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 […]
I doubt anyone entering your glasshouse will gasp āWhat a gorgeous specimenā when their eyes glance upon Cosmos atrosanguineus Chocamocha. Admittedly this is an undistinguished leaved scantily flowering almost scruffy looking plant youād 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, itās 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 Iām turning to Sam Hubert, Nursery Manager for the West Coast mail-order company, One […]
Itās 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 ācut and come againā crops like mixed herbs, in pots, […]
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 ā although some would say Iām a work in progress! Youāre likely to be in tune with nature, if you garden, and that helps your humility because most gardeners realise that theyāre not in […]
What do wasps do?? Whatās the point of wasps?? These are commonly uttered, exasperated questions of wasp-laden summers. Wasps need a new PR agency. They are badly misunderstood, hugely persecuted and victims of incredible abuse. All because they dare to gate crash our summer parties and from time to time kick back. Yes some wasps […]
And the Latin Cestrum is hardly any better. Anyway these scented plants are well suited to greenhouses and conservatories though sadly soon grow too large to be generally popular as house plants. Not quite hardy some have tried these outdoors as wall shrubs but they donāt survive long whereas under glass they can live for […]
The erratic weather continues to preoccupy our gardening thoughts, with hot sunshine and cold drying winds over much of UK and barely enough rain, in most areas, to top up the water butt. Check your pots twice a day and water if necessary, make sure tomatoes are moist. Erratic watering causes fruit splitting. Pinch out […]
Thereās a miracle ingredient that can keep your potting compost going on and onā¦ but it comes with an environmental price-tag. This time last year, I was astounded by how well my greenhouse tomatoes were doing. Twelve months on, Iām truly gobsmacked at how well this yearās plants are faring. My astonishment has nothing to […]
If you are lucky, and if the weather is warm and sunny, this should be the month when the crops sown in the greenhouse earlier in the year start to ripen. This is particularly the case if you donāt wait around for them to become big, allotment show prize-winning specimens, or even as big as […]
Diva or dependable? That is the question… As many of you know Iām wedded to my garden, my little corner of paradise in the Cotswolds. In late spring and summer, my sixty or so peonies open and the brashest of all is a lemon-yellow Itoh peony named āBartzellaā. The huge, flouncy flowers have led the […]
