Every fortnight Elaine provides seasonal tips and advice about gardening jobs that we could be getting on with as we go through the year.
Things must be stirring now, even in the coldest gardens! Shoots popping up all over the place, birds starting to sing like they really mean it, some genuine warmth in the sunshine – lovely! But we must get BUSY now – reinvigorating the borders, controlling the mint and getting the cannas going for starters… Prepping your summer […]
Wonderful! It’s March. It’s seed-sowing time! It’s time to get started on all sorts of flower and veg seeds. Sowing your own will save you a FORTUNE on plant-buying and give you a bucketful of satisfaction and joy into the bargain. Let’s also take some crazy-simple cuttings, sort out the dogwoods, and tidy the ferns too… Feeling […]
Not sure about you, but I’m beginning to long for some brighter, warmer, drier spring days! Caroline in the far north has had cold but lovely sunny weather, surely there is something better on the horizon for us in the south? Still, there are tasks to be getting on with in the meantime, such as putting […]
It always feels such a long cold time until February, doesn’t it! But it’s here now, and by the end of this short month, spring will be waving a tentative ‘Hello!’ from every corner. We hope. Plenty to get on with now though in preparation for that, like re-vamping your borders, mulching pots, and dividing some succulents… […]
The middle of January and we gardeners are all the same. Our fingers are already itching to get started on our 2025 garden! Recent severe weather might have kept us indoors, but it’s time to get weaving. How about trying some cuttings in water, sowing some seeds, and pruning some shrubs ………. Cuttings in water Regular […]
Happy New Year! Are you starting 2025 bursting with good intentions for your garden? So am I! Things are pretty quiet out there at the moment. But there are still tasks to do that will pave the way to your best ever gardening year. How about sorting out that junk-filled shed, persuading the chillies to get through the […]
The mad mayhem of Christmas is nearly upon us now! But try to find time between gift-wrapping and writing grocery lists for a little horticulture. How about looking after your pot-plants? Or planning your sweet pea campaign? Maybe even planting some blackcurrant bushes… I’m not much of a house-plant gal as a rule – un-trendy to […]
I’ve discovered an amazing new way to grow sweet peas that is better for the plants and better for the planet. I love growing sweet peas and always start them off indoors in late winter/very early spring to be planted outdoors in early May once the weather warms up. I’m trying to move away from […]
The winter weather has set in good and proper. You are starting a quiet panic about Secret Santas, food shopping and impossible-to-buy-for relatives…. Better turn to some calming horticultural jobs while you can, like sorting out your seed packets, compiling a festive pot or maybe writing your own Dear Father Christmas list… Sorting seeds This is […]
We’ve got some colder weather round the corner now, all right! But here I am telling you to tear yourself away from the cosy TV winter schedules, put your woollies on and get stuck into some gardening jobs! Make sure all your tender plants are taken care of. Check stored fruit. Or perhaps plan for […]
Optimise the potential of your garden this month
Mid-October and the pricey festive season is just around the next corner. Have you got a massive gift-buying list facing you? It can be hard to find the dosh for plants for yourself, but in autumn, there are cheap ways to solve this… End-of-season sales, etc. First things first. Shops are clearing their aisles ready for […]
How grateful we’ve been for some bright calm days this week, as we get on with the big autumn garden-tidy! Cutting back, deadheading, path-clearing and mulching are all more enjoyable if it’s not actually TEEMING with rain! There are plenty of other good jobs to be doing too, such as putting in a new hedge, […]
We have had just some seriously blowy interludes here – tail-end of Storm Boris, apparently (no barracking at the back, please) – and it’s a reminder that the year is moving on apace. The autumnal vibe means there’s all sorts of prep to be done in the garden before the cold sets in, including sowing […]
The summer fun has died down, the children are back in school, and there is suddenly plenty to do in the garden again. Lots of tidying of course, but other tasks as well such as sowing a green manure, tidying the climbing roses and assessing your garden tool collection… Tooling up Have you ever watched […]
August Bank Holiday has come racing along, hasn’t it! And for many of us gardeners it heralds fading colours, waving seedheads and too much blackspot. But wait a minute…there are autumn beauties just around the corner! And in the meantime, let’s take stock, make a few cuttings, and harvest the apples…… Softwood cuttings The salvias have been […]
The changeable weather this summer has certainly kept the grass green and growing! Along with keeping that under control, there are plenty of other gardening tasks to keep us busy such as sowing perennial seeds, harvesting spuds, or propagating succulents… Sowing perennials The main seed-sowing season is well-and-truly over of course, but August and September […]
We’ve given up expecting a prolonged spell of warm weather this summer, haven’t we? But the dates march on just the same, and August is just around the corner. Help! Still so much to do, so let’s get on with neatening paths, harvesting courgettes and deadheading all the summer bedding, amongst other jobs…. Finding the […]
When is this weather going to cheer up?! I know we all moan like crazy when it gets too hot, but more than two sunny days together would be welcome at the moment. The grey, damp skies may be dismal for us, but there are hundreds of plants revelling in it. And that means there’s plenty of work […]
Cold pelting rain to stifling, breathless heat within a day – honestly, if our gardens are not confused by now, then I certainly am! Still, that’s what we love about our changeable climate. Isn’t it?! When we are not talking about the weather, there are still gardening jobs to be done – we must cut back hardy […]
Ooooh, it’s still pretty chilly, isn’t it! But at least we’ve all seen a bit more of the sun this month. And there are a lot more flowers everywhere – hurray! No resting on our laurels yet though. There are jobs to do, like sharpening up the evergreens, pruning the fruit trees, and dead-heading the […]
‘Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June’. A.L. Bernstein had it right – June is a huge compensation for losing all the bright freshness of early spring, with its offering of swags of roses, and carpets of hardy geraniums, daisies or poppies. But it’s a very busy month for the gardener too, and […]
Hurray, hurray, hurray, it’s May!!! Spring has sprung everywhere in the UK now, and we can simply revel in the tender new tree foliage and all the freshness of the season. But while we are celebrating spring, there are jobs to get done, such as planting summer bulbs and beans, keeping an eye on the roses, […]
Are you struggling with a cold and wet Spring where you are? You’re not alone. Laura and I visited our younger sister Caroline in the Scottish Highlands this week where there is still snow on the hills. But plants are still responding to the longer daylight hours and there was plenty to do. We put […]
How are your to-do lists going?! Every April, I start out with a dozen things on mine, I slog away all day in the garden, potting shed or greenhouse, and by the evening, the list hasn’t shortened at all – because I’ve added a dozen more tasks….! Let’s get on with a few – weeding, […]
It’s Easter weekend – wow, that’s come up fast, hasn’t it! The gardens about to go into overdrive, and you might have to, as well! There are barely enough hours in the day for all the jobs that need attention, so let’s get on with spreading fertiliser, mulching, and planting potatoes for starters… Making free […]
Aarrggh! All of a sudden it’s mid-March and the gardening jobs are multiplying as the big growing season gets under way. It’s exciting too, though! Here are a few ideas to spur you into action – rose-pruning, spring planting, potting on seedlings and lots more……. How to prune bush roses My main task for March is completing all the […]
I can’t help feeling excited now March is here! colour and life are returning all around us, and the songbirds are revving up their glorious spring voices. And what they’re telling us is to get a move on! The gardening jobs are multiplying rapidly, from pruning clematis and blackcurrants to tidying ferns, starting off shallots and […]
Here we are on the brink of another thrilling spring garden season! Shakespeare’s Henry V had the words for it: “I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon the start. The game’s afoot..” But are we REALLY ready? This week’s tips are mostly about prepping for the manic deluge of horticultural tasks […]
Hurray! That’s dreary old January out the way. By the time we get to the end of February there will little signs of approaching spring everywhere, even if there are still some cold blasts to come. So let’s welcome in February by doing some cheering jobs like potting up primroses, sowing broad beans and beautifying tree-bark, amongst […]
Things are turning a bit nippy, aren’t they, even down here on the balmy south coast! Frankly, it’s a welcome relief after all the endless rain. This may be the quieter side of the year horticulturally speaking, but there are still jobs to do like making more shrubs for free, tending your garden furniture and planting […]
Arghh, will it ever stop raining?! It’s been a very wet and windy start to the New Year here and in many other parts of the country. It’s not tempting to get out into the garden in such miserable weather, but there are jobs calling, such as releasing lawn compaction and tidying the base of trees, […]
You definitely need a break from all the present-buying, list-making, baking and strategic planning required in mid-December! So relax for a while and choose some beautiful foliage to make your home a green haven this Christmas, as well as thinking about our precious songbirds over winter, and perhaps a little gentle pruning………. Creating a festive […]
It’s a funny thing but each year the whole Christmas shenanigans seems to begin earlier in direct correspondence to the older you become! Take a break from the list-making, pudding-stirring and sock-buying and get on with a few gardening tasks, such as planting lilies, prepping herbs for winter use, and earthing up the cabbages… Lovely […]
Late autumn and the leaves are turning colour and falling fast now. Winter’s on its way, but that’s no reason to hang up your trowel and gardening coat till spring – No, no, no, there’s work to be done! Let’s plant tulips, clean up the paths and mulch the beds for starters… Planting tulips It’s […]
Whoa! We have all had some VERY rough weather this autumn, haven’t we! I hope your outdoor spaces have survived the onslaught of wind and rain. There are tasks we can do to make our gardens more resilient against wild weather so let’s get on with cutting back roses and other shrubs, as well as sorting out […]