Search - Articles

and plumsTie in new raspberry canes to support wiresFruit & vegPinch out tomato sideshoots developing from the stemFit automatic vent openers to help control air flow Tie in tomato shoots to their supports, and water dailyGreenhouse 30 minutesDiscover how

by blackspot or rustSet up automatic watering systems for potted plants when going on holidayTop up water levels in ponds and aquatic featuresAround the gardenDeadhead flowers of lady's mantleWater camelliasBuy bulbs for autumn plantingFlowersPick plums

Around the gardenTake cuttings from pansies and violasPot up tender perennials grown outside Prune rambling roses after floweringFlowersFinish summer pruning trained apple and pear treesHarvest apples, pears, plums and gages as they ripenSave seeds from varieties

Parts of my garden have resembled something of a battleground this year. Why is it that all my favourite plants and crops have their very own pest to contend with? Grow lilies and you'll be hard pressed not to find lily beetle munching them. My

shape. Although it is an old variety (1906) its beauty hasn't been eclipsed. Height 1m.Papaver 'Mrs Perry'This slightly washed-out poppy bears the name of the 20th-century artist, who scoured East Anglia in the late 1930s, looking for pale versions

problems affecting fruit bushes and treesGrey mould on soft fruitsApple sooty blotchPeach leaf curlBrown rot on apples, pears and plums

This rich display has plum tones, which will bring comfort and warmth to a cold winter day. It's easy to plant up and will require no additional effort. For an extra splash of colour in late winter and spring, include a few snowdrop or dwarf

by brown rot. They were still delicious, though. The first plums were all harvested yesterday as they too were targeted by wasps.There has been a steady flow of blackbirds into my greenhouse - presumably after the tomatoes. I really adore blackbirds

time, our damson tree has cropped. This seems to have been the best year for growing stone fruit in ages - the crop is enormous. Just today we were harvesting damsons, filling trugs to the brim with soft, superbly tasty fruits. It was worth the wait

This year I'm determined to only grow one variety of tomato. This is because my garden was overrun with tomato plants last year and I couldn't get onto my patio for growing bags and poorly staked cordons. So 2011 will see a more streamlined effort