Garden conifers – not just for Christmas
If asked to name a conifer tree in December most people might say “Christmas Tree” and many would know that the traditional conifer decorated indoors is a Norway Spruce. But there are very many shapes, colours and sizes of conifer tree that are rather better suited to growing in our gardens than Christmas trees or Leyland Cypress hedges.Removing side...
Pointy end up – planting bulbs in autumn
Yes, I am writing about planting bulbs in autumn which I know is a well visited subject in gardening programmes and columns at this time of year. So rather than repeating guidance on planting bulbs – and to be honest you do not need to know much more than “pointy end up” – I am thinking about what happens...
The good, the bad and the Ivy
In my previous blog post I included “a controlled amount of ivy” in my suggestions for a native mixed hedge. So this time I thought that I would talk more about this evergreen climber that appears in pretty much every garden, usually uninvited.As households try to reduce both fossil fuel consumption and energy bills, research has found that a...
A landscape in your Garden
My favourite local view looks out across a small river valley, framed by a Beech hedge shot through with Ivy and a tall Holly tree. It is a slice of the quintessential landscape of this corner of the Kent-East Sussex border. Fields for grazing are divided by hedges and clusters of Silver Birch, Hawthorn, Oak and more Holly. And...
Holiday Gardens
Late summer is a time when UK gardens can start to flag, particularly if the lawn is looking a bit crisp after a hot dry spell. By the way, there is no need water an established lawn in summer to keep it alive; green shoots will soon appear when the rain returns. But yellowing grass and fading flower power...
