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.
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 […]
We had a great time at the final day of RHS Chelsea yesterday! Loved the colour and the ‘real gardens for real people’ vibe. Gone was the weighty ‘message-heavy’ proliferation of stinging nettles; in were tinkling streams and heart-stopping colour and texture combinations. Obviously we three had our own opinions on the particular highlights and […]
Hi-Viz vests are reaching saturation point on Chelsea embankment as organisers cock the starting pistol on the Greatest Flower Show in the World aka Chelsea. The RHS’s overall theme of ‘Your space, your story’ leaves the field wide open for garden designers to go all ways – and they’re not missing the opportunity, so buckle […]
Lots of lovely plants in your garden ? Great! But how are you going to help them give you your best summer flowering ev…er? We 3Growbags have a few ideas to share with you (be prepared for some dramatic differences according to location and attitude). I reckon that looking after the plants in your garden […]
A late Easter can be a joyous thing, especially if it’s preceded by a fortnight of gorgeous weather! All the spring flowers are leaping up and we each have our favourites to enchant us while we munch Hot Cross Buns and shameful amounts of chocolate.. Ah, spring is such a lovely time of year – […]
This week we three are picking out the vegetables that we think are really worth the effort of growing. Elaine, as a great all-round gardener, is speaking from personal experience, Laura finds vegetable-growing a bit too mundane, but still has opinions on what is most rewarding for her long-suffering husband to grow. And Caroline – […]
This week we are all primed for action! Not for planting things though, but digging things out! Are there plants or features in your garden that need a severe culling before you achieve that dream? We 3Growbags have certainly got a few and are ready to harden our hearts and wield that machete…… First up […]
We’re all about hellebores this week! We have our favourites of course, but in amongst the hundreds of varieties now available, we have also found some horrors (though of course we don’t always agree on which ones!)…. Did you know the latest fad is to have freckles tattooed over your nose? I hated mine when I was young but freckles […]
Whoo hoo it’s nearly time to get cracking on your sweet pea journey! There must be a reason why sweet peas beat roses in a recent poll on the UK’s favourite flower. Personally I think it’s because there is a degree of skill needed to grow them, (which would also explain why Caroline has varying success […]
Nothing gets the Growbags’ juices flowing like an early preview of all the new horticultural innovations coming our way this year. So an invitation to the annual Garden Press Event even flushed Caroline out of her Highland hideaway and down to Islington this week (although she nearly got sent straight back to Scotland when she […]
Still too cold and wet to get stuck into any serious practical work outside, now is the time for dreaming up new features for your garden. Our advancing age (now combined 207 years) appears to have engendered a certain dottiness in our respective plans for 2025, but we’ll let you be the judge of our […]
What a pleasure annual flowers can be! From seed to glorious blooming in one year, they represent one of the miracles of plant growth. If you’re planning what to grow this year, we have 10 ideas for you…… No, I love the simple pot marigolds, with their bright cheery faces and their propensity to spread seeds […]
Hands up if you’ve ever bought a plant simply because of its name…….not just us then! This week we’re owning up to being seduced into plant purchases based largely on what’s written on their label. Expect a proliferation of Greek goddesses and literary national treasures from Elaine, some eclectic offerings from Laura. Caroline? No doubt […]
It’s Christmas! Here at last after all that crazy build-up! As usual, we have temporarily hung up our writing quills and devised a quiz for you. Pour yourself a cuppa (or a glass of mulled wine), snaffle a mince pie or three, grab a pencil and paper and have a go at these puzzlers. And if you […]
Here are the answers to our Christmas Gardening Quiz. A. ANIMAL WORD SAFARI: (Mole,) MALE, HALE, (Hare,) HALE, GALE, GALL, (Gull,) CULL, CULT, COLT, (Coot), COAT, GOAT, GOAD, (Toad), WOAD, WORD, (Worm) (13 marks) B. GARDENS IN A MUDDLE: C. GARDEN TRIVIA D. PLANT ID: E. CROSSWORD: Hope you all did fantastically well! MERRY CHRISTMAS […]
What do you wear when you head out to the garden? If only our hobby was like fishing or cycling with a ‘go to’ uniform, we’d know far better what to put on our Christmas list, although frankly The3Growbags in skin-tight lycra? 🫣 That said, the floral, floaty outfits often favoured by Gardener’s World presenters […]
Help! Our gardens have descended into a wintery mess haven’t they? We can’t be the only ones wandering around dismal piles of sodden vegetation where once our summer garden was in rollicking full sail. It’s now that evergreens can come to the rescue. Like the bowls of cheese’n onion crisps that you don’t notice till all the chilli […]