It is difficult not to be impressed by the magnificent cascades of yellow flowers pouring down the sides of a mature laburnum tree. During April and May laburnums are at their finest as they take over from the cherry blossom trees who have by now exchanged their inspiring spring blossoms for their lush green summer […]

If your lawn has taken a beating from the winter rain, frost and sleet do not despair since most lawn grasses will easily repair themselves so long as the conditions are right. The most common winter lawn damage is caused by water logging – like me and you; lawns need oxygen to breathe and do […]

Walking (or driving) through the streets can be a boring and monotonous activity for many of us. During this time of year however, if your senses, particularly site and smell are alert you will be bombarded with the beauty and exuberance of nature waking from it’s winter hibernation. This week I am writing about three […]

My seed potatoes finally arrived last week about a month later than I would have liked. I ordered Sarpo Mira for my main crop potatoes and Pentland Javelin for a first early crop which I was hoping to be able to harvest in May – probably a bit late for that now unless I try […]

The daffodils pictured in full flower and even past their best are from my local park – usually they wouldn’t look like this until late March or early April. The unusually mild February weather could result in a national shortage of daffodils by Easter apparently unseasonably warm temperatures have resulted in huge demand for the […]

The days have started getting slightly longer, the spring flowers have started pushing through albeit many of the early ones will be damaged by late frosts and the mail order seed packets have begun to arrive. Now is the perfect time to put in place your best hygienic planting practices to avoid the dreaded potato […]

Having spent a few cosy winter evenings tucked up in bed with a cup of hot cocoa and a pile of seed catalogues I have finally honed the list of vegetable tubers and seeds which I will be buying this year down to a reasonable and manageable number. I hope the selection which I list […]

I’ve started clearing out the garden shed in anticipation of the coming spring. This is usually the job I put off until last of the winter garden chores – like most gardeners I hate clearing the shed, but it is an annual job which must be done. Obviously once the job is done it is […]

This time of year always used to leave me feeling a bit glum when looking at my garden. My green fingers are itching but there is nothing, or at least very little I can do to scratch them. Frost sensitive plants have been protected as best as possible and frost sensitive bulbs lifted and stored. […]