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 […]
Pruning is one of those ‘hardy perennial’ topics that I am asked about all year round. Many people are aware that winter is a key time but are not exactly sure what you prune in winter or how. In fact the most important thing to understand about pruning is Why? This is because not all […]
Last month I wrote about planting field grown trees and shrubs in the November-March bare root season while they are dormant. One of the reasons for planting these woody plants is to create an area of Naturalistic planting. This style does not limit you to native plants and is not a copy of the local […]
I do not usually talk about Christmas in November but this year I want to encourage a change in the way we may choose and buy Christmas presents. I am thinking here about presents for people who fortunately already have the things that they actually need day to day and where the joy is in […]
Winter is a great time plant new trees and hedges as long as the ground is not frozen. An advantage of winter planting is that you can buy young field-grown trees and hedging plants more cheaply than pot-grown specimens. As the name suggests field-grown trees are grown in open fields and lifted (dug up) just […]
