Category Archives: flowers

New Year, new blog post, new garden plans

It’s 2023! Garden-wise January can be a bit of a grim month. Everything looks brown and soggy and the days are still very short and usually cold, offering far fewer opportunities to get outside and do anything more than tidying up fallen leaves or cut down decaying stalks. I do always get strangely excited aboutContinue reading “New Year, new blog post, new garden plans”

Wildflower Love ♥

This year I have set myself a casual challenge to learn to identify more wildflowers.  When I say it’s a casual challenge, it’s one that has developed in part because of my natural curiosity about plants and in part through necessity.  Garden visits have been almost impossible this spring and summer because of lockdown restrictions,Continue reading “Wildflower Love ♥”

A good year for the roses?

Roses are the quintessential country garden plant – they’re a symbol of royalty and romance, celebrated in art, and even flavour our food. For some, they’re an essential element of a good garden, while others find them old-fashioned or fussy. It’s true that some roses can demand a little extra care, but there are soContinue reading “A good year for the roses?”

Cosmos – out of this world!

No garden should be without cosmos and its heavenly flowers. After a bit of a slow start with these brightly-coloured blooms, I’ve become a convert, and now I sow them from seed every year to ensure I’ve got plenty of these cheery favourites to brighten up my borders. Cosmos bipinnatus are half-hardy annuals, which means,Continue reading “Cosmos – out of this world!”

Get Into Grow Your Own

“Nothing tastes as good as home-grown!” – a familiar cry from allotment owners and keen gardeners everywhere. But is it true? And are you ready to find out for yourself? Why?There are many reasons why growing your own is a good thing to do – both for yourself, and for the environment. When you growContinue reading “Get Into Grow Your Own”

Time to plan…

It’s winter, but it’s not cold. Little green shoots are appearing – but they’re too early. Hellebores are emerging, the witch hazel is blooming and we even have a couple of snowdrops almost fully out in the front garden.  It’s SpringWinter – not cold enough to be properly winter but not light enough to beContinue reading “Time to plan…”

Where do ladybirds go in winter?

This is the question I’ve been asking myself lately. I’ve noticed more ladybirds than ever in my garden this year.  They’ve popped up all over the place – in pots, under the bin lids, on doorframes, in the house, and – thankfully – on my plants, presumably feasting on any pests which would dare toContinue reading “Where do ladybirds go in winter?”

September Stars

It seems I have a late summer garden – there’s more colour on show in September than there has been during the rest of the year. The front garden is currently showing off all its colours – yellows, pinks, peachy dahlias and flashes of reds from the crocosmia, roses and even a few second-flowering geums. Continue reading “September Stars”

Flower & Food Festival

This is one of the highlights of my gardening year – Dundee’s Flower and Food Festival. I go every year and really enjoy being in the midst of the best of what our area has to offer in terms of plants, produce and food.  There are displays of beautiful plants and flowers, from amateurs, dedicatedContinue reading “Flower & Food Festival”

Learning lessons…

This summer I have been learning a few lessons.  Not the book-reading kind – I’ve taken a break from horticulture studies as I decided that it would be madness to add this to the summer agenda of school holidays, parenting, working, enjoying the heatwave and almost constant watering.  I plan to resume studies in SeptemberContinue reading “Learning lessons…”

Playing the long game…

Gardening is a lesson in playing the long game. I’m a quick-fix, instant-gratification type of person, so my growing love of the garden has brought with it an appreciation for taking things a bit slower.  For taking the long view and planning ahead for the same season, the next season, the next year, the nextContinue reading “Playing the long game…”

#TBT to Chelsea Flower Show 2018

As it’s Thursday, and I didn’t have the time to write about it at the time, here’s my own little summary of the joyous day I spent at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018! This was my first ever visit to the show and it’s fair to say I was excited.  Very excited.  The event livedContinue reading “#TBT to Chelsea Flower Show 2018”

Spring has sprung…

…and my blog is suffering!  But it’s a good sign – I’m blogging less because I’m spending more time in the garden.  I have to – there are seedlings to prick out, beds to mulch, weeds to weed and plants to pot up.  And it’s only going to get busier from here on in! RealContinue reading “Spring has sprung…”