When we talk about poppies we usually think of the scarlet poppies in a cornflower meadow or of the big, blousy oriental poppies in sunny borders, but there are poppies for many different garden situations, even damp woodlands. What almost all have in common is a set of delicate, crushed silk petals, colorful and beautiful …
10 of the best poppy varieties that grow in all types of soil Read More »
Hedges Lilacs naturalize easily and spring often inside these decorative renegades jostling among the feral hoi polloi of hazel and willow. In a garden setting, likewise, they can be added quite easily to a mixed hedge or used as a densely planted single variety screen; try the upright S. x chinensis ‘Saugeana’ (above), or ‘Prince …
The best lilacs to plant for a frothy, fragrant spring Read More »
In this organically principled garden, the head gardener Rosie Fyles uses bright Darwin hybrids in sunny borders, but subtler green-streaked viridifloras ‘Spring Green’ and ‘Night Rider’ in semi-shade (nationaltrust.org.uk; 020 8940 1950). Rosie’s tip Small species tulips jewel on the grass here, with crocus and muscari. The foliage is left for two months or more, …
Top tips from the tulip festivals and where to see tulips at their best Read More »
Soil enhances flavor To start, we rolled down the sides of the compost bags to half their height and pierced the bottom for drainage; we then half-filled the bag with compost mixed with one third molehills (or a soil-based compost such as John Innes No 2) to about a depth of 12in. Using soil enhances …
Claus Dalby, 58, is a Danish publisher, floral artist and celebrity gardener with an enviable sense of style. Often described as Scandinavia’s answer to Martha Stewart, Dalby has a worldwide fan base, with 33,500 subscribers to the English version of his YouTube channel and 428,000 followers on Instagram (where he is @clausdalby). A household name …
Claus Dalby, the Danish gardening guru: ‘I curate my flowers like a couture collection’ Read More »
“Chitting” is laying the seed potatoes out, eyes upright, in a light, cool but frost-free place at about 10C to bring them into growth early. There is a great debate about the necessity of chitting, but it does seem to produce a quicker and slightly larger crop. It gets early varieties off to a flying …
Having failed to persuade someone more adept to drill a hole in the floor above my old balcony, and yet to work out where to place one in the new garden, my hanging basket remains shed-bound. So I asked a couple of gardeners who have mastered the form for advice. Isabelle Palmer is the woman …
How to create the perfect hanging basket, and the best flowers to plant in them Read More »
If you’re looking to get into gardening, you’ll definitely need to find the perfect pots for your plant babies. Arguably, the now daunting part of moving from a balcony to a garden was watching the former be packed into the back of a removal van. It was not my first rodeo: three years earlier I’d …
For a man in charge of RHS Wisley’s 240 acres, transforming his rental garden was not a steep learning curve. Nevertheless, Pottage has had a few surprises. “I’d not realize how much enjoyment we’d get from such a small space or how much wildlife we’d attract. We have birds on our feeders all the time. …
Beltone brought it for you – a leader hearing health care. Ken Lain of the Watters Garden Center in Prescott, Arizona shared the seven-plant title last Friday. Here are the details of growing mint julep juniper! This updated Chinese juniper has bright mint green foliage that appears in an arcuate shape. One of the most …
