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Cottage Garden for Edible Crops

By on February 23, 2010 in Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs, Garden Design, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers

The traditional Cottage Garden was a working garden for the growing ornamental and edible crops. Planting included fruit, vegetables and herbs mixed with flowers such as Peonies, Delphiniums and Aquilegia to produce a haven for insects, an eye opener for gardeners and crops for the house. Cottage Fruit Garden Rhubarb would be one of my [...]

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Beginning Gardening Tips on Bulbs for Beginners

By on February 22, 2010 in Flowers and Plants, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers

These short tips are designed to help you avoid failures and give you success without having to worry about too many rights and wrongs. You haven’t missed spring yet but to get going you need a quick win! Quick Wins with Bulbs It is hard to go wrong with bulbs. (The flower is already sealed [...]

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Top Ten Tips for Growing in Pots

By on February 20, 2010 in Gardening, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers, Top Ten Tips

Ten Tips for Growing in Pots and Containers Terracotta is a sympathetic choice for containers in your garden. They are also porous and let in air and allow plant roots to cool through evaporation. Try several pots of the same size and or shape in a group (I like ‘long tom’ pots). Planted with Agrostis [...]

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Growing Pots of Grass

By on February 19, 2010 in Gardening, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers, Tips for Growing Series, Tips Hints and Ideas

This is not an injunction to grow Pot, Hash, Skunk, Kief, or Marijuana all correctly forms of Canabis sativa relatives of which produce hemp. Rather my suggestion is to use a  pot or container to grow a collection of Grasses. Contrasting colours, textures, habits and heights will provide long lasting interest. The grasses will be [...]

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St Valentine’s Flowers but Aubretia?

By on February 14, 2010 in Alpine Garden, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so keep an eye open for unusual sights on the 14th February. Rather than Roses or posies this Aubretia plant has decided to grow a heart shape all of its own. Aubretia is a compact low growing plant that flourishes on walls and rockeries in full sun. [...]

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Corms for Beginners

By on February 11, 2010 in Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers

Crocus and Gladioli are easy plants to grow from corms. Plant some ‘Glads’ in March for summer flowering and some Crocus in Autumn for next spring. You may even find some Crocus in pots that will flower now and can then be planted out for next spring. What is a Corm? Corms are (underground) stems [...]

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Grow Green Tulips

By on February 10, 2010 in Flowers and Plants, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers, Tips for Growing Series

Take a note book when you visit a spring garden and record the plants you want to grow for next year. When the Tulips are in flower look for those with a green band particularly on the outer petals as this adds a new dimension to your traditional tulip. Types of Green Tulips Viridiflora Tulips [...]

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Acid or Alkaline Soil Improvers

By on February 6, 2010 in Flowers and Plants, Garden Equipment Tips, Gardeners, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers, Pests, Problems and Health

Acidity and alkalinity are measured on a pH scale. Below pH 7.0 is verging towards acidic so pH 4.5 is very acid. Test kits are available from many sources. Increasing Alkalinity. For vegetables a pH of around 6.5 is ideal and to achieve this it may be necessary to add some lime into the top [...]

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Beginners Seed Tips

By on February 4, 2010 in Flowers and Plants, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers

Easy Annuals ‘Fairy Mixed‘    by Thompson Morgan Beginners and novices can grow some colourful annuals quickly and cheaply. If the packet instructions says ‘can be sown direct outdoors then do so when the soil warms up.  If you want to get a quick start use a tray on a warm window ledge. Starting  with [...]

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Gardening Jargon Busting

By on February 3, 2010 in Gardening, Novice Gardeners Advice and Pointers

Mulch A product put around the roots and base of a plant to retain moisture and stop soil erosion. Inert material like gravel or glass beads may be appropriate for some circumstance whilst bark chippings, peat substitute or compost is often used. Compost This term confusingly covers two items. Firstly compost made from rotted down [...]

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