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• Landscaping
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The National Gardens Scheme

The National Gardens Scheme (NGS) is one of those great British institutions like fish and chips, cricket, morris dancing, Victoria sponge and Alan Titchmarsh. The idea of spending the weekend wandering around other people's gardens appeals to us on so many levels. It satisfies an inquisitiveness; it allows us to compare our gardens to others; it gives us the chance to admire great design and plantsmanship; it is a chance to eat excellent cake in convivial surroundings and to pick up something unusual and interesting at a plant stall. For the owners it is the opportunity to show off all… Continue reading

Growing giant sunflowers – planting out

Last month, we challenged you to break the World Record for growing the tallest sunflower. Free seeds of 'Russian Giant' were given out with the April issue of Gardeners' World magazine, and many of youemailed us to register your interest in taking part. We allsowed our seeds, watered, tended and waited.

Now, in late May, we should all have good, strong sunflowers, ready to plant out (depending on where we live). Mine have been outside in pots for about three weeks now, but I only planted them in their final positions last weekend. They're roughly 50cm tall and healthy looking,… Continue reading

Paving over front gardens

I seem to be bucking a trend among homeowners. Rather than paving over my garden, I have 'un-paved' it, unlocking the earth and growing a range of plants to provide habitats forwildlife.

The paving of front gardens is becoming increasingly common in urban areas where parking spaces are at a premium and there's a lack of availability of public transport. The popularity of low-maintenance gardens among the time-poor is also a factor. The RHS estimates around 12 square miles of London are lost to the practice, while a quarter of North-East front gardens have disappeared under concrete. I cycle, rather… Continue reading

Growing primulas

There's nothing wrong with instant gratification. Who can resist the appeal of primulas at this time of year? Certainly not me.

I visited the garden centre a couple of weeks ago to buyseed-sowing compost (much better than multi-purpose for this particular job). On my arrival I was confronted with beds of stunning primulas, all at their peak.

Colour is lacking at the end of February as we wait for the early bulbs to bloom. A few brave grape hyacinths are showing colour, and daffodils surge higher every day. All they need is some extra warmth to encourage them to burst… Continue reading

Fallen Ash Leaves

he woods around us consist mostly of ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior), and every autumn we have a few weekends of franticleaf collecting (particularly frantic around the chicken run). The trees seem to shed leaves at random – one tree will be completely starkers, while another is just turning, so the chore of collection seems endless. Any leaves that fall on borders are left there, but we rake leaves from the paths and lawn (they smother the grass), adding them to the compost heap.

Finally, by the end of November the work is done and the trees settle back into a… Continue reading

Algae in the garden

Everything, it seems, has gone green. I'm not just talking about the gorgeous shoots and leaves that are beginning to unfurl. No, I refer to the green film of algae coating steps, paths, stepping stones, flower pots, planters, benches, tables, chairs and the climbing frame... Even thecompost and the foliage of someevergreens are covered.

Algae is harmless, but it's beginning to depress me. Its seemingly unstoppable spread is caused by the super-soggy weather we've had over the last few months. The soil is saturated in many areas and, with rain continuing to fall, the air is pretty damp, too.

So,… Continue reading

Red sky in the morning…

Warning: winter still rules at the summerhouse

Denmark's weather and temperatures perhaps a month behind London with snow still nestling stubbornly under the banks. Everywhere there lie "lakes" of thick milky ice. The earth still too frozen for melt to drain away. Not to say it isn't sunny. Just that the warmth of the sun is like a one-bar fire in an open barn in a gale. Thank God for last year's logs which a kindly neighbour has loaded and lit in the stove.

A huge sea storm has left the garden looking like an explosion in a tree factory,… Continue reading

Valentine’s Day flowers

It's Valentine's Day on Monday. Walking past a local florist yesterday I spotted buckets ofred roses, sunflowers, gerbera and iris. It's incredible to think that in one of the most dreary months of the year, we can decorate our homes with such jewels of summer.

These unseasonal blooms were likely grown in far flung places such as Africa or South America and flown over to the UK. Those with fewer 'flower miles' will have been raised in giant heated greenhouses closer to home. Cut flowers are big business.

I'm reading Amy Stewart's 'Gilding the Lily' at the moment, which provides… Continue reading

Raspberry Taming

Give Raspberries a few years and they will start to take over. You’ll find their runners popping up all over the place. I found one last year on the ‘other side’ of the path to where my Raspberry patch was. With a small garden such as mine I have to keep them under control or run the risk of them taking vital nutrients from other plants.

In the Summer I was inundated by Raspberries. I tried everything to get rid of them. While I agree that Raspberries are indeed yummy and yes I can freeze them, I feel forced to… Continue reading

Gardening theft

The mailbox at Gardeners’ World magazine is brimming with letters and emails from gardeners who have been victims of theft. From these letters alone, it would seem that thefts from gardens and allotments are becoming more widespread, while gratuitous vandalism on allotments remains horribly common. Thefts range from handfuls of fresh fruit and veg to expensive garden tools, while whole sheds are reported to have been torn down and burned for ‘fun’. As gardens and allotments are quieter now than they are than in summer, they may be more at risk of falling prey to opportunistic thieves and vandals.

My… Continue reading

Caroline Foley’s expert guide to things to do in February

Pruning, planting, sowing seed: the jobs needing to be done in the allotment or garden this month

If January was about planning, February is about preparing. It's an odd month, usually as cold as January, with a UK mean temperature of an inhospitable 1°C (32°F). Yet it is on the brink of spring. If you look about you will see that bulbs are sprouting and buds are beginning to swell optimistically in the longer days and increased sunshine.

In preparation for seed sowing next month, make sure that all your propagation kit is well scrubbed, the greenhouse is clean and… Continue reading

String Too Tight

As I ventured into the garden yesterday to pull some Leeks I noticed that the string ties on my Peach tree were becoming a little tight. On closer inspection I found that a few were very tight indeed and one had cut through the bark – bad news for letting infection in.

I was surprised because the ties are only on last summer’s grow and I had thought I had left enough room for growth. But apparently not.So the whole lot will have to come off and be replaced by some that are nice and loose with a twist to… Continue reading

Christmas Potatoes in January

Today, I finally dug up my Christmas Potatoes! I know, I’m a bit late but unfortunately I fell into the very trap that I warned against when I planted them back in August. Back then I said, “Just remember to dig up your Potatoes ‘before’ Christmas Day if there is frost forecast. You wouldn’t want to put in all that effort only to be foiled by a solid, unworkable soil on the big day!”

What with the snows the week before Christmas and the freezing temperatures to keep the snow on the ground, when the big day did come around there was… Continue reading

Andy Hamilton’s delicious seasonal spruce brew

Making the most of 12th night and needles from a Christmas tree

Spruce has long been used to make drinks. Needles were often left to infuse in boiling water, then taken like a tea. It's especially rich in Vitamin C and Captain Cook used spruce tea to help his crew stave off scurvy. It can also be drank as a refreshing (if unusual), beer.

Spruce beer started to obtain real popularity from 17th century, especially amongst the Newfoundland settlers and by 1766, Joseph Banks had described it as the, "common liquor of the country". It stayed a popular drink up… Continue reading

Coal ashes in the garden?

I have been an organic gardener for more than 30 years now, and I have a question about using anthracite coal ashes in the garden. I have heard they are "good," "bad" and "not sure" from a few people. My grandmother threw all her ashes in the garden, and it was always bountiful. A friend actually gets truckloads of ash for his garden and says his potatoes are great. Would the garden still be considered organic, or is there something potentially dangerous or harmful in the ashes?

I've seen the same kind of mixed blessings but no "official" or scientifically… Continue reading