Awesome Autumn
November sees the final flourish of autumn leaf colour before the usual gales finally strip deciduous trees and shrubs of their old foliage and they descend into dormancy to sit out the cold of winter. Have you ever stopped to think about why nature provides this colour burst? It is all to do with recycling! The chlorophyll that turns leaves...
Leaf mould & the self destructing sack
We are now well and truly in the leaf gathering season so ensure that you make the most of nature’s bounty by rotting deciduous leaves into leaf mould for use as a fantastic soil conditioner. Leaves need plenty of air circulation to decompose and must be fairly wet when stacked to kick off the process. I have never found watering...
Playing with perspective in a small garden
Once deciduous trees and shrubs have lost their leaves and hardy perennials have been cut down for the winter, late autumn is a good time to look at the overall layout of your garden and question whether you are making best use of the space – especially in a small enclosed garden. Using perspective and the odd optical illusion can...
Mycorrhizal fungi – what are they & do I want them?
Autumn and winter are the key tree and shrub planting seasons in the South East of England and gardeners are hearing a lot of references to ‘Mycorrhiza’ so this seems a good time to explore what it/they do. Mycorrhizal fungi are present naturally in the soil but can be depleted in soil or growing compost that has been deeply dug...
Bulbs, corms & tubers – the same but different
October sees the start of the main bulb planting season with daffodils, crocus, tulips and many more appearing in garden centres and nurseries. But there is more to bulbs than the common spring flowering selections and understanding a bit about their lifecycle can help you to be more confident and more adventurous in your choices. In fact bulbs, corms and tubers...