Cottage garden plants for late summer colour from Chenies Manor Plant Fair – July 16th 2017
This one-day annual plant fair at Chenies Manor House and Garden near Amersham, Bucks, is one of the best in the gardening year. http://www.cheniesmanorhouse.co.uk/ There were about 70 independent nurseries selling plants. There are no…
Inspiration for cottage gardening at Belmont Gardens, Kent
Entering Belmont Gardens in Kent I had the opportunity to walk alongside the Head Gardener and I could sense that here was a man who loved his work and the garden. This gave me the feeling that…
What can Great Dixter inspire in my London Cottage Garden?
This blog is about what I can take from a visit to the world famous garden at Great Dixter near Rye in East Sussex. I had been twice before over the years but this trip…
Jasmine – a wonderful cottage garden climber
In a previous blog I showed how I had neglected to hack back the jasmine on our fence which was now a huge tangle. The perennials underneath were struggling to get some light. I thought…
Winter and Spring jobs left undone lead to problems in Summer
On April 1st I wrote a blog about all the jobs I wasn't going to bother doing and how I was going to just sit in the garden and read the paper. Well that did…
Bee friendly plants – the top mail order choices from rosybee nursery
Having bought mail order plants from rosybee.com nursery and been impressed with their quality, I contacted Rosi Rollings and went to visit her at her nursery near Wantage in Oxfordshire. Rosi is so interested in…
Apple tree transparent pruning – great results
Last November I described how expert pruner Posy Gentles tackled our tangled old apple tree to improve its look and health. Here it is before the pruning Posy specialises in transparent pruning, also known as…
London Cottage Garden boundaries – changing brown to green
I've taken this picture standing at the back door. This is the whole garden and it measures 11 metres long by 6 metres wide. We look out onto it from our conservatory kitchen/living area all…
Cottage gardening jobs – to do or not to do
A garden right now is speeding into growth and doesn't wait for anyone. Nature will grow with or without us. Every magazine and TV programme is crammed with jobs to do - things to be…
Daffodils this Spring – my mistakes
This year my daffodils have been a big disappointment. I have always planted a mixture of early, mid and late daffodils every year I've been gardening and have always had a wonderful display of yellow,…
Snowdrops in the green – what does it mean?
Recently I've been planting snowdrops in the green, that is bulbs with their leaves and flower stalk still attached. For anyone not sure what this means, this is the process. Each February I buy at…
Spring creeps closer in our town cottage garden
Out in the garden to start gardening for the first time this year. So wonderful to be down close to the soil and to see what's coming up. What did I find? Last autumn I…