identifying your soil type Soils can be identified in to their general types by the way they feel and respond to handling. Pick up a handful and squeeze it together. Sand feels gritty and the grains do not stick together when
how to stake your annuals Sarah shares her top tricks on how to stake your annual seedlings effectively. I want to show you what I’ve been up to this week, which is staking lots of the things tha
annual flowers – create summer colour Here's a good game to play: if some kind of crisis hits and your own personal credit crunch shrinks your garden to a few square yards, which plants would you keep as your absolute summer favourites? F
staking plants There are some fantastic gardens within half an hour of my house, all of which teach as much about how to garden as anything I could come up with. I try to walk around them often and in as many
understanding dahlia groups Below is a list of the different dahlia groups, along with some classification info and an example of a variety in each group. Classification of dahlias is rather complicated, as there are over 50,00
planting snowdrops Plant your snowdrops as soon as they arrive. Whilst they prefer dappled shade, they also do well out in the open. Snowdrops thrive in reliably moist, well-drained soil, rich in organic matter so add
how to plant a bulb lasagne Bulb planting tips >watch how >start shopping bulbs > To get dense and flowery spring pot displays, you have to try layering bulbs in what the Dutch call a bulb lasagne,
sowing seeds into gutterpipes I sow loads of things, particularly amongst the herbs and salads, into lengths of guttering. They germinate quickly and consistently, all cosy in the warm in my polytunnel and transplant outside
how to use bulb planting trays Sarah shows you how to plant tulip bulbs using a bulb planting tray - a quick and easy way of getting autumn planting bulbs into the ground. I have quite rec
self-seeding plants: creating a fuss-free garden The more I look at natural landscapes and the wild flowers that scatter themselves within them, the less inclined I am to garden meticulously. I want my outside space to produce food and flowers, and
pruning roses – the sissinghurst method Pruning roses the Sissinghurst way helps create those wonderful fountains of roses you see in summer gardens – delicious-smelling, out-of-control geysers of flowers that effuse all over the gar
creating the perfect veg patch Trust me: creating a vegetable patch will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Everyone seems to be at it. I’ve just returned from friends who have transformed their north Lon
growing salad for winter In the spring and summer, there are few things I like more than growing salad so I can take my big colander out into the garden to pick a good selection of salad. But come the rain and cold of autumn
direct sowing seeds Direct sowing seeds, sowing straight into the soil in your garden is not a mystery that only the 'green-fingered' can master. There is a science behind direct sowing seeds and if you know the facts, i
prepare your spring garden in autumn Without autumn-sown plants, the abundance and beauty of most gardens plummets for three or four weeks towards the end of spring. The British countryside is at its best in May, with lanes, woodland ed
starting a vegetable garden from scratch If you've ever thought of starting a vegetable garden from scratch then start with this article. It will tell you everything you need to know about starting your first veg plot. Is your back garden ju
