the best summer annual flowers Annuals are the best plants in the world – better than trees, better than shrubs, better than perennials, even better than biennials, which are hard to beat. They flower, set seed and make babi
perfect plants to create a cottage garden style These are my top 12 favourite plants to grow to create a beautiful cottage garden... all selected based on their romance, subtle delicateness and pretty structure. These are my favourite reliable and
top 5 vegetable seeds to sow in may If you said to me I only had five packets of seed to sow in May in the veg plot which would they be? Which are the plants that I would hate to be without, that I would miss having in the garden to giv
gardening at home with sarah | a tour of the dutch yard Sarah walks us through the Dutch Yard at Perch Hill, discussing her favourite container plants. By viewing the video, you agree to a data transmission to Youtube.The data processing
which are the best pumpkins? Pumpkins are the most handsome of all the autumn veg. The best pumpkins are friendly, soft and curvaceous, and by growing several varieties you can have a mixture of the loveliest colours. The leaves
urban self sufficiency I've drawn up a plan for a small, highly productive veg plot - perfect for an urban self-sufficiency garden -that can be looked after in only a couple of hours a fortnight, but will give our family o
square inch gardening with charles dowding Square-inch productivity is the name of the game with growing vegetables these days, getting the maximum harvest out of minimal space, effort and time. Many of us want to be able to eat from our garde
preserving flowers and berries in autumn Preserving flowers and berries from your autumn and late summer harvests will give you some wonderful decorations come Christmas. I love preserving the zip and range of colour of Chinese lanterns (Phy
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
how to layout a vegetable garden With your bit of garden cleared and ready for a mini vegetable patch (see starting a vegetable garden from scratch), it's time to lay out your plot and create a structure that looks good and produces
composting: make your own black gold When I’m teaching, I’m almost always asked the same questions. First: What do you do about slugs? Answer: multi-pronged attack, with raised beds, lots of grit and/or coffee grounds around
How to force bulbs indoors Forcing bulbs indoors is one of the best things to do in December to liven those monochromatic winter months. Like making jam, planting indoor bulbs can feel like a cho
planting numbers for bulbs in borders If you are struggling to work out how many bulbs you will need for your intended area then you may find the guide below useful to refer to when planning your display... average number of bulbs pe
how to take plant cuttings This step-by-step guide will show you how to take plant cuttings... Early to mid-September is a good time to take plant cuttings. Most tender perennials are still going at full tilt and should ro
the very best annual climbers Behind the story of Jack and the beanstalk is some deep level of amazement at what a seed can do in the course of a year. By last September I had a French bean 12ft high and a cup-and-saucer vine
sweet peas at perch hill When I was giving a talk at a Perch Hill open day, I showed a slide of my current favourite sweet pea, the very fresh pink, ‘Painted Lady’. Afterwards a woman came up to me and said, "Your ‘Painted La
