Visit an edible garden near you
Visit an edible garden near you and come home bursting with inspiration ready to revitalise your own kitchen garden with new ideas, new crops and new designs. The Big Dig (www.bigdig.org.uk) is holding an Edible Gardens Open Day on Saturday 21st in which over 160 food gardens in towns and cities all over the UK are opening their gates to [...]
Enjoy your autumn raspberries
Enjoy your autumn raspberries to the full as they'll be pumping out the berries by now. If you aren't enjoying these wonderful, easy-to-care-for fruits make a note to buy some this winter: bare-rooted canes come into our garden centre in midwinter in bundles for immediate planting. Choose from dozens of varieties including the ever-reliable 'Autumn Bliss', sweet, yellow-fruited 'Allgold' and [...]
Lift and divide perennials
Lift and divide perennials this month to thin out overcrowded clumps and keep your plants youthful and healthy. It's a great time of year to do it, as the plants are starting to slow down for winter so you won't check their growth by splitting them, and there's still warmth and moisture in the soil. Most clump-forming perennials, like crocosmia, [...]
Plan it, plant it this autumn
Plan it, plant it this autumn – it's by far the best time to get new trees, shrubs and perennials into the ground. The warmth from the summer still lingers to encourage them to grow plenty of roots and settle in well before the cold weather comes; and good root systems mean better drought resistance and strong, healthy growth which [...]
Garden jobs for September
What to do in the garden in September: This is one of the most rewarding months of the year, with apples and pears fruiting abundantly, brilliantly colourful autumn flowers and the weather often better than what we optimistically call 'summer'! Make the most of it with our jobs this month: General tasks: Plant new trees and shrubs as there's still [...]
September’s plant of the month
September's plant of the month is the aster, also known as the Michaelmas daisy and a stalwart of the late-summer border with its cheery, daisy-like flowers in shades of mauve, pink and violet. All asters flower for a satisfyingly long time, starting in late August and continuing often until the first frosts. They're much-loved by bees and butterflies, so perfect [...]