Hartley Magazine

All the latest news, hints, tips and advice from our experts

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To see what’s grabbing our attention in the world of horticulture, gardening and greenhouses, take a look at our latest articles below.

You’ll find a wide range of topics here, with tips for growing flowers, vegetables and herbs, and seasonal to-do lists.

Look out for some beautiful garden and greenhouse photography too, with our latest Instagram images which can be spotted thanks to the camera icon in the corner.

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Written in English

Pelargoniums – summer stars, winter survivors

Tucked into the corner of my cold greenhouse last winter, my pelargoniums looked at best unassuming, at worst half dead. But the greenhouse actually gave them exactly what they needed, keeping them alive for this precise moment in the year, for high summer, when they burst into glorious flower. I have always loved pelargoniums (often […]

Written in English

Tips for successful tomato maintenance and more


Transplant Aubergines, peppers and chillies into pots one or two sizes larger filled with peat free multipurpose compost with added John Innes, as they grow. Repot when a good root system has developed but before they become pot bound and congested with roots, finally transplanting into 23 cm pots or two per growing bag to […]

Written in English

Dewy Pine

Here’s a challenging greenhouse plant combining delightful perfume, charming almost fern like foliage, usefully catching flies, with another even more macabre habit. Dewy Pine, Drosophyllum lusitanicum, is unique, truly carnivorous, one of THE most effective fly catchers, yet unlike almost all others not a bog plant. Apparently this can also survive passing undergrowth fires, probably […]

Written in English US

Helping your Greenhouse Handle Heatwaves

It’s hot. Really hot! Forecasters say that temperatures here in Rhode Island could reach 100oF (38oC) with humidity to match even though summer is just beginning. Fortunately, I live on the coast, so high temperatures inland create a sea breeze that cools our local area outdoors. But inside my greenhouse is a different story. If […]

Written in English

Which easy herbs can I grow for flavour?

Jean Vernon shares her favourite herbs for easy and tasty summer recipes. I often think herbs are underrated. Herbs are the top pick of the plants in so many ways. Infused with essential oils, these power plants are royalty in the garden plant hierarchy. And that’s because they have so many practical uses, from making […]

Written in English

Eucomis, Pineapple Flower

An excellent greenhouse subject Eucomis comosa has lush green foliage (spotted with purple markings underneath) from which emerge long lasting spires of pretty blooms that grace us for many weeks from mid-summer through till autumn. Not hardy enough for most to risk outdoors this attractive bulb is a close relative of our Hyacinths and Ornithogalum […]

Written in English

It’s tomato time.

As the spring weather continues to confound, I am thankful that my Hartley greenhouse provides some consistency in climate and growing conditions. Move seedlings from the greenhouse to cold frames or into a sheltered spot for ‘hardening off’ during the day, bringing them in at night, for ten to fourteen days. Where night temperatures have […]

Written in English

A Garden in Your Cup: Growing tisanes with the help of the greenhouse

Throughout winter my greenhouse played host to many miserable looking specimens, semi-hibernating through the coldest months, but there was one that I am always particularly delighted to see leap back into life come spring. Bright and citrusy, lemon verbena provides perhaps the best scent in the garden – rub the leaves and bring your fingers […]

Written in English US

Water Plants Flourish in the Greenhouse

“Water adds life, movement, and sound,” says Vanca Lumsden. For fourteen years she was the owner of Pondering, an aquatic plant and supply business in Medford, Oregon. She says, “Even plants growing in still water add a whole new dimension to the greenhouse.” Whether it’s a fountain or simply containers where aquatic plants can thrive, […]