Make a Christmas wreath for your front door
Make a Christmas wreath for your front door and welcome your festive guests in style. It’s easy to buy a pre-made wreath, and you’ll find some gorgeous examples here in our Christmas shop. But if you’re feeling creative, you can add that personal touch and craft your own, weaving in materials from the garden for a naturally festive celebration. [...]
Plants that help deter burglars
Essex Police have drawn up a list of plants that help deter burglars by creating impenetrable barriers of thorns to keep out the most determined of intruders. Garden Security Among the natural security barriers in the list are prickly customers like holly, blackthorn and pyracantha (firethorn); but the police also recommend strong, impenetrable thickets of creeping juniper, bamboo and [...]
Happy National Poinsettia Day!
Happy National Poinsettia Day! Gardeners around the world celebrate our favourite Christmas flower each year on 12 December, paying tribute to this exotic beauty that for many encapsulates the essence of Christmas. National Poinsettia Day December 12 is the Dia de la Virgen in the plant’s native Mexico, where poinsettias have been used to celebrate Christmas since the 17th [...]
Grow microgreens
Grow microgreens on a bright windowsill indoors and you can keep your green fingers busy right through the winter as well as providing yourself with some really scrumptious freshly picked and home- grown salad greens even when the garden outside is frozen. Microgreens Microgreens are veg eaten at seedling stage, when they’re extremely tender and the flavour is fiercely [...]
What to do in the garden in December
On a brisk, clear December day there’s nothing nicer than working up a warm glow outside in the garden. Here are the jobs you can get on with this month: General tasks: Clear out old seed packets to make sure you aren’t sowing seed that’s past its best next spring. Treat yourself to new replacements from the seed racks in [...]
HTA Plant of the moment
It will soon be Christmas, and what better way to celebrate the season and bring festive cheer to your garden than with two traditional Christmas favourites – Holly and Ivy. Countless cards carry their image, often with leaves touched by frost or covered with a crisp layer of snow, and your garden displays will have even greater appeal. These [...]