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
The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size — Gertrude S. Wister I’ve been trying to avoid saying it – it seemed too soon – I haven’t written much on winter yet. But, on a mild sunny day, with a wide, blue sky, … More Spring
The Cambridge dictionary describes an acid test as ‘the true test of the value of something’. Well, that may be particularly true when it comes to assessing the pH levels in a garden. This simple test is one of the easiest things you can do to tailor your choice of planting to the conditions in … More Acid test
One of the things I love to do most in the garden is grow new plants. Whether it’s from seeds or cuttings, there’s something wonderful about going from a tray of soil to a collection of fully grown plants. I sew a lot in my raised beds, but I’ve been short of somewhere warm so … More Time to propagate
There are few things more predictable in the world of gardening than the ‘unexpected’ cold spell. Shoots are appearing everywhere, the green growth of young bulbs is thrusting upwards, life is returning and, although it may seem rather early, the warm days continue until you finally accept it – spring must be coming. You let … More A cold spell
In winter the garden is far from the heady days of burgeoning cut flowers and luscious crops, but there are still pleasures to be had. One of my favourite cut flowers is at its best in winter; the Hellebore brings an early flash of colour, each flowerhead like a jewel amongst the brown leaves and … More Little surprises
