Evergreens play a vital role in the garden at any time of year – but it is in winter when they perform at their best. They become the ‘back bone’ in our borders and give them shape and structure when everything else around them has died back and lost it’s leaves. Many people find them … Continue reading »
All gardens look drab in the winter but adding extra colour is easy. There are flowers, ornametal stems and berries that all look fantastic at this time of year and will give you and your garden a boost. Top of my list to plant in any garden for their coloured ornamental stems are Cornus. They come in … Continue reading »
Adding winter interest to a garden is not difficult you just need to adapt a different way of thinking. Don’t think flower – think texture and colour instead. Grasses ooze texture and planted in bold groups either on their own or within a border the effect can be stunning. Add to that a covering of … Continue reading »
Winter and stew are two words that go together in our house. As the weather gets colder and the days become greyer the need for comfort food rises. Root vegetables are at their best now and we are busy digging swede and turnip from our Hitchin allotment. Turnip is an easy vegetable to grow and will … Continue reading »
If you have a small garden deciding which tree to plant can sometimes be difficult. Any tree you do choose should look good throughout the seasons – rewarding you with spring blossom, fruit and great autumn colour. Malus do all of these things and one of my favourites to use as a garden designer is … Continue reading »
If you’re a bean fan like me have a go at growing these ‘Cobra Beans’. They are a stringless climbing french bean that crops prolifically! We’ve been growing them on our Hitchin allotment sucessfully for a number of years. In fact we probably prefer them now to runner beans. I sow the seed in April … Continue reading »
Many hours spent in the garden and on our Hitchin allotment mean my gardening gloves get a severe hammering. I was bought my first pair of ‘Gold Leaf Dry Touch’ gloves a few years ago as a present and I’ve been hooked ever since. They’re made with beautifully soft leather that in time moulds to … Continue reading »
Of all the architectural plants available alliums are for me the stars of the show. I love everything about them – their colour, shape, vertical nature and amazing seed heads. Whatever size garden you have there is an allium to suit as they can grow anywhere in height between 30cm -200cm. I think another key to their … Continue reading »
This weekend we harvested our broad beans from our Hitchin allotment. Thanks to the recent rain that had fallen the beans had swollen beautifully and we had a ‘bumper crop’ this year. Everyone took a turn at snapping the pods and removing the beans ready for me to put in the freezer. We tried growing … Continue reading »
An architectural giant in the garden and one that ticks a lot of boxes for me as a designer is this one – Sambucus nigra (black elder). In flower now and looking striking with it’s lacy black foliage it makes a real focal point in a sunny border. Sambucus Nigra (balck elder) Bred from our … Continue reading »
