Search - Articles

their prejudices: I, too, dismissed all hanging baskets and garishly coloured window boxes as tasteless and vulgar.But a couple of years ago, brothers and sisters, I saw the light. No matter how much I disliked the colour combinations I could not deny the fact

on a frosty day is one of the greatest pleasures. The winter is when evergreens come into their own and the frost just makes yews look even better. Hedges seem to be draped with diamonds and the shiny leaves of box glisten. There is not a great deal

'. A pack of two plump, healthy lily bulbs — it's important to check if they're firm and healthy — cost £1.99. I reasoned that three packs wouldn't break the bank, and would be sufficient for me to create the lily feature I was dreaming of.Each lily

tray to keep moist. Within weeks beautiful well-rooted plants had developed, ready for planting directly outside without risk of disturbing the rootball.Following this success I've tried growing other crops in newspaper pots, including beans

.'Quail'At 20cm high this May-flowering jonquil type is so small it needs to be planted where you can see it - in window boxes and pots. It's extremely fragrant so position it where you will be able to smell it.'Sweetness'More on growing daffodilsHow to force

Ornamental grasses at ChelseaUndemanding and very rewarding to grow, we've selected a range of the best grasses, sedges and rushes on show at the Chelsea Flower Show 2008.If you're looking for a grass that performs well in dry shade, try Amenanthele

settle down by the Christmas tree, and while the kids enjoy the repeats on television I can get down to the serious business of writing my seed orders for 2008. And what a year it's going to be if the seed catalogues are to be believed.Many seed companies

the garden centre, ready to plant.Plant them 10cm apart (15cm if you want bigger onions) and keep them well watered in dry weather. Onions don't like growing in recently manured ground, but they do like fairly rich soil, so if you have any home-made compost

I have just got back from a thoroughly blissful week on the Isle of Colonsay. The more observant readers among you will have noticed that I have blogged about Colonsay in previous years: here are my 2007 and 2008 holiday blogs. This year the weather

of year. I’d start sowing now but I don’t want weak, leggy, light-starved plants.I’ve never had a blank canvas for a garden before. It’s not a big garden, but there’s room enough for a few mistakes. I’ll be growing most plants from seed, and scrounging