I wrote in a recent blog post about spaces to sit and relax in your garden and July is the ideal time to take a good look round and decide if the layout and planting still suit your likes and lifestyle. If you are considering making changes, whether a bit of replanting, replacing an ageing […]
I have been asked several times this year about bees apparently swarming over and burrowing into a lawn. These are Mining Bees and I thought I would pass on some fascinating and reassuring facts from a Bumblebee Conservation Trust officer. Mining Bees are a group of Solitary Bees (240+ species of Solitary Bee are native […]
From June to September, if we are lucky with the weather, I expect that many people who are not regular gardeners will spend their leisure time out in the garden. Whilst providing outdoor space and a lovely view all year round, it is in summer that the garden as a place for relaxing and entertaining […]
Adding wildflowers to your garden has become something of a trend recently, I suspect prompted by increasing awareness amongst media and public of the dreadful statistics on the loss of 95% of UK wildflower meadows since the 1930s. So should we all be planting wildflowers? Firstly let me clear up a common confusion: Wildflowers are […]
One of the most practical solutions to the perennial conundrum of year round colour in the garden without too much work is a well structured Mixed Border. Unlike a Herbaceous Border or a Shrubbery, a mixed border, as the name suggests, uses a wide range of plants of all types from ground cover and bulbs […]
Herbaceous perennials are those plants where the top growth dies off in the autumn leaving roots and the crown of the plant to survive the winter and throw up new stems the following spring. Many are easily divided to provide extra plants and rejuvenate an old clump where flowering is poor and spring is a […]
I am pleased to announce that the first Gardening for the Mind workshop of 2019 will take place on Friday March 15th from 10am-1pm near Tunbridge Wells. The theme will be “Welcome to Spring” and you will find out how Gardening & Mindfulness blend together to boost wellbeing in nature. Both gardening and mindfulness are recognised […]
January is over, early Daffodils are in flower and tradition has it that birds start to nest on February 14th so many gardeners may be tempted to think that we are nearing Spring. But remember that there are two full months to go where the night time temperature can fall below freezing and it is […]
Pruning is done in winter for many trees, particularly fruit trees, and the instructions frequently use the phrase “prune to an outward facing bud”. I always feel that this is something of an oversimplification and it helps for gardeners to understand why this advice is given to help make the best decisions about where exactly to […]
Predicting the future and fashion trends is something of a mug’s game but I am interested in the general direction of travel for gardening; not the cat walk world of show garden design but the role of gardening in people’s lives and communities. Over the last few years I have seen three influences develop that […]
