Search - Articles

The temperatures are dropping and the hill opposite where I live is a magical mix of golden, yellow, orange and bronze, as all the trees, largely oak and beech, are showing their autumn colours.It is a sight that is a pleasure to see, even though I

For the last few years I've noticed large numbers of harlequin ladybirds (pictured, left) visiting my garden in summer, and then hibernating inside my window frames over winter.The window frames also provide winter shelter for lacewings and many

While the large flower shows are pretty mind-blowing, it's the local flower shows that get me excited about growing plants and vegetables. Many towns and villages have horticultural societies or gardening clubs, which hold at least one flower show a

I've just come back from the supermarket, clutching the normal array of necessities...and three large bottles of gin. No, I've not turned to the bottle; it's sloe gin time and if you're from the supermarket it's the truth, honest!This has been a

, I've bought them from seed catalogues or other garden centre brands and one bag of them filled a large seed tray. This is no longer the case. The spuds are now only available in 2.5kg bags but there is still not enough of them to fill my trays. What

was rather amused to find me wearing a very large woolly jumper, two chunky scarves and a hot water bottle strapped around my middle (I've been suffering from an extremely sore lower back, as well as from the cold, and this really does help to relieve

liquidambar in a large garden or an amelanchier in a smaller space will provide a fiery focal point in your autumn garden for years to come.

, and it seems to produce really miserable-looking plants. Yes, they might be useful if you don't have open ground or a garden, but surely a large pot full of proper, good quality compost is a better option?

in my garden are already under attack. Mullein moth caterpillars can grow to up to 5cm in length. They're greyish in colour with distinct black and yellow markings. You'll often find them on plants in large numbers, but even a few can do a lot

We're getting ready for winter: the chimney has been swept and the logs have been chopped. In the garden the leaves on the trees are starting to turn, marking the beginning of what I hope will be a fabulous display of autumn colour.Now is probably