What to do with onions, garlic and shallots?
Lift and dry onions, shallots and garlic as soon as the leaves start to yellow and droop. There’s nothing wrong with them: it’s just a sign they’ve finished swelling those big fat bulbs and are ready to harvest. Let them die down completely, then choose a dry spell of weather and gently work your way along the row loosening the roots [...]
Lavender care
Cut and dry lavender flowers just as the buds begin to open, when they will retain their colour and scent better, rather than waiting for the flowers to fully mature. Cut flowers with long stems, then trim the ends evenly and tie them into small bunches that can be hung upside down in a cool, airy room to dry. A dry [...]
Agapanthus tips & tricks
Water and feed agapanthus well throughout the summer growing season for the best possible flower display. These wonderful, spectacular beauties, also known as African lilies, erupt in mid to late summer in a positive fireworks display of blue flowers. As well as clear blue, you’ll find varieties in near-black, lilac, deepest navy blue and white; it’s quite a bewildering selection, so [...]
Spring-flowering perennial chores
Lift and divide congested clumps of spring-flowering perennials now they’ve finished flowering. Early perennials like primulas (including candelabra, denticulata and polyanthus), pulmonaria, brunnera and dicentra are real treasures in the garden, providing a splash of colour soon after winter at the very start of the season, just when you need it most. These stalwart little garden performers arrive in the garden [...]
What to do in your garden in July 5
High summer is a wonderful time to enjoy your garden. The kids are off school, you’re in a holiday mood and the sunny days linger long into the evening. Make the most of it and get outside every moment you can with our garden jobs for this month: General tasks: Remove blanketweed from the pond using a cane to twirl the [...]
Summer prune wisteria
Summer prune wisteriato remove all this year’s long, whippy growths and promote more flowers next year. Wisteria Wisteria hail from China and Japan, and are universally adored for their spectacular displays of waterfall-like lilac, white or pink flowers in late spring, filling the garden with a sweet scent. They create a real showstopper of a feature when trained over a [...]