January weather presses close to the greenhouse, with frost on the panes and the quiet threat of colder nights yet to come. Outside, the garden is holding its breath. Frost feathers the edges of leaves, the soil rings hard underfoot, and the light has that pale, slanted quality that belongs only to midwinter. This is […]

After the long spell of warm weather this autumn, the first few days of January, possibly longer, are set to be cold, with snow in some areas. Protect plants in unheated greenhouses with fleece, removing the cover during warmer days. 70g fleece, provides protection to around -5C, 30g fleece protects plants to about -3°C and […]

You can grow a most beautiful plant in your greenhouse or conservatory that’s so valuable just a tiny dried piece was said to be worth more than its weight in Gold. This, The Saffron Crocus, has from Ancient times been revered as flavouring, colouring and medicine. (With astronomic rises in Gold prices this no longer […]

Start Amaryllis bulbs into growth, watering sparingly at first; just trickle a little tepid water around the bulb, gradually increasing the amount as the bud appears. Once it is actively growing, keep the compost constantly moist but not waterlogged and take care not to wet the growth tip. The growing temperature should be around 20C, […]

Escape the stress – festive and otherwise – with a midwinter project that weaves calm, control and creativity back into the season. Tight. Knotted. Coiled like a wound-up, corroding spring. Stuck. All too much. That’s where my mind is right now. It wasn’t a quick journey getting there, via the stress-fuelled frustration superhighway – but […]

The greenhouse in December is still, cold, and dark. It feels like a moment of deep pause. But it’s also precisely the moment when us gardeners – particularly those of us with greenhouses – can begin coaxing the first signs of spring to life. We usually associate forcing bulbs with Christmas displays, but I am […]

I am spending every moment I possibly can in the garden and every second is precious because the days are getting shorter and shorter. If it’s sunny I have to come in before the sun sinks towards the low horizon and blinds me, so I’m under time pressure when I’m cutting back, tidying and leaf […]

Are you looking for the precious present. Something for the gardener in your life? Here are some ideas of gifts that are thoughtful and inexpensive I don’t often sit and contemplate what I’d like as a treat, even as Christmas approaches. To be honest, sometimes it’s just enough to be alive, with a roof over […]

An intriguing greenhouse plant I’d long vaguely known of just never got round to growing is this curiously named Mexican Cigar flower, Cuphea ignea. Obviously it could not really grow cigars, and seeing it was neither scented nor edible this ranked low on my list to try. Well what a pleasant surprise, not difficult to […]

For truly green renewable power, just look up – and put your walls to work. Everywhere I look these days there’s a familiar glint, whether it’s in a city, town, village or even out in flat, open countryside. The most common and familiar sparkle bounces off the roofs of our homes, especially the just-built ones, […]

It’s the first Monday in November and it’s damp, mild and grey. I’ve just been for my usual ten-minute garden recce before I start writing for the day. The borders are covered in beech leaves and more are slowly helter-skeltering downwards despite the brisk breeze. This year the beech leaves are the colour of golden […]

Towards the end of last month the greenhouse started looking very sorry for itself indeed. Although frosts have not come yet, the tomato plants that have been filling the greenhouse with greenery, scent and fruit all summer have been abandoned for a couple of weeks, after their final harvest, and have now slumped and yellowed. […]