Our blazing August continues in the south. Many of us are now finding that we are having to make tough decisions about what to water with cans, and what will just have to be sacrificed – at least for this year. But even in extreme weather, there are jobs to be done like trimming evergreen […]
Shrubs Buddleia – their flowering period may be a bit truncated but they seem happy to give it a go Callistemon, bottle brush, a bit of a marmite shrub due to its spiky foliage, but definitely a heat lover. Caryopteris – welcome pale blue flowers at the end of the summer Cistus – should be […]
There have been some extremes of weather in many necks of many woods this summer, have there not! Two of the3Growbags have been dealing with weeks of drought and heat. Caroline has contended with something altogether WETTER in her Highland realm but given the steep topography of her garden we still let her contribute to this […]
Clematis ‘Huldine’ has been around for a while; it was raised in France in the 1900s and then apparently was given to William Robinson at Gravetye Manor, where Ernest Markham was head gardener for a time. Hardy, robust and strong growing (it can attain 4 metres), it’s a good choice to grow through a small […]
Once we reach August, I always feel like the year is speeding up – the summer is rushing by too fast! We need more time to appreciate the lazy, hazy, crazy days! But while we are trying to find moments to appreciate high summer, there are also some jobs that need doing like pruning rambler roses […]
It really is HIGH SUMMER now, and dozens of the early summer shrubs – philadelphus, weigela, deutzia, rubus , etc. etc. have done their thing already. So this week we 3Growbags are discussing one of the few shrub species that will fill the garden with gorgeous colour and form in July and August. Hydrangeas, of course! […]
Prairie mallow ‘Elsie Heugh’ – A cool customer this one, and that’s quite something to be able to say after the week we’ve had! Yet how often have I read that sidalceas prefer moist but well drained soil in full sun – surely this is wishful thinking for most of us? As gardeners we just do what we can, and I put its fresh and happy demeanour down to a good layer […]
Wow – we’ve certainly had some hot weather this week! We got into the habit of getting out into the garden early, working till lunchtime and then scuttling inside to escape the heat during the afternoons. I expect you’ve been doing some sun-dodging too, though I have heard from Caroline that raincoats are still required […]
A flat garden, like having straight hair, would be a blessing according to Caroline. What do you think? If you feel that you too could create a Sissinghurst or Dixter if only your garden wasn’t at a 45 degree angle or plagued by episodes of mounds and dips, you’re about to be inspired. You’ll realise that […]
Miller abutilon We are now in full blown summer, and anything grows! Abutilons have a habit of grabbing your attention because the flowers are so exotic and so copiously produced; some of them also have the ability to flower well into October and even November. You may not be familiar with the many different colours they come in; from pure white through pale mauve, bluey purple, pink, peachy, to many shades […]
July and the garden can let rip! Flowers and foliage and vegetables are busting out all over the place, and if we’ve been diligent about considering wildlife in our plant-choices and care, our gardens are full of all sorts of pollinating insects to help birds, frogs, hedgehogs etc. too. But there are still jobs to […]
How much colour can you cope with in your summer perennial beds? Do you want dependable blocks of primary colours, something a bit more subtle, or total bling (yes you’ve guessed – Caroline). This week we’re running through some of the plants that give each of us that colour-fix in July with a few tips […]
false mallow syn. Malvastrum lateritium In 1987, when I attended a course in garden design at the Chelsea Physic Garden, James Compton was the head gardener, and in the same year he published a book called ‘Success with Unusual Plants’. I love this book: it’s full of interesting and unfamiliar plants, amongst which is Modiolastrum […]
Flaming June, and it’s National Afternoon Tea Week, so let’s celebrate both this weekend! We’ll have a delicious cuppa and a scone with friends and family in a flowery corner of the garden…..aaaahhh…. But hang on. There are some jobs that we need to do first. We want to keep the display going right on […]
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 […]
Also known as rose ‘Madame Boll’ I’m sure we’d all agree that the month of June is synonymous with roses. So many to choose from, but in our garden at least, seriously few places left to grow new ones; so a few years ago we did our research and even went to the Royal National Rose Society Gardens, near St Alban’s, to help us make our choice. (Sadly, the gardens went into administration in 2017 […]
The great Platinum Jubilee is here at last! I’ve the added excitement/stress of opening the garden for the National Garden Scheme this weekend as well, so it’s going to be…….busy round here. If you think you need a break from four days of partying under the bunting, here are a few ideas for gardening tasks […]
Jurassic waterfalls, a garden made of random non-essential walls and the top prize going controversially to a reproduction of a piece of scruffy British countryside – it must be Chelsea Flower Show and we absolutely loved it! The party atmosphere on this final Saturday of Chelsea is an annual ‘must’ for us. All other priorities….husbands, […]
I have to confess that I was never a big fan of geums until I came across ‘Totally Tangerine’ growing in a friend’s garden. That year I visited her a few times during the spring and summer and each time I went I was more and more impressed by it: it was always in flower, upright, taller than most (80-90 cms), healthy, and just glowed! This beautiful orange cultivar is sterile, which means […]
It’s nearly Chelsea Flower Show time – woo hoo! There’s more than a frisson of horticultural excitement in the air: what will the big stories be this year? We 3Growbags will all be there together on the final day (brace yourselves everyone!), so we’ll be chatting about it all in our blog on Sunday rather […]
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘poppy’? Is it the beautiful swathes of red field poppies (Papaver rhoeas) that germinated in the churned-up battlegrounds of Flanders and became such a symbol of remembrance and hope? Or perhaps it’s the powder-puff flowers of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) with their wonderful seedheads so beloved of […]
Shinyleaf yellowhorn, Chinese flowering chestnut What wouldn’t I do for The3Growbags? Last week we had scaffolding against the house and normally I wouldn’t be seen anywhere near a ladder above six feet, let alone stand on six-metre-high scaffolding, but one morning I glanced up and there was the captivating sight of Xanthoceras sorbifolium in full flower. And it was spectacular! I realised that here was an opportunity that rarely occurs. So I crawled out of our […]
What a fabulous month May is! Everything is shooting up and there’s bright fresh growth in every corner of the garden or the countryside. But there’s a whole raft of work to be done while you’re drifting round the garden smiling at all the spring gorgeousness. That includes some more seed-sowing and dealing with the […]
This historic Coronation weekend, we want to say thank you to our wonderful subscribers whose company really makes The3Growbags’ blog what it is. So we’re running a free competition for subscribers to win a £50 voucher in our fabulous online shop Just email us at The3Growbags@gmail.com with the words CORONATION COMPETITON in the subject line. […]
We are into full garden-visiting time now – hurray! And it’s our mission this week to encourage everyone to get out there and explore some spring gardens, big or small – Covid restrictions have been lifted, the tulips and peonies are smiling, and there is cake to be munched! How do you go about it? Step […]
Cut-leaf crabapple Sometimes, quite unexpectedly you come across a plant that is so stunning, it becomes etched into your memory, and this exceptional tree is just one of those. I first saw it at RHS Wisley; it was autumn, and we were wandering through the model gardens (possibly they no longer feature there now?), when I turned a corner and saw this perfect picture of glowing autumn colour in the late afternoon sunshine. Its golden yellow leaves […]
What a thrill it is to see all my baby plants suddenly realising the fun of life and shooting up out of their pots and trays! Oh yes, that does mean that they all need moving into bigger spaces …the work is piling up….. This week, we’ll also be tidying up winter jasmine, propagating thyme, […]
‘Gardening for Wildlife’ is a wonderful concept and one we should all be embracing, but where to start? Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and our advice is to focus on some simple steps to encourage particular groups to start with. So this week we 3Growbags are going to take it in turns to […]
snake’s head fritillary Our snake’s head fritillaries have been in flower for weeks and it’s been a bumper year. In early spring as the narrow grass-like leaves emerge in long grass, they can be hard to spot, but these bulbous perennials are tough and reliable,despite their fragile looking appearance. Opinions vary as to whether it’s a British native or not, but there are sites […]
Busting out all around us now, spring in all its excitement and hopefulness! It’s all systems go, go, go in the veg patch (did you see my article in the April issue of Garden Answers, by any chance? We 3Growbags got very over-excited about that!), and a mountain of other tasks such as thinning out […]
There is simply nothing as dependable as a hardy geranium! We’re talking here of the rugged, low-growing, outdoor types rather than their glamorous cousins, the pot plant pelargoniums. Now is the perfect time to plant them. Or better still, put a quick spade through your neighbour’s and get a division for your own garden! You […]
Arrowwood ‘Diana’ I can forgive a plant almost anything if it has a good scent, and this gorgeous shrub reminds me that we are in full spring mode, it’s no longer late winter even if the weather is trying to tell us otherwise at the moment! The waxy flowers of Viburnam carlesii ‘Diana’ are rosy red in bud, opening to pink, and then fading to white as they age; they are exceptionally fragrant, and therefore worth planting […]
Spring has well and truly popped its cork now – hurray! But oh boy! Suddenly there is not enough time in the day – lucky the clocks go forward this weekend, and we can stay out there a bit longer in the evenings…..let’s get on with planning our pots for summer, putting in supports for […]
Get your patio ready for a sizzling summer. The3Growbags are giving away this fabulous Thompson & Morgan patio pack to one lucky winner. Worth over £35 you’ll be getting a fresh collection of Clematis ‘Little Lemons’; Fuchsia ‘Tom West’ and the adorable Sunflowers Sunbelievable ‘Brown Eyed Girl’. Imagine relaxing on a warm evening surrounded by […]
This week we are all about prepping our gardens for the razzmatazz of spring and summer ahead! Come on, no more shilly-shallying – we need to get OUT THERE. These are the jobs we are determined to tackle right now, and we think you should too……… It’s me, the proper gardener, up first this week. I […]
Sibthorp primrose This little beauty can be ignored no longer. It started coming into flower in early February, and every time I pass it, I think to myself what an absolute joy it is; not shouty but quite unmissable. Despite its diminutive size – a scant ten centimetres high – it has proven robust, tolerant, and long lived, and over the summer months it disappears from […]