If you have box topiary in your garden, then there are a couple of rather devastating issues that could compromise their health. The first is the airborne fungal infection known as box blight. It’s a disease that was relatively unknown in the UK before the mid 1990s, and no one is quite sure where it came from. It has certainly got quite a hold now, and this is down in part to the warm damp summers that we have been experiencing. Box blight has certainly been one of the garden plant … [Read more...]
fallen leaves
Today the weather is bright and clear. Looking out of the window, I see the leaves are beginning to drop. I know that I mustn’t leave them as they'll kill off the grass if they lie there too long To some people, fallen leaves are a big nuisance, but I would like you to think of them as a wonderful garden resource. If you gather them up, and without adding any other plant debris, place them into large plastic bin bags, poke a few air holes in the sides, and store them well out of … [Read more...]
healthy is the new wealthy
There’s a very well worn saying that if America catches a cold, then we in the UK will sneeze not long later. Working on that theory, here’s what we can expect for gardening trends in 2017. The subtitle to The Garden Media Group’s report is that Healthy is the New Wealthy One of the big surprises is that gardening has become extremely popular with the 18-34 year old age group – what we call the Millennials, But what these young newbies are looking for in a garden perhaps is not quite so … [Read more...]
garden gnome world
When is a garden gnome valuable and when is it merely something to be put on the mantelpiece? I have just had a call from a man in Wales called George who said that his wife Vanessa had a Lamport garden gnome, and wanted to know if it had a value? Killer question indeed! It might be an original, or else it could be a £20 replica, but he did say that he thought it was original, so I will believe him for now. Let’s now flesh out the detail. Lamport Hall is a Grade 1 listed building in … [Read more...]
safe disposal of old garden products
In an ideal world we would all buy just the right amount of fertiliser, garden disinfectant, weed-killer, insecticide, fungicide, or whatever that we need, and the garden shed wouldn’t fill up with leftovers. But of course life isn’t that simple. However, you can minimise the problem without any effort by using ready-to-use bottles and sprays. These are formulated to stay fresh, usually for at least two years, so you can carry on using them until they are all gone. Then, simply rinse … [Read more...]
giant orchid at Kew
I’ve just come back from Kew Gardens where I'm privileged to be a visitor guide. I was taken behind the scenes in the Tropical Nursery to see the amazing Grammatophyllum speciosum otherwise known as the giant orchid. Kew is very excited about this plant as it is flowering for the first since it was collected from Malaysia in 1983. Although it still has some growing to do before it beats the giant orchid on display at Crystal Palace in the 1851 Exhibition, it’s pretty big already at five … [Read more...]
getting rid of rose blackspot
It’s at this time of year when the nation’s favourite plant – the rose - gets attacked by the dreaded blackspot. the problem Rose blackspot is an extremely common and widespread fungal disease on most rose cultivars, as well as on wild roses. However, there are some cultivars that are partially resistant. The disease thrives in warm moist conditions, and most early attacks come from those spores that have spent the winter in uncleared plant debris or in dormant buds. You’ll know if … [Read more...]
champion trees
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...]
