading
The Daffodil is synonymous with Spring and is one of the most popular bulbs in the UK. Who can blame us? They are attractive, versatile and come in numerous types (known as divisions) with varying colours and heights; from 3in to 2ft. In total there around 25,000 cultivars in 13 divisions so there’s plenty to choose from. Continue reading
Believe it or not but producing a spectacular display of roses is simple. There are a few tricks of the trade that will help you create professional blooms that will astound your friends, family, neighbours and passers-by. With minimal care and consideration, you can coax your roses to bloom for months on end, here’s how… Continue reading
Thou beauteous child of purity and grace,
What element could yield so fair a birth?
Defilement bore me – my abiding place
Was mid the foul clods of polluted earth.
But light looked on me from a holier sphere,
To draw me heavenward – then I rose and shone;
And can I vainly to thine eye appear,
Thou dust-born gazer? make the type thine own.
From thy dark dwelling look thou forth, and see
The purer beams that brings a lovelier change for thee.
The White Camellia Japonica
Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna 1834 Continue reading
It’s fair to say that gardeners are fanatical about collections and you only have to look at the many plant collections around the country to understand our obsession. When it comes to obsessions Bonsai tops the rankings, partly due to Mr Miyagi in The Karate Kid but mainly because of the tranquillity they add to our homes and the joy we get from caring for them.
Is there any wonder why Hellebores are one of the UKs favourite winter flowering plants? They make a fantastic asset to a woodland style garden and complement numerous other early season border plants. A must have plant for a winter garden.
