Green Fingers “From sweet April showers, do spring May flowers,” said Thomas Tusser. We might get hail, sleet or snow, but ideally what we need now is warm showers and sunshine to get things really moving fast. If you are growing rhododendrons, azaleas or camellias on acid soil they will benefit from a general purpose…
Green Fingers In March, as the weather slowly improves and the soil warms up, it seems as if nature herself is stirred into action. If snowdrops have not flowered due to overcrowding or if you just want to increase your stock, now is the time to lift and divide them. Snowdrops have a very short…
While the cold winter days keep much of the garden in a state of suspended animation, there are still plenty of seasonal delights to get out and enjoy. Snowdrops pushing up through frozen soil signal that spring is on its way. The snowdrop manages this seemingly impossible feat by keeping the air temperature inside its…
Green Fingers
In the December garden, frost-encrusted berries resemble rubies as if to decorate the garden for Christmas. With the dwindling amount of daylight the amount of work in the garden also dwindles, but there are still jobs to do. Reduce the height of shrub roses to prevent wind rock. Leave the pruning to March. Remove accumulated…
On hushed November mornings the waning border is embroidered by sugar coatings of frost and seed heads are transferred into iced confections. It’s on mornings like this that you reap the rewards for changing the way you garden in the herbacious borders as most gardeners have. The old traditional way was to cut everything down…
When October arrives the trees start to take on firey hues and light up the countryside like torches leading us towards winter. Continue cutting your lawn even though grass growth has slowed. Growth will continue when the weather is good and the soil temperatures stay above the critical six degrees Celsius. Towards the end of…
In September your garden will start to change its palette to autumnal colours, with sultry tones of rich reds, deep oranges, golden yellows and mellow purples and blues. It’s slowing down and preparing for the big seasonal change. Keep watering and dead heading summer bedding even though they are past their best. They will flower…
As we approach August, your garden enters a time of transition. It is a link between the high days of summer and the onset of autumn. Many of the early and midsummer flowers are going over and the late ones are still to come. Containers and hanging baskets are at their peak. They are packed…
Garden seats are not just for decoration – use them.