Three, er, maturing sisters, talk about plants and gardening and a bit about how we’ve been sisters for over 60 years. Our gardens are in England, Scotland and Normandy.
Can’t lie, the Growbags WhatsApp chat has got a bit testy; if Caroline chirps up with any more ‘we had another half inch of rain in the Highlands last night’, the other two Growbags might blow a gasket. So our August superheroes are going to crystallise the sisterly divide this week – wily desert rats […]
Gracious me, it’s been blowing a hoolie here for most of this week. Sadly not accompanied by rain this time either. If your garden regularly gets a wind-battering, choosing plants for it can be tricky, but we have some ideas for you…… Phlomis is a tough and resilient plant from the eastern Mediterranean, Asia and […]
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the discussion which followed our recent blog ‘Oh I wish I hadn’t planted that’. We certainly opened a Pandora’s box of woe about plants that had taken over, seeded everywhere, or were impossible to dig out. So we thought we should pull together a compendium of […]
It’s time to fess up! How many plants are there in your garden that you wish to goodness that you had never planted? We 3Growbags need to step into the Confessional Box with 9 horticultural howlers of our own………. 1. Acanthus is an undeniably handsome plant. Its strong spikes of lipped flowers rise from dark […]
We 3Growbags have all been busily involved in Open Garden events recently, with all the prep and mayhem that it entails. Thankfully, for all of us, things have largely gone to plan, but what’s unpredictable is which plants or garden features visitors really ‘lap up’. Here are 10 of the big draws in our own […]
Something really important happened at this year’s Gardeners’ World Live event; the headline show garden made plant evolution sexy!Looking at botanical advancement over 490 billion years could have been deadly dull, but the glamour and magnetic eloquence of Professor Alice Roberts and the skill and enthusiasm of her talented designer, Professor David Stevens, resulted in […]
Do most of the plants in your garden tell a story? A gift from a friend or family member, or maybe a purchase from a memorable garden visit? Lots of ours do, layer upon layer, and those tales of their provenance add hugely to the enjoyment of creating a special outdoor space. As always, however, […]
Like lemmings responding to the migration call we 3 Growbags traversed the UK for our annual gathering in SW3 – the Chelsea Flower Show! As ever, this wonderful event didn’t disappoint, and for those of you who couldn’t attend in person here are our highlights, some lowlights and of course a few giggles along the […]
Yes! It’s time to find our tickets, dust off the Panama hats and squeeze into the outfits that have mysteriously shrunk in the wardrobe – Chelsea Flower Show is just around the corner! This year we’ll also be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the3Growbags’ blog, so there’ll be plenty of reminiscing about the first show we […]
We’ve all been there – bought a plant on a whim and brought it home. But there is NO MORE ROOM for new arrivals, so what are you going to do with it? We have some ideas for you, but be warned, Laura has got hold of some new rather radical notions…….. Known as I am […]
So much about horticulture is handed down the generations, but did the gardeners of yesteryear have it all correct? We’re going to have a look at some of the old chestnuts this week with a view to rebutting a few…….. But what you are creating effectively is a small ‘pot’ to contain the plant. The roots […]
Euphorbia is a wonderful genus and there is one to fit almost any situation from imposing, architectural types to low gentle woodlanders; there are even succulent species that make good house plants. They all have toxic white sap, but that also means they are…..wait for the magic words …slug, rabbit and deer resistant! As ever […]
There can’t be a gardener in the land who doesn’t feel the urge to get something new growing, come March. Even non-gardeners must feel the lure just a little! The easiest way to scratch this itch is to buy some packets of seeds. But which ones? We 3Growbags know which seeds are on our list for 2026 […]
A spring-flowering shrub is one of the biggest assets of an early March garden. Daffodils and crocuses might be shyly peeping out in sheltered spots, but a good-going early-flowering shrub puts on a show with commitment and at a decent height. This week we’ve chosen some of our favourites: Let’s start gently with some of […]
Very few things entice Caroline out of her Highland hideaway these days, a family wedding, Chelsea Flower Show, a litter of puppies maybe, or … an invitation to The Garden Press Event! So it was that we 3 Growbags gathered from all corners of the UK like lemmings responding to the siren call of Islington […]
Garden centres and online sites are bulging with summer bulbs, but which are adorable and which give us the screaming ab-dabs? We’ve each chosen two we consider ‘hits’ and, very frankly … one that’s a ‘miss’. HIT – I can’t get enough of lilies. What a range of colour and form, from towering tree lilies to […]
In this quiet and rather dreary time of the year, we 3Growbags have decided to face our failings. We are coming clean about how we struggle to keep indoor plants growing. Well, two of us are, our middle sister is just plain smug…….. Can’t lie – houseplants have never really done it for me. Yes, yes […]
Caroline caused quite a stir last week with her take on the RHS State of Gardening Report which showed ‘collectively our gardens are a nationally important habitat that we need to recognise’. To encourage us to get curious about how our gardens contribute so much, Francis Tophill will be designing an RHS Chelsea Flower Garden […]
Gardeners! Yes you! We have a fundamental role in the future of the UK’s biodiversity, health, society and economy according to a seminal report by the Royal Horticultural Society. The inaugural RHS State of Gardening Report published in October, makes startling reading. It points to the value of gardening to the UK’s GDP (£38bn) and […]
SECTION 1 Plant ID 1. Nasturtium ‘Milkmaid’ Tropaeolum majus ‘Milkmaid’ Caroline likes the bright primary coloured types but I favour the greater sophistication of this creamy coloured climbing cultivar. 1 mark if you got common name, 1 mark for scientific name and and extra 1 mark for cultivar name. Total possible = 3 2. Rooper’s […]
No point in backing out of it now – it’s time to embrace the festive season in all its mad glory! If you’re wondering how to include the garden in the fun, we’ve got 12 tips on how to do it. None of them involve plastic penguins, vegan sausage meat or Slade screaming ‘It’s Christmas’ […]
What do you give the gardeners in your life for Christmas? There are plenty of options out there, and we’ve curated a whole bundle of ideas so that you can find the perfect gift for them… Click on the photos to find out more about each item and how to buy it, either from our […]
It’s November – a time for lighting stoves; evening classes; growing amaryllis (more of this later) and essentially, a little sherry to get us through. But ‘to everything there is a season’, and in the garden right now there are some lovely ‘end of season’ hips, berries and seedheads we should be appreciating – for […]
If ghoulies, ghosties and bonfires aren’t really your thing, never fear dearies, we’re here to help you. We’ve found plenty of botanical nightmares out there worthy of The Little Shop of Horrors… The carnivorous plants hold a special fascination, don’t they – monkey cups (Nepenthes), cobra plants (Darlingtonia), Venus fly-traps (Dionaea) and the like. These lure innocent […]
We all make terrible mistakes in the garden every so often … you know it’s true! – and today we are going to fess up to 10 of ours. We are writing in the spirit of ‘Cautionary Tales’, but we can’t help wondering if you’re going to recognise a few of these gaffes as ones you’ve […]
How often do the words ‘good autumn colour’ seal your decision to ‘buy now’ when browsing a tree or shrub you hadn’t actually set out to purchase at all? Don’t feel guilty. Trees that round off their summer performance with a blaze of glowing crimson give you twice as many bangs for your hard-earned bucks. […]
Summer is definitely over. The swing seats are being dismantled and the BBQs put back in the shed, but this year our gardens seem to be putting on some very welcome ‘plot twists’ before we batten down for winter. Here’s what we mean… 2. As I expect you know, I’m lucky enough to spend my […]
Cactus, pompon, waterlily, ball, collarette, there are so many different types of dahlias. Here we each pick our favourite one of all… Caroline: My favourite dahlia is of course, one that appears to require little expertise. I bought D. ‘Karma Irene’ from Chelsea Flower Show three years ago. One of the ‘waterlily’ type dahlias it’s […]
Early September is THE time to plan changes in your garden. The triumphs and the mistakes are mostly still staring you in the face, for one thing! But what alterations will you make? We 3Growbags each have our own wildly-divergent ideas… I need less garden. There, I’ve said it. I know my sisters have been telling me this for […]
There aren’t many parts of Britain that haven’t had to contend with extremely dry soil this summer. Parched lawns, hosepipe bans, farmers desperately worried about their crops…it’s been a worrisome few months for many. Lots of garden plants can shrug off such conditions and we’d like to recommend a few to you, in case you’re […]
In the harsh sun of August, flower-colours can look washed-out and flat. What is needed are some plants that will shine brightly in high summer, popping and fizzing in answer to glaring light. Don your shades, here we go with some of our favourite zingers……… 1. What wonderful summer-flowerers perennial phloxes are! They like sun and good […]
It’s almost August and we are smack in the middle of prime garden-visiting time. But why do we do it? And which gardens do you really rate? We share some of our favourites, but of course we sisters each have our own agenda……… I have always loved Sissinghurst Garden in Kent. It was the first place that taught […]
How do you feel about foliage? Is it just there to provide life-support for your flowers….or can it be the very star of your show? We’ve picked 10 plants that we reckon you could happily grow for their foliage alone, but which of our choices chime the most with you? It has grey-green pinnate leaves […]
Have you noticed how sometimes a plant in a pot can set the tone for a whole area in your garden? Drama, charm, colour, fragrance? A perfectly-placed plant in a container can lend the perfect je-ne-sais-quoi that you’re after. But what to choose? We have some ideas for you, but OF COURSE we disagree about what’s hot in […]
Have you got gaps? Have you finally concluded your favourite perennial must have shuffled off during the winter? Are your sunny spots now shady spots beneath spreading trees, or perhaps you realise that between your small and tall plants – there is no mid storey. You have a small window of opportunity to save your summer garden – what are you going […]
For all of us, a perfect day in the garden will be the sum of many little tasks, revelations and modest triumphs that together make our collective hobby so satisfying. But with such contrasting tastes and locations (and, in Caroline’s case, skill levels …) what really constitutes a perfect day in the garden for us […]