In the war on plant pests, it’s infinitely better to allow Nature to give you a helping hand rather than reaching for the nearest insecticide to zap all and sundry. The ladybird is a great ally to have on your side, instantly recognisable from its bright red and black spotted wing case. The ladybird larva is just as useful in terms of hoovering up the dreaded aphid and its many different cousins. However, there is an imposter in town - the harlequin ladybird. This new intruder … [Read more...]
spreading plant happiness
Christmas vouchers to solve plant and garden issues When you develop a headache, what do you do? You reach for whatever remedy works for you, whether it’s an aspirin, Grandma’s secret concoction, or you lie down in a darkened room for a while until the world looks and feels brighter.. That’s an extremely useful bit of automatic knowledge to have within easy reach – issue solved without too much of a drama. But what do you do when a plant looks poorly? Ignore it and hope that it … [Read more...]
purple4polio
Saturday 24 October was World Polio Day, and to celebrate I was honoured to be invited to support Richmond Rotary in the mass planting of 6000 purple crocus corms. This wasn't some random act of horti-madness; it was done in an act of hope. There's a very strong link between polio and COVID-19 - they are both virulent viruses which are transmitted by saliva and other body fluids. Polio affects more than 300,000 children every year, and those that survive could be paralysed … [Read more...]
Doing the right thing
There is a very big word circulating at the moment, with a very wide and important meaning - sustainability.. As it applies as much in the garden world as anywhere else, please allow me to sum it up in four words – doing the right thing. Let’s start from the ground up. We’ve been told repeatedly not to use peat, and yet garden centres are still selling peat based composts. Why? Probably because the purchase price only reflects the cost of extraction and transport. If you also … [Read more...]
ode to autumn
In autumn when the trees are brown, the little leaves come tumbling down; they do not make the slightest sound, but lie so quietly on the ground; until the wind comes puffing by, and blows them off towards the sky (anon) 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, … [Read more...]
choosing the best real Christmas tree
The perennial question in our house is not merely ‘where will we put the tree this year?’ It's more likely to be ‘where will our fully lit tree complete with dangly tinsel balls of all sizes and colours be safe from the night-time marauding antics of a fully grown, but slightly delinquent moggy called Jack.. While I am vexing over this, here are some handy hints on getting the best out your real tree. Most of the cut plants that are being sold locally will have made quite a journey … [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...]
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...]
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...]
aphids
As the weather warms up, garden pests come into their own. This month we turn our attention to aphids. Ignore this pest at your peril. The aphid can wreak havoc in two ways. Firstly it'll cause direct damage to the plant by draining vital cell sap through its needle-like mouthpart, and secondly it’s a known carrier of plant viruses. They are found clustered all over the growing tip of a plant, where it’s easier to feed on fresh new cells. There are two words associated with the … [Read more...]
watering
The recent hot-dry-wet weather lately has made life really difficult for plants. Watering them may seem an easy task, but follow some golden rules to ensure the best possible results. best time to water a garden, and how? Watering every day for 15 minutes at a time may be convenient for you, but it can be disasterous for the plants. Frequent shallow watering will cause a plant’s roots to stay near the surface, where they will quickly dry out. It’s better to give the garden a good soaking … [Read more...]
gnomes
I'm supporting the garden gnome. My campaign started the other week when I heard that the RHS was banning all gnomes from the Tatton Park Flower Show. The news was so shocking that the Today Programme on Radio 4 decided to quarry for the truth and an RHS spokesman was invited to comment. And so there it was on national radio, at a peak listening time, the pronouncement that garden gnomes were not welcome at Tatton Park. This begged the question ‘why?’ The reply was a simple four … [Read more...]
