On Sunday I had the chance for a proper sesh down the allotment and it was…
Life in the Treehouse
There are some things I feel people need to know about author and writer Alice Vincent.…
Different ways to grow from seed
I don’t know how it’s happened but I seem to have used up all of my…
Pot’s Growing On? Planting sweetpeas, caring for permanent containers, ferns and dahlias are go
I’ve finally spent a good afternoon in our garden after being super busy with other people’s…
Roundup of glyphosate weed killer research
I’m an organic gardener and avoid using chemicals, I’m particularly guarded around edible crops, such as…
Future Meadow: Winter One
The race to grow is primal in all living things. One of the challenges of planting…
Pot’s Growing On: snowdrops and the great grass migration
February 2019 has shaped up to be beautiful weather wise with warm days of sunshine bringing…
A visit to Writtle University College
Imagine if this were your classroom! I’d never miss a lesson. Every time I visit Writtle…
Banana plants, floral arches, winter cuttings and Cordylines
I’ve been asked by my Instagram and Twitter buddies to explain how to grow bananas and…
My allotment plan for 2019
Hello vegetable fans! Recently I wrote about why I practice crop rotation on my allotment in…
Allotment month 38: don’t beat yourself up if things go wrong
I’ve just had the best day on my allotment for a long time. Zero degrees Celsius,…
How our long border has evolved over time
I’ve been looking back over my old photos while planning our garden for the coming year…
How to take hardwood cuttings for free plants
Many trees and shrubs can be grown from hardwood cuttings, roses being one of the most…
Looking back on a year of vegetables, fruit and edible flowers
I thought I’d share some of my favourite edibles from my allotment, organically grown this year.…
Reflections on another gardening year
2018 was a year in which I’ve been lucky to be washed in an overwhelming “go…
I have a shed!
When I finally settled on my allotment plan three years ago (here is an updated version)…
Pot’s Growing On: experimenting with tender plants outside
Over the last few years I’ve been surprised at the number of tender plants that can…
Grow your own, change YOUR world
I was reading the BBC’s seven charts on climate change article and one major thing scientists…
8 tips to demystify growing Begonias as houseplants
When I first started going to garden events like RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the first thing…
Allotment Month 36: sowing garlic, broad beans, peas and my new compost bins
I’ve hit month 36 in my allotment journal which means I’ve now had it, almost unbelievably,…
Rearrange: the benefit of a patio of pots!
I’ve come over all Mary Poppins this weekend and not just because gusts of wind keep…
Cassa de Serralves, Porto
Earlier this year Chris and I visited Porto, Portugal and during the trip popped to the…
Crocks in pots: what is the myth, that they do or don’t work?
For decades gardeners around the world have added crocks – broken bits of terracotta pot or…
Future Meadow: Autumn One
A seasonal journal of my new experimental planting design I’ve started something that is at one…
Pot’s Growing On in November? Hedging my bets
I’ve been thinking for a while that something is up with our small garden and these…
The gardener who keeps on giving
The first time I met Penny Snell she handed me a glass of wine and a…
Living on a prairie (part 2)
It’s been two years since I started a prairie experiment in a small border on my…
Is this the year we fell in love with Symphyotrichum? Photos from Sussex Prairies
This Autumn everyone I speak to has discovered a love of Symphyotrichum. Or should I say,…
Power of propagation, Ulting Wick (NGS)
I don’t remember when I first started following Philippa Burrough on Twitter. Philippa is the owner, gardener…
Amazing scenes as Porto’s streets are swallowed by Ipomoea
Earlier this year Chris and I visited the cool city of Porto, Portugal. Within the first…
What’s wrong with Verbena bonariensis?
I was going to write about Verbena bonariensis to sing its praises in long periods of…
Allotment Month 34: happy herbal, apple disaster, persistent prairie
Often I beat myself up about the state of my allotment, it never quite looks as…
Pot’s Growing On: plant indoor bulbs for Christmas(ish) colour
It’s the time of year when you can sit back, put your feet up… and pick…
How established should a newly planted garden design be?
When you’re having your garden designed, it’s understandable to want plants to look as established as…
Can you ever have too many plants?
Gardeners are all dreamers, I’m sure of it. We look, we imagine and somehow we become…
Pot’s Growing On: addicted to crazy leaves
Hello loyal reader! (Ignore if first visit or you plan on never returning). In the run…
National Dahlia Society Annual Show 2018, RHS Wisley
Is it just me or are there fewer yellow dahlias at the National Dahlia Society Annual…
An inspiring friend (Scampston Hall, Yorkshire)
Reuniting with a friend at Scampston Hall and being inspired by shrubs and views as much…
Control meadow grass using parasitic yellow rattle, Rhinanthus minor
Many meadows have one problem: overly vigorous grasses. If soil is even a little too rich…
Good husbandry goes a long way in small gardens – The Watch House, Broadstairs
A few weeks ago, the day before we jetted off to Portugal, Chris and I hopped…
Outdoor mini aubergines for pots and containers in small spaces
Here I show you the small aubergine plants I’ve been growing in pots at home and…
Video of giant dahlia ‘Emory Paul’
One of the first dahlias we grew was ‘Emory Paul’ and it’s come back every year…
Why I just chopped off every single dahlia flower
Oh no! What have I done?! Just as my dahlia trial beds on my allotment were…
The law of limiting factors
Everyone is talking about the weather as though we haven’t only just entered mid-Summer. Don’t allow…
Allotment Month 33: today is a good day
This was the best day on the allotment all year, a breeze and drizzle, the air…
From the streets: Porto – city of fusion
Chris and I have been staying in Porto, neither of us having been to Portugal before.…