February is mid-winter, but there is an air of expectancy as everyone anticipates the arrival of spring. As you become increasingly impatient to get started in the garden it may be the time to get out and start preparing for the year ahead. It pays off later to clean your pots, clean and sharpen your…
March is our busy month. Hopefully you will have had enough good days to get out and do your winter tidy-up and pruning but if not, now is the time to do it early in the month. Sowing and Planting You can sow hardy annuals outside now in their allocated position. Shrubs and bare-roots can still…
Never cast a clout ‘til May is out! We all know how fickle the UK weather is and how careful you have to be at this time of year. There are some easy ways to protect your plants however and it’s worth it to get everything off to a good start. By now you should have…
Sowing and Planting Plant out your tender bedding bedding plants and vegetables now. Remember to water them in well afterwards to enable them to establish. You can sow runner beans directly into the soil which is warm enough to produce fast-growing plants which will supply you with a good crop later in the summer. Your…
Plant Management Keep looking out for pests and diseases. Aphids, red spider mites, whitefly, sawfly and caterpillars are all among the pests to look for as before. Now is the time to keep an eye out for conditions such as potato blight and powdery mildew. You can spray outdoor plants with a fungicide as a…
August can be a bit disappointing as many plants have reached or passed their peak and suddenly the garden can be bereft of colour. Don’t feel you can’t sneak a few flowering pots into the gaps in the borders. It’s a quick fix, but it works and you can see if you want to make…
Later in the month there is a definite chill in the air, and our short summer is coming to an end. However, this can be a most beautiful time of the year. There is absolutely nothing more thrilling than a cool, sunny September morning. The plants seem to be standing to attention as if startled…
It is still clear-up time, when you can pop out on a lovely sunny autumn day and mosey around in the garden doing little bits of clearing and tidying in a relaxed fashion, listening to the radio and occasionally stopping for a cup of tea. I love it! When it’s wet, you can still rummage…
Sowing and Planting This is a good time to take root cuttings from perennials. Take 5cm cuttings and lay them horizontally on a growing medium of perlite and cuttings compost ( 50-50 mix). Cover with a thin layer of compost, water lightly and keep in an unheated greenhouse or coldframe. Plant out spring bedding such…