Search - Articles

After the wet and dismal weekend, I take a tentative stroll in the garden on a clear and bright Tuesday morning, and discover the first newt of the year sitting motionless at the bottom of the pond. I know it has been down there all winter

in many different ways. Do you want a tall standard tree or a dwarf one, a screen of single-stemmed cordons or a beautifully trained espalier? You can even plant an apple tree in a small garden - perhaps fan-trained against a warm wall or fence. Apple

Winter wildlifeMost garden wildlife hibernates over winter, as food is in short supply and freezing temperatures make life difficult. Learn how to help wild creatures through the cold winter months, below.In winter, wild animals and insects hunker

, hordes of them. Now this is a puzzle. I hardly ever see sparrows in London. Admittedly there is a small gang of about a dozen in the block of back gardens in my East Dulwich street. I've come to pay them very close attention because I know sparrows

.Although we've had frogs and toads in the garden for years, they've never bred successfully, and we've never had tadpoles in our small pond. I'm hoping the newts will have better luck. Since I re-made the pond after its leak last year, we've not had much else

, is surrounded by a thick belt of trees that some far-sighted and very sensible forebear planted. This gives the gardens enough shelter from the Atlantic gales to allow all sorts of interesting things to thrive. So far, so good. However, one of the problems

.Native Americans used to place small fish in planting holes and you can get the same effect by burying fish scraps in trenches before planting.Pigeon manure is among the richest of manures and was particularly popular in Persia where they kept pigeon houses

20,000 — so I try to visit as many of them as possible at this time of year. This is partly to see the fruits of all that labour, but also to make notes ready for the next planting season in autumn. Generally, as my family will happily tell you, I am

of Isatis leaves will produce about 2 grams of dye so in order to colour more that a small handkerchief you need to grow a fair few plants. It is a gorgeous colour though.Jekka also told me that, traditionally, there was a fair bit of urine involved

and tolerate more shade than sweet cherries, though beware of claims that they grow well on north-facing walls as they can become spindly. When it comes to planting on an allotment or small space, their size and spread make them ideal.I've ordered a variety