As a Visitor Guide at Kew, I have the privilege of getting up close and personal with a very fine collection of plants of all shapes and sizes. Today, I would like to introduce you to the giants of the plant world – champion trees. These are the big boys that grow larger than any others in their species, and the good news is that Kew Gardens proudly boasts more than 300 of them. Before you think that to be a champion, a tree has merely to be really tall (and skinny) the formula is a … [Read more...]
allium leaf miner
Each year the Royal Horticultural Society compiles its list of Top Ten Garden Pests for the Year, and a new bugaloo has appeared above the parapet. It’s a pest that bores into the stems of leeks, onions and garlic leaving plants open to infections makes its first appearance on the Royal Horticultural Society's annual list for 2014. Allium leaf miner, which was first detected in Britain in 2002, is placed seventh on the list of the most frustrating pests. The small white headless maggots … [Read more...]
understanding ivy
I think that of the many misunderstood plants in the garden, ivy has to rank pretty well at the top of the list. There can be no doubt that if it’s allowed to run rampant, it can wreak havoc. However, understanding a little more about the plant might help you to feel differently about it. Basically, there can be two types of growth on the one plant. In the pic opposite, I am showing you two stems, which have been taken from the same plant. Look closely and you will see that although … [Read more...]
encouraging wildlife
If growing your own vegetables is the latest rock and roll, then going wild in the garden must come in a close second. And I have now found an excellent book that’s a must-have for anyone with both a garden and a young family. We are becoming increasingly aware of how fragile planet Earth is, and how we mortals need to change some of our selfish ideas to minimize the damage. In the garden alone, if we can maintain a balance of nature, this will cut down (if not eliminate) our need … [Read more...]
orchid care
The orchid is one of the best house value houseplants around, and yet it is often the one most misunderstood. Give it the minimal treatment that it deserves, and it will flower its head off for you for years to come. Go into any supermarket or garden centre today and you’ll see huge numbers of the very colourful Phalaenopsis hybrids, also known as the moth orchid. Although it’s a tropical plant, it will do very nicely in your house provided that you observe a few simple … [Read more...]
plant talk
I’m convinced that there is an unspoken language between plant and gardener, and even plant to plant. But proving this little theory of mine to you is going to be difficult. Have you ever wondered why some people have more success with plants than others? In this country we call these folk that are blessed with a gardening talent having green fingers. On the other side of the pond, Americans call them green thumbs. My reasoning doesn’t have to hang on your belief in magic, although … [Read more...]
flower power
Your garden may be a mass of colour and scent at the moment, but it’s not just for our enjoyment. Flowers will use every trick in the book to ensure that the right pollinator comes a-knocking. Significance of colour Colour plays an important role in inviting the correct pollinator. As a general rule, flowers that are moth pollinated will be white – it’s a colour that stands out in the dark. Winter pollinated flowers will also be light in colour, and have a strong scent to marshal the … [Read more...]
window box thoughts
Sitting in a traffic jam yesterday, I spied a rather elegant window box through the car window, and I was there long enough for some deeper thought. I took out my trusty mobile and captured the scene. I liked the combination of white shuttered window with the black planter. I also liked the contrast of the attractively marked pelargonium leaves with the bright scarlet flower heads – but I knew that there could have been more. For a plant to flower its little head off, it must have … [Read more...]
sad chestnut trees
Anyone walking around the local streets cannot fail to see the sad state of our horse chestnut trees. Instead of sporting an autumn hue of butter yellow foliage, leaves are brown, crispy and distorted. The culprit is a moth that allegedly hitched a ride on a lorry from Macedonia, around 12 years ago. The pest, known officially as Cameraria ohridella or chestnut leaf miner moth, started its British onslaught in 2002 and was first spotted in Wimbledon. Since then, the population explosion … [Read more...]
lawn boot camp
If your lawn is anything like mine, it will need extra loving right now to repair the damage caused during our recent very hot and dry weather weather. The fix is fairly simple, albeit a little time consuming, but it will be worth the effort. You know that when your grass looks good, it has an uplifting effect on all the other plants in your garden. In the last few weeks your lawn will have been starved of water, and as its top growth shrivels up, so does the amount of useful root system … [Read more...]
The garden bible
One of my most useful garden books has only a handful of pictures, and the print is small – sounds like a boring tome; not a bit of it! It’s lovingly known as The Yellow Book, and it’s the key to secret gardens in England and the modest entry fees go to support a variety of cancer related charities. The Chelsea Flower Show might be one way to feast your eyes on the newest must-have plants, but I feel the best way to be inspired for your own garden is to look and see what other people can … [Read more...]
Amazing new plant
I’m all in favour of boffins tinkering around with plants if they come up with improvements - greater pest resistance or better shape and colour. However, a recent horticultural breakthrough has really made me think.. We know that tomatoes and potatoes are in the same genus. Here botanical latin gives us the clue - Solanum tuberosum (potato) and Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). Looking at each individual plant, you can also see that the flowers are very similar, but who in a million years … [Read more...]
garden nemesis
This month I’m going to turn my attention on my arch garden nemesis, the slug. And with your help, I could be about to declare garlic war on it.. The slug is undoubtedly numero uno in the garden pest hall of fame, and Britain is definitely slug city of the world. It’s our wet and warm-ish weather that does it If you are counting, there are around 30 different species of slug in the UK, but for this unscientific study of mine I am only going to look at the big four - field slug, garden … [Read more...]
climbing plants
Using climbing plants in your garden is a wonderful way to exploit a vertical surface. A word to the wise though - you must fully understand exactly how a plant hangs on so that you provide it with perfect support. why do plants climb? Climbing plants are the lazy, impatient, opportunistic members of the plant world. weavers and twiners Winding plants twist their stems around a structure. As I’m the queen of trivia, did you know that the runner bean winds anti-clockwise, … [Read more...]
snowdrops
There is no more welcome sight at the end of those cold and wet days of winter than to see the tiny tips of snowdrop leaves poking through the soil. Spring is just around the corner. Snowdrops can arrive looking in perfect condition because their leaf tips are specially strengthened –they literally bore their way through frozen soil. If you think that you are getting fewer flowers than last year, then it’s time to think about thinning out the over-crowded clumps. Unlike most other … [Read more...]
green fingers
I’m convinced that there is an unspoken language between plant and gardener, and even plant to plant. But proving this little theory of mine to you is going to be difficult. Have you ever wondered why some people have more success with plants than others? In this country we call these folk that are blessed with a gardening talent having green fingers. On the other side of the pond, Americans call them green thumbs. My reasoning doesn’t have to hang on your belief in magic, although … [Read more...]
eureka moment!
It turned out to be one of those eureka moments. I recognized the email address, but I hardly dared open it in case the message was gloomy. I needn’t have worried – the news was good, and I felt like a proud parent. I’ll explain. I have been a plant agony aunt for for many’s a year, dishing out gardening advice by letter or email. Each week I receive a bundle of letters from perplexed gardeners who are worried about all sorts of plant problems. John had originally emailed me about a … [Read more...]
take five tools
I am quite fussy about my choice of garden tools – I know what I like, and I know what works well. So when I was wandering around the plant shop in Kew Gardens the other day, I was fascinated to watch my two novice gardening house-guests studying the rack of shiny new garden tools. I think that tool manufacturers must believe that there is a specific gadget for every single gardening job that you could possibly do, and if they had their way, we would fill our garden sheds full to … [Read more...]
climbing up the walls
Ivy is one of the most misunderstood plants around. Love it or loathe it, most gardens I visit have masses the stuff. If you make it your friend, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Ivies are evergreen, climbing and trailing plants suitable for growing up walls and fences, or used as ground cover. Choose one of the all green leafed cultivars, and they will thrive in those hostile areas such as deep shade where other plants flatly refuse to grow. What’s more, if you would … [Read more...]
hedging your bets
It’s too wet and cold outside to venture out so right now I’m plotting and planning. I want to add a bit of privacy to the back garden, I also need to find a way to allow birds to nest safely, and I definitely want colour and panache. Yes, dear reader, I’m thinking of great hedges! When choosing suitable plants to use, don’t be fooled into the speed trap. Fast-growing hedges don't stop at the height you want, so you must remove a lot of growth every year. Slow-growing hedges are much … [Read more...]