Allotment life – fantasy and reality
My enthusiasm at getting an allotment didn’t translate into any hard work to keep on top of the bindweed and couch grass. The potatoes tasted nice though.
September cottage garden plants – What’s looking lovely right now
In the low September sunshine some plants shine out more than others. Here are the loveliest in my garden right now.
If you get a chance to be on TV –
I was lucky to be invited onto live TV to talk about colour in the garden and how gardening is all about sharing.
BBC ONE Sunday Morning Live – 18th August – I’ll be on TV!
BBC One asked me to take part in a gardening section of their programme Sunday Morning Live on Sunday 18th August 2019. It was all very exciting and great fun.
Cutting back in a cottage garden – the reality
Here is a short practical blog showing how cutting my perennial plants back to the ground now will be good for the garden and good for the soil. I can spread compost in the new spaces and new growth will be up within a week or so. It takes a spurt of courage to hack away at growing plants but do it now and your garden will look for for months.
Early July in my cottage garden
Today July 6th I’m posting some photos of what’s happening in my cottage garden this weekend plus one pic at the end of my Mum who at 103 yrs old is still gardening; summer bedding now and planning bulbs for next year.
What is a garden for? Further thoughts.
I often think about what a garden is for. In this third blog I suggest that having an outdoor space to think about, daydream about and be out in is a great distraction from harsh reality, worries and niggles.
Cottage garden plants doing well right now
A small town cottage garden can look wonderful with simple, common and ordinary plants that earn their keep by growing away nicely and providing colour, scent, movement, food and shelter for wildlife and year-round interest.
What is a garden for?
In my previous post “What is a garden for?” I suggested that a garden helps us live our lives outside of ourselves, physically and mentally. You can find that post here. My second idea is simple. My garden is for looking out onto like watching a slowly changing painting, changing during the day with movement
Useful garden plants – Six on Saturday 27-4-19
With the recent sunshine some of my more useful garden plants have gone quite mad and started spreading and growing and flowering. I love them and am very happy for them to go as mad as they like. Here they are: One Clematis Montana rubens, possibly the variety Elizabeth or similar which is useful to
London Cottage Garden in April
I’m sitting here in my London cottage garden enjoying the silence of the city today so here are six garden photos with no chat in between. London has been strangely quiet today – no one cutting the grass or having a party nearby. One of those rare magical days when
What is a garden for? Some thoughts.
I’ve been thinking about what a garden is for and will present one idea in each short blog over the next few weeks. By garden I want to include any space outside your home where something grows. It could be a window box, balcony, pot by the front door or a garden of any size.