Gardening Advice

January Gardening Tips

As we set foot into 2022 I do hope it will prove to be a good year for you.   Spring is on the way, promising new beginnings, opportunities and life. But until then it is time for a good old fashioned list. Planning is what January is for in gardening terms, mixed with a […]

December Gardening Tips

Can it really be December already ? I know the answer to that because real Christmas trees have arrived. Perhaps we all need a blast of festive colour and joy more than ever at the moment. But if you prefer something more subtle or want to complement the glitz with a more natural look, there […]

November Gardening Tips

Far from being a low point I think November is a month of opportunity in the garden. It has certainly been a mild autumn so far and as I write this, in the last week of October, we still have roses in flower in our garden and no sign of a frost just yet. The […]

October Gardening Tips

I was really fortunate to be able to attend the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September. It has never been held in the autumn before and it was really great. Exhibitors and visitors alike were just so happy to be back together again. After all, the last Chelsea had taken place in May 2019, nearly […]

September Gardening Tips

Autumn may be on the way but there is still plenty to enjoy in the garden. Many plants are sporting a wonderful second burst of blooms. I have roses, lupins and clematis all looking striking at the moment. The star of the show is Mrs Cholmondeley a gorgeous clematis, which I would best describe as […]

August Gardening Tips

After a warm and rainy July maybe August will prove a little more settled! Some of the cottage garden plants in our garden took a bit of a pasting in the downpours, notwithstanding our best attempts at staking them. There have also been a few broken rose stems. Despite these casualties the garden is looking […]

July Gardening Tips

High summer is the perfect time to enjoy your garden during the long mid-summer evenings. So much is in flower now, helped and maybe held back a little, by a cool and rainy May and June. There is enough to do in the garden this month and even more to enjoy. Here are a few […]

June Gardening Tips

When I was young, June was the exam month. Why was there always a lawn mower going while you sat in the exam hall?  Now that association is a distant memory, I am free to enjoy June as one of the most beautiful months in the garden. After all, it is the peak of the […]

May Gardening Tips

One of the many wonderful things about May is that, in this area at least,  there are usually no more frosts from about 10th of the month. This is a liberating feeling in the garden. It means that hanging baskets, pots and borders can be filled with colour by planting out bedding plants.  Colour combinations […]

April Gardening Tips

April is such an exciting month in the garden. The birds are in fantastic voice as I write and it will not be long before the blossom lights up our fruit trees, particularly the Quince which always excels. Soon it will be time to dead head the daffodils, but do not cut the foliage back […]

March Gardening Tips

I have a hunch we can sense and scent spring before we see it. Even before the leaf buds start appearing and new shoots start growing there is a wonderful fresh aroma, particularly in the morning and evening, slightly damp but warmer than a few days before and accompanied by a growing crescendo of birdsong. This […]

February Gardening Tips

As I write this we are in lockdown and storm Christoph is forecast to bring wind and rain and flooding. So far so dismal. I would love to bring you some cheer, so please permit me to invite you to dream of spring when the garden will burst back into life, a promise that is kept […]

January Gardening Tips

A safe and Happy New Year to you all, it’s 2021 and another gardening year begins! January is very much dedicated to tidying and organising, but there are a few things to keep on top of in the garden on dry days… Deadhead winter flowering pansies. Hard prune tough deciduous hedges such as hawthorn and […]

December Gardening Tips

We’ve had lots of opportunities to plant and enjoy our gardens this year, and now, all of a sudden, Christmas is upon us! Bring the outside in and choose a real Christmas tree. Remember to cut a little piece from the bottom of the stem before you bring it into the house, as you would […]

November Gardening Tips

Enjoy the fantastic colours of autumn this month and rest assured that there is still time to plant… Plant trees, shrubs and climbers – you can plant deciduous hedges and all kinds of deciduous shrubs and trees! Continue dividing perennials and planting tulips, you can also still move established plants if they are in the […]

October Gardening Tips

Autumn is well and truly here, in the damp vegetation and in the very air itself. Remember, autumn is nature’s time to plant and there’s still plenty of time to do so, as well as other little jobs that could be done this month… Plant roses and deciduous trees and shrubs. Continue to plant spring […]

September Gardening Tips

Autumn is the perfect time to prepare your garden for beautiful spring colour. There may also be some tidying and a little repair work to do, from the wear and tear of summer! While the ground is warm and moist, plant hardy evergreens such as roses and trees. Spring flowering bulbs are now in stock, plant […]

August Gardening Tips

Enjoy the warm summer days in your garden this month, there are just a few easy tasks for when you are pottering around… Continue to water and feed hanging baskets and containers. Deadhead faded flowers of perennials and annuals to encourage new blooms. Trim lavender bushes once they have finished flowering. Take cuttings of tender […]

July Gardening Tips

With long mid-summer evenings and many plants blooming, July is a month to really enjoy your garden. Though, there are always tasks to keep us busy and these are a few to be done this month: Water plants and hanging baskets every day, ideally in the cool of the morning or evening, and feed once […]

June Gardening Tips

June is the most beautiful month in the garden. There is plenty to enjoy as your hard work over previous months all comes together. And there is also still plenty to keep you occupied… Now that any danger of frost is gone, summer bedding plants can be planted out in borders, containers and hanging baskets. […]

May Gardening Tips

Last month has just been announced as the sunniest April on record and we very much hope the beautiful weather will return soon. In the garden, there is plenty to be done in May, here are some ideas to keep you busy: Once there is no risk of frost, tender plants and vegetables can be […]

April Gardening Tips

The heady scent of spring, the joyful birdsong and the increasing warmth of the sun is upon us this month, and already we have seen some beautiful weather! Here are some ideas for April: April is a good month to increase your lawn care efforts. Mow as required starting with the blades set quite high […]

March Gardening Tips

I write this in the aftermath of storm Ciara and storm Dennis. What a difference from February last year, when we enjoyed some glorious early spring sunshine, and the year before when we were just about to experience the Beast from the East!  I do hope that you escaped the storms without too much damage […]

February Gardening Tips

This year we have not experienced a really cold snap. Although I guess there is still plenty of time. However, we do seem to have experienced an abundance of wet weather over the winter months so far and it is difficult to get out onto a squishy lawn and sodden flower beds without compacting the […]

Gardening Trends 2020 by Sarah Squire

I think there are three very strong trends which have been emerging over the last few years and which show every sign of becoming more and more significant. In fact, they are all very much interlinked.