Beds and Borders

One of the great joys at this time of year is starting off plants from seed. Whether you are growing vegetables or ornamental plants for your garden, March can be the time of year to get sowing.  I really enjoy adding some different plants to …

  No, this isn’t a post about austerity. It’s the time of year when you look outside and see that the garden no longer looks full and vibrant. It just looks like it needs to be … a bit tidier. That’s not just the falling …

  This is an exciting time of year: While the garden is beginning to look like it is fading after the summer, you can start preparing a blaze of colour for next year, by planting spring and summer flowering bulbs. Bulbs are usually vibrant flowerers …

  So now it’s wet. Very wet. And before it was cold. Very cold. It’s really left me pondering about how the garden will go in the coming months and what I should focus on now. My diaries from recent Aprils are full of sun …

    A really gratifying task at this time of year is working with snowdrops. Snowdrops (Galanthus) are a beautiful winter-flowering plant. My excitement bubbles up on seeing them because they feel also like the first heralds of an approaching spring. Other gardeners have commented …

  If looking out at your garden in winter is making you unhappy, it may be time to take stock of your seasonal selection. Gardens, especially more traditional English gardens, can be synonymous with flowers. But it is worth paying as much attention to structure …

  Gardeners must keep a beady eye on the weather at the best of times. But at this time of year it becomes a mania – especially with the quick onset of Autumn we have been experiencing this September. As well as the day by …

  I seem to have spent more time staking this August than in previous years.  The dry hot early summer followed by the deluges of the last month have led to huge bursts of growth. A lot of the staking I’d put in place in …

  Encountering overgrown borders can be daunting. Particularly if you are trying to restore them, and working on a budget, rather than being able to go for raze, remove, replant. Sorting through, and watching the development of your plants may reveal some gems, as well …