February 2011

Borders must be bonkers, a bulging mass of colour and foliage merging into one. Creating and working borders is tremendous fun and hugely gratifying. As an added bonus, the degree of work required seems to diminish as the maturing plants crowd out stubborn weeds, leaving us gardeners the jobs we love; planting, propagating, splitting, repositioning where required to improve the overall effect. Our gardening venture started with the renovation of [...]

Still too often, a passion for gardening is met by giggles and blank stares. Why is it that gardening still seems to be viewed as something to do when one is retired? Revealing my age is certainly not on the cards, but I am certainly nowhere in that category. Why does one garden? Passion for growing when young perhaps. In my case, that could not be further from the truth. [...]

My mind is made up. After weeks of fastidious pondering, the design for this year’s kitchen garden is final. Hopefully, it will be successful as I have (be it possibly presumptuous) included perennial vegetables (Rhubarb, Horseradish, Asparagus, Welsh Onion, Elephant Garlic and Artichokes) for longevity. Apart from long term structure and delectable produce; these plants provide lovely foliage and allure. Last years design was very simple, linear, using solely the [...]

Are you at all like me? With the end of the month nearing, the eagerly awaited garden glossies come through the letterbox, just too much excitement for any normal person to fathom. I usually start by flicking through in a mad rage to scan and take in as much as possible, prioritising areas of interest. The small print does eventually come to light, although admittedly at a gentler pace over [...]