The moment has come to sow seeds under glass, on a sunny windowsill or in a glasshouse, to be set out in May when the frosts are finally over — as we diehards in the Front Range sincerely hope! This year I’m determined to grow a flower that I previously was only half-hearted about growing: […]
This month is a good moment to use the glasshouse to start off some annual flowers for cutting later in the summer. I am sowing some half hardy annuals at the moment: sunflowers, snapdragons, cleome and of course cosmos. All of these could potentially be sown direct out of doors once the weather warms, but […]
Sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine, sow some, grow some to add some garden sunshine and support those caught up in the conflict. I can’t think of a happier garden flower than the sunflower, so it seems rather ironic that the humble sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine. These fabulous sunny faces light […]
A most rapidly growing, most floriferous, greenhouse climber Thunbergia alata, Black-eyed Susan was introduced at the start of Victoria’s reign. Many others in this genus also became popular in Hot-houses of the 19th century for their magnificent displays, and because most were relatively fast growing just wanting to bloom . Black-eyed Susan was ‘first’ found […]
This is the time of year when you really appreciate having a glasshouse. It buys you extra growing time while the weather outside is erratic. Sow crops in the propagator if you have one or in a cold greenhouse and cover with fleece. Plants can be potted on, if necessary, before hardening off and transplanting […]
Along with seeds and plants, potting soil has traditionally been one the most expensive items in my gardening budget. I often used several large bales of Pro-Mix BX every year until I finally decided to make my own planting medium. It isn’t difficult to do. The first step is to decide what ingredients you’ll include […]
Snowdrops are an endangered species now, and as for frost… welcome to the winter wonderland. I was on my way to visit winter. Real, authentic winter – so the invite said. I wasn’t quite there yet. Big black slugs glided over the sign that read ‘GalanthoArk – 200m’. It pointed to the huge domed greenhouse […]
What to do? As the west draws ever more settlers to its wide-open spaces, the region becomes more densely packed. Development along the stretch of Interstate 25 pretty much from well north of Denver, and south nearly to Pueblo is fast becoming one giant megalopolis. Yet people want to garden, keen to turn their postage […]
I often ask myself, why I’m a gardener. The answer’s somewhat mundane. I was a twin and we shared a small bedroom in a terraced house. We had entirely different personalities because we were fraternal, rather than identical twins My twin brother was the beautiful one. He got the curly golden hair, the navy-blue eyes […]
This coming spring is the perfect time to add trees to your garden. And as you decide what to plant, have you considered allergies? Allergies, especially to windborne pollen, are on the rise around the world. But Thomas Ogren says you can create a garden full of low-allergy trees and other plants—and he should know. […]
What’s the best way to label plants and seedlings?? Even the most knowledgeable gardener needs to use plant labels. It’s all very well being able to identify what different plant seedlings look like, but if you are growing from seed you also need to know the variety. But the problem with plant labels is that […]
It is about this time of year that I start getting a little twitchy to do some sowing in the greenhouse. This is a bit unfortunate, as it is way too early for the vast majority of things. The exception is chillies and pea shoots, and so I have sown them both. They are sown […]
