Winter and Summer Winter is generally the best time to prune woody subjects and it certainly is the best time to trim the hedge plants you have just planted. Hedges must be clipped and sometimes pruned. Fruit trees need some pruning to maintain the best crops. Older ornamental trees can need pruning if they are damaged or… Continue reading When to clip, trim & prune hedges?
Get the Ground Ready for Lavender
If you are planning on buying lavender plants this year here are a few tips which might help you grow them just that little bit better. 1. Don’t buy your lavender until towards the end of May. Lavender is a funny old thing – the angustifolia varieties such as Hidcote and Munstead are as tough… Continue reading Get the Ground Ready for Lavender
To Fedge or Not to Fedge?
That is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the willow to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fedgeune, or to take arms against a sea of fedges, and by opposing end them. Willow fedges are living structures made from closely planted willows. Ornate structures can be built up; chairs, houses, pergolas and so on,… Continue reading To Fedge or Not to Fedge?
Fruit Trees at Altitude
We get lots of enquiries about growing fruit trees in the UK at altitude, often from people who have seen Sepp Holzer at over 3600ft in Austria. They are surprised to hear us say: “Unfortunately, your high altitude, windswept location sounds beautiful, but terrible for fruit trees in the UK. South facing gets sun, but… Continue reading Fruit Trees at Altitude
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Homemade Elderberry Syrup The Recipe: This is our family recipe, and we think it makes the best elderberry syrup we have ever tasted. Pick the berries on a dry day, (I added pieces of ginger before simmering) You will need: * Loads of elderberries – get a couple of kilos to begin with (take whole… Continue reading Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Photinia Leaf Spot – Don’t Panic!
Photinia Red Robin makes a really photogenic hedge plant, with blazing red young leaves that can be persuaded to reappear all summer with regular trimming and simple but lovely white flowers. However, just as the most handsome face can be marred by acne, the prettiest Photinia bush can can be disfigured by an unpleasant looking… Continue reading Photinia Leaf Spot – Don’t Panic!
Lavender Diseases Exist!
I read an article the other day which claimed that lavender is immune to disease, a quality that is linked to its healing properties. I’m the first to hop in a bath infused with lavender when I need a break and I am certain that the relaxation it gives me is good for my mental health… Continue reading Lavender Diseases Exist!
How not to plant a Beech Hedge…
My friend Rachel is a passionate if impatient gardener. Vegetables are really her thing (probably because so many of them are sown and germinate before you get bored). The same, unfortunately cannot be said of her prowess when it came to a beech hedge she planted five years ago. Her mistakes were as follows: 1. She… Continue reading How not to plant a Beech Hedge…
Escallonia – A Winter Surprise
Everyone knows that Escallonia gets badly frostbitten. Every book says that Escallonia is a tender hedge plant. Every list of plants that “only grow in the south-west” (it used to be “in the Scillies”) contains Escallonia. Every article says it should only be used as coastal hedging. I even read a piece in a reputable gardening magazine that… Continue reading Escallonia – A Winter Surprise
Crabapple (& Rowan) Jelly
You can always tell when a crab apple is ripe. Pick one and bite it. If you scream, it is not. But if your face just wrinkles up as if you were sucking a lemon, then it is probably about right…. Crab apple trees produce some of the bitterest fruit around But they taste fantastic… Continue reading Crabapple (& Rowan) Jelly