Rain, rain, go away… this poor blog has been massively neglected. But it has been a rubbish year for gardens. Spring was cold, and the cold spell dragged on and on, putting everything well behind. Summer was indifferent. There was a dry spell in September, but lots of cloud, and little sun to ripen fruit. … Continue reading What a wash-out!
Category: gardening
The spilled milk (well, coffee) Last Thursday morning got off a great start when I knocked a cup of coffee over, all over my bedroom carpet, when I was in a hurry to go out. A cup of milk would have been more traditional for what followed. Because I had a job interview last Thursday, … Continue reading Of spilled milk and the joys of spring
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
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
