Gardeners are used to battling the elements, but 2022 has been a catastrophic event. It began with an ‘I’m-not-going-to-grow-for-you-at-the-moment’ dry winter and cool spring. That was followed by extreme heat and strong Saharan winds, so most people’s gardens (including mine) turned into a sea of brown. One evening I sat and watched as hummingbird-hawk moths […]
With the climate crisis escalating and evidence of ecological breakdown all around us, it’s time to get serious about gardening’s restorative potential. What if gardening stopped being fun – and became serious fun? Emergencies are skidding at us from around every corner: social, political, economic, ecological… the list grows as we face crises near and far, in […]
Once I had a kitchen garden. It was a large space, surrounded by a trellis fence so that it didn’t appear part of the “proper” garden, because it was a hard-working space, with a small glasshouse in one corner, compost heaps in another, and two long parallel rows of four-foot-wide raised beds. These were not […]
We are finally into tomato season in the greenhouse. All of that preparation, nursing through the spring, staking, feeding, watering and general encouraging begins to finally pay off properly in August. Was it worth it? Well that depends. With a bit of luck you planted some beefsteak tomatoes. In a cool overcast summer you might […]
You can use your greenhouse not just for growing existing plants but also for obtaining a great many new ones, all for free. One way to do this is by propagation using cuttings. Another way is by harvesting seeds. Here’s more on each of these methods. First, let’s look at growing plants from cuttings. In […]
I doubt anyone entering your glasshouse will gasp “What a gorgeous specimen” when their eyes glance upon Cosmos atrosanguineus Chocamocha. Admittedly this is an undistinguished leaved scantily flowering almost scruffy looking plant you’d not look twice at. However once their noses catch the delicious vanilla and hot chocolate scent they will be entranced. Then as […]
With that glorious scent, and unusual habit of flowering and fruiting at the same time, it’s no surprise that citrus plants are often the first choice to grow in a home greenhouse. To discover the best tips for success, this month I’m turning to Sam Hubert, Nursery Manager for the West Coast mail-order company, One […]
It’s time to sow Fennel, oriental vegetables like mizuna greens and Pak Choi, rocket, coriander dill, spinach, claytonia and land cress in modules as soon as you can. These will germinate quickly and can be planted out by mid-August for cropping in autumn. Continue sowing ‘cut and come again’ crops like mixed herbs, in pots, […]
With 40° heatwaves and devastating wildfires now a routine part of a British summer, cool heads are needed on the plot. Surfing the clammy, 40°-plus breeze, Lex freewheeled down the winding street, legs splayed. Even with sunglasses on, he was still forced to squint. Every building was white: white walls, white roofs, white drives. White […]
Glasshouses serve many purposes: in my experience there are three themes that stand out. Production, Relaxation and Experimentation: A productive Greenhouse is where one grows vegetables, fruit, and herbs for the ultimate “locavore” experience – your own backyard. A Glasshouse can be a personal spa-zone or a short journey to a restful staycation. You know […]
My scented pelargoniums have long been released from the greenhouse and are beginning to look their leafy best now, and producing their myriad scents in abundance: cinnamon, lemon, peppermint, spice, cola, and more. These plants are closely related to the bedding pelargoniums that we all plant in terracotta pots and hanging baskets to flower through […]
Gardening is satisfying in so many ways and it develops some desirable personality traits – such as generosity, patience and perseverance – although some would say I’m a work in progress! You’re likely to be in tune with nature, if you garden, and that helps your humility because most gardeners realise that they’re not in […]
