Gardening Advice

It is high summer and the garden is at a crossroads. On the one hand there is still an abundance of flower but harvest is also very much in evidence and I am truly thankful for the plentiful blackcurrants that have been staining my hands as I pick them and are now safely stowed in […]

I am writing this in a heatwave reminiscent of 1976, which I remember well as an 11 year old. I have yet to quite banish the sight of the late lamented John Noakes exhorting the water saving benefits of showers over baths in his swimming trunks in the Blue Peter studio – depends how long […]

For many people gardening is a passion. In all honesty, for others it may occasionally be a chore. So here are my suggestions to make life easier for yourself. Plant what you love and love what you plant If there is a particular plant or group of plants that you love, plant those and tending […]

You may think I am obsessed by the weather, and you are probably correct. But after a cold and wet March, with snow for added frisson, and then an April in which the weather was indecisive to say the least, veering from very warm to wet and windy, I have high hopes for a delightful […]

I had hoped, when I wrote my column last month, that we had seen the last of the snow. Alas that was not to be and our teams have been routinely swathing any slightly tender plants in horticultural fleece to protect them from the icy chill. However the good weather will come and when it […]