New Year’s Day is a bank holiday (public holiday) in the UK. I was home, and when I walked the dog, in spring-like weather, everywhere was quiet. Bar birdsong. A car disrupted the peace – but it was soon past, reminding me of one of my favourite poems. You can probably read Brian Patten’s January … Continue reading Busy bees, in January
Category: gardening
I forget where my nemesias came from. Or, just how long ago I got them. At some point two to three years ago, I popped a couple into two of the big pots right outside my front door, which otherwise contain a daphne odora and a coprosma. The daphne promised ‘very fragrant, deep pink and … Continue reading Nemesia – non-stop flowers
The image for this post shows: the sole pear produced by what is still pretty much a stick in my front garden a Crystal lemon cucumber from my greenhouse inadvertently, but inevitably, some dog hairs! Glossing over 1 and 3, the cucumbers were a fun experiment I shall definitely repeat next year. The plants are … Continue reading Green tomatoes and yellow cucumbers
There may not be a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Plants. But sometimes, you kind of wish there was. Following my previous post about pebbles/shingle, here are a couple of related photos. Where people have gone for pebbles or paving slabs, for low-maintenance; then tried to make them look less sterile with plants. … Continue reading Cruelty to plants
The main picture isn't part of a car park or industrial site. It is someone's front 'garden' in a wholly residential area. Here is a fuller view/: Being one big island and a bunch of small ones, Great Britain has a LOT of coastline. It’s hard to measure – there is even a thing … Continue reading Leave pebbles on the beach
In the language of flowers, bluebells denote constancy. They are also a true harbinger of long sunny days – and they are beautiful, too. It may seem odd to be talking about them in the height of summer, but someone gave me a packet of bluebell seeds that say ‘scatter in the ground in August/September’. … Continue reading Bluebells for constancy
The first time I saw Haloragis erecta Wellington bronze (Toatoa) wasn’t in New Zealand but in Oxford, England. Well, the first time I'm aware of having seen it, that is. I could have seen it in NZ and not noticed it. It is quite easy to not notice Haloragis erecta Wellington bronze. It is a … Continue reading Toatoa: one man’s wonder is another man’s weed
Supermarket plants – good or bad? Well yes. And no. ! Just over a year ago, Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don stirred up the argument by urging gardeners to steer clear of supermarket plants. His argument was that they diminish choice: “You get lots of exactly the same thing, mass-produced to be as cheap as … Continue reading Supermarket plants
Sticks can be incredibly dangerous As can tree stumps, branches, twigs – and hard leaves. I had a dog who gashed his leg, plunging into a river, on a bit of tree submerged in the mud (luckily, missing anything vital: he needed stitches, but quickly recovered). Throwing sticks for dogs is also the cause of … Continue reading Simple garden safety tips
Sitting out on the decking with a mug of coffee, I found myself thinking about the true joys of gardening. Beyond the obvious ones of harvesting home-grown produce (and eating it!). Beyond the pleasure in seeing flowers bloom, plants grow. Those truly are major joys of gardening, but they aren’t the only ones… Look up … Continue reading True joys of gardening
