Spring into summer by planting your own salad vegetables to enjoy over the warmer months. As we prepare to enter that golden summer season in our garden, you may well experience that tinge of disappointment when seeing some plants not flourish to their full potential, and there are always a cluster of seeds not sown […]
Bring music to your life by attracting your own dawn chorus. There’s nothing more soothing and calming than waking up to a fresh, sunny, dew-glistening garden, nitrates lifting up off the soil and the gentle tweets, chirps and warbles made by an array of beautiful birds. Nature’s early-morning concert is one of the summer’s greatest […]
Warming those winter garden vistas with some bursts of festive colour. We all fear the greying gloom of winter, yet with the use of berry-producing plants and trees, your outside space can quickly adopt all the sprigs and sprays of summer. Those showcasing winter berries are easy to grow, hardy and resilient. More than that, […]
How to revive your garden after the long hot summer. If you think you suffer from the heat as far as summer goes, think how that sun-baked garden fares without even so much as a dash of sun lotion. Of course, any knowledgeable gardener will tell you it’s better to take action to protect your […]
Turn your garden into a veritable paradise for the birds and the bees by creating a wildflower meadow. Simple, environmentally beneficial and stunningly beautiful. Manicured lawns and glamorous show gardens may be all the rage these days, but nothing quite compares to the raw, untamed beauty of wildflowers. Providing an unrestrained explosion of colour and […]
What you should be planting now to ensure maximum spray for the summer While March can sometimes feel more like winter than spring, now is the time to start sowing seeds if your cherished outdoor space is to flourish in the summer months. Cosmos The beauty of cosmos is not just the beautiful, delicate multi-coloured […]
It may be cold outside, but encouraging bees and other pollinators is an all-year-round task, so get planning now for spring, summer and beyond. We’ve all got the message now that we need to look after the bees. Along with other pollinators (even those dreaded picnic assassins the wasps!) they are the key to helping […]
Forget diamonds – the gardener’s best friend is compost, and with peat-based compounds a no-no, what else can you use? All of us are trying to be more organic when it comes to gardening, and with sales of peat-based compost set to be banned from 2024, we might as well be prepared. There really is […]
With global temperatures on the rise and all of us trying to cut down on our water usage, choosing drought-tolerant plants for your garden is more important than ever… Three to Take Home Helen Reeley, of Berkhamsted-based Reeley Gardens, shares her three favourite drought-resistant plants with us. She says: ‘They’re bullet proof, a good size […]
Did you dabble with growing your own fruit and veg during last year’s lockdown? Take it to the next level this year with some edible ornamentals and new varieties… It’s incredibly satisfying to grow your own, with whatever space you have. All kinds of veg can be cultivated in containers, and micro salads and herbs […]
Winter gardens don’t need to be dull. Now’s the time to give your garden some structure that will reward you with a great view all year round So many of us are guilty of getting busy with our gardens during spring and summer – and then when it comes to winter, we find they are […]
Summer may be coming to a close, but you don’t have to head indoors and hibernate. Clever use of autumn planting, lighting, outdoor heating, garden buildings – even cosy blankets – can help you enjoy your outdoor room throughout the autumn During lockdown, lots of us got busy making our outdoor space a lovely place […]