Like so many other things, the impacts of lockdown on the gardening industry in the UK are already clearly going to be profound. Firstly, the garden centres are all closed to the public. For most of us this means no picking up a few things on a Saturday morning, but to the nurseries who supply … More The impact of lockdown on garden suppliers
Well, I’ve written several posts that I haven’t published this month, as events seemed to be moving faster than I could write. It’s fair to say that the arrival of the novel Coronavirus that’s sweeping the world has changed daily life in Europe and in Britain we’re still working to find a new normal. In … More What a difference a month makes
Last month included an important date in the diary of a Scot and, aside from the excuse to tuck into a plate of haggis, Burns Night also had me thinking on some of our national bard’s most well-remembered words: ‘The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, gang aft agley.’ Robert Burns It’s that time of … More The best-laid schemes
Well I’m pretty ashamed to see the date of my last blog. But a lot has happened in that time. When I last posted, our building project was finally finished and our lives became focused on finding furniture, unpacking boxes, moving my toddler into his new room and getting everything ready for the arrival of … More Gardening with a newborn
I have a new floral obsession. This is the first year I’ve grown Sweet Peas and I’m officially hooked. My wonderful book, The Origin of Plants, tells me that Lathyrus Odaratus came to Britain in 1699 by way of a Scillian monk. Since then, we’ve taken them to our hearts. They’re easy to grow, come … More Sweet peas
There’s something particularly satisfying about picking your salad, fresh from the garden and using it straight away. You can’t get fresher. But it’s also knowing that you coaxed it along yourself, from seed to salad bowl. We’ve had a good crop so far this year. Plenty of radishes, too much lettuce and a good amount … More Cropping in a family garden
Just living is not enough … one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. Hans Christian Andersen Last post I wrote about some of the flowers I’m growing in the cut flower bed. So here’s a brief post showing some of the results. The last few weeks have produced quite a few blue flowers, … More Flowers in the house
There are two main raised beds in our garden. The first is for vegetables, the second is for cut flowers. There are times when I feel guilty about this, as we could be growing twice as much vege, but I love having cut flowers for the house and enjoy having the space for things I … More A cut flower bed
My plans for filling the half-empty border in our garden are all on hold right now. The garden is filled with steels, a cement mixer and chunks of our roof, making it hard to get around, but impossible to do so was toddler safely. No more naptime gardening sessions – at least for a couple … More Gardening with a builder
Blossom by blossom the spring begins. Algernon Charles Swinburne. I think it’s fair to say, spring is well and truly in progress. The first cherry blossom has appeared in our garden and other trees have fat pink buds, ready to burst open on the next sunny day. My husband and I planted one particular cherry … More Beginnings
