It seems that as we move into September and the start of autumn the weather is following a much more typical pattern so that plants as well as people know exactly where they are in the year! With the late spring frost and snow – remember that? – and two months of soaring temperatures here in Kent with no rain...
August is well and truly the holiday month and whether you have been away or are still looking forward to going, what could be nicer than having a sense of the seaside without leaving home? Creating a coastal feel to a corner of your garden is not difficult as long as you understand that you are aiming precisely at the ‘look...
Towards the end of May I spent two consecutive days garden visiting and there could hardly have been a greater contrast. Firstly I was one of thousands at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the following day I attended a preview of Leonardslee Gardens in West Sussex currently undergoing restoration. Apart from the weather – we were well and truly...
By using the term New Shrubbery I do not just mean adding in a few more shrubs but thinking about how much this useful and sometimes maligned group of plans can add to your garden. I often talk and write about Less Effort Gardening and the benefits of permanent planting to create a year round display. One of the...
Succession sowing and inter-cropping The month of May sees the height of sowing and planting for the summer vegetables and succession sowing and inter-cropping are two different ways to get the maximum vegetable harvest from your space and delivering a steady flow of produce to the kitchen through the summer. Succession sowing simply means that you do not sow all your seeds...
There are two strands to the use of water in the garden – and I am talking watering plants here, not choosing water features. These are reducing the need for watering and efficient irrigation in a domestic garden. Saving water Mulching is a good way of reducing water loss by evaporation from the soil surface. It has the added benefit of inhibiting...
Spring is a good time to buy plants to fill up spaces in your ornamental borders to be sure of a wonderful display in the summer. But before you can plant, you need to buy and there are few things that a gardener likes more than the chance to acquire more plants. For herbaceous plants remember that you are really buying...
You already know that the soil in your garden is key to growing great plants. But exactly what soil is made of, why this matters and what is meant by soil improvement might warrant a bit more explanation to turn the frustration of plants that struggle into the success of blooming borders. Soil Type There are two main characteristics of soil which...
Many ornamental shrubs are pruned in Spring but there are two different reasons for doing so and it helps to understand how different plants grow before you reach for the sharp tools. Shrubs that flower in winter such as Witch Hazel or early spring like Forsythia need to be pruned just after flowering if you want to restrict the size. This...
Grow Your Own rotating vegetables If you grow vegetables, whether in a small veg plot at home or on a larger scale on an allotment, you will have come across the term ‘crop rotation’. There are good reasons for moving your veggies around each year and it need not be complicated once you understand the principles. The key point is that...
Call: 07803 045327 | Email: alison.marsden@gardeningbydesign.co.uk
