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’t need to lift a finger. Automatic watering systems take the strain, leaving the busy gardener with time to tie in leading stems, pinch out side shoots and check for pests, and not lug endless watering cans into the greenhouse.I haven't checked

garden to look good, and for neighbouring plants to complement one another.Walking through my garden this week I was struck by its freshness following a shower. Doesn't rain transform the colour and vigour of plants in a way simply watering by hand never

What a spring we're having. Provisional Met Office reports suggest April was the warmest on record. It was also the 11th driest, based on average rainfall across the UK. Scotland's rainfall has been 110% above normal levels, while the South-East has

failed again).The temperature has been so high during the day that I’ve had to remove the lids from two propagators, to prevent them from ‘boiling’ the seedlings. I keep a couple of watering cans close by, as the plants are guzzling water

I know that gardeners in other areas of the country have been blessed with proper, sustained downpours, but no such luck here. My only experience of rain in recent weeks was during a (very enjoyable) visit to Garden Show Ireland at Hillsborough

Has the snow been a good or bad thing for our gardens? Well, probably a bit of both, but I do live in hope that the cold weather has helped kill off a few garden pests. We've all had our fair share of snow over the past couple of weeks, with varying

, and not by the gardener. However, the cold has used the skeleton of my creation to produce something unique.Spend a few minutes enjoying the scene before temperatures rise, and it's gone!Don't forget to get out each morning with a kettle of boiling water to melt ice

Yesterday at a Gardeners' Question Time recording it was amazing to hear that Eric's Cumbrian plot had only had 5cm of snow. Not so here in Hampshire. The snow is 45-60cm deep and the icicles more than 1m long!What have I been up to during the snowy

in urban areas where parking spaces are at a premium and there's a lack of availability of public transport. The popularity of low-maintenance gardens among the time-poor is also a factor. The RHS estimates around 12 square miles of London are lost

, but it is still fun to watch. The garden will be open for the National Gardens Scheme next June (I will try to remind you nearer the time).As the ground is so wet, we have the luxury of not having to worry too much about water supply as it just gushes out