I’ve spotted little flashes of soft pink and purple in my back garden in the past few days, glad to see the return of some of the wildflowers which will help the local pollinator population. It’s No Mow May, which is a great initiative for improving biodiversity and encouraging homeowners to do their bit toContinue reading “No Mow May”
Tag Archives: gardening
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”
Make your hens at home in the garden
Owning a flock of hens doesn’t have to mean bare lawns and patchy plants. Your chicken coop can be an eye-catching feature, or blend into the background – and you don’t have to sacrifice your lawn for your feathered friends either. Let’s have a look at how to keep chickens in the garden without compromisingContinue reading “Make your hens at home in the garden”
Quadgrow trial – part 1
Let’s talk tomatoes. At the beginning of this year’s growing season I was lucky enough to be sent a Quadgrow planter, after spotting them at this year’s Garden Press Event in London (back when we are able to travel freely around the country – remember those days?!). I was really impressed with the set upContinue reading “Quadgrow trial – part 1”
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”
Peat free compost
I was recently sent a couple of sample bags of peat-free compost from Westland* – in fact, they turned up shortly before Christmas – cue much head-scratching as I tried to work out what on earth kind of huge, heavy present had I forgotten about ordering… The two kinds are New Horizon All Plant compostContinue reading “Peat free compost”
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”
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…”
May snapshot
As I suspected, with the coming of Spring is the waning of the blog. However, I would never judge another garden blogger for forsaking screen in favour of soil, so I hope you won’t judge me similarly! It’s now early June and I want the garden to stay as it is for a little whileContinue reading “May snapshot”
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…”
Julianne Robertson 