We have all seen flowers appearing earlier than ever – daffodils in December, magnolia in February – but now the extent of the change has been revealed by a new study. The research, carried out by a team at Cambridge University, found that plants in the UK are flowering as much as a month earlier than…
Salvias are generally drought resistant, long flowering and many have scented foliage, plus they are great for attracting pollinators too. They are the perfect option for a hot, dry border with free draining soil. There are annual, biennial and perennial salvias. Planted in the right spot, the shrubby and hardy herbaceous salvias can overwinter….
This blog was published on 4 June 2019 and a similar pattern has emerged in 2020, except this time the months of March, April and May have been hot and dry …. Hurrah, some rain is forecast. I know, it’s June, and we all want to be outside enjoying the sun and the last thing…
A garden or allotment can look a complete mess after surging floodwaters have passed through. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just rainwater, but most flood water carries with it all sorts of contaminants – plastic, sewage, manure, slurry and chemicals, such as oil and pesticides, and much more besides. So, if you…
Far too many people have experienced local flooding in recent months caused by extreme weather. One problem is surface water – with so many hard surfaces in urban areas, it doesn’t have anywhere to go and the result is localised flooding. The cause in part is the loss of green land in built up areas…
For those of you who are more experience seed savers, Sally has written a thought-provoking article on saving seed. To save seed or not to save seed? I can hear you all shouting ‘of course save seed’ and as generations of gardeners have done, I diligently save seed each year because locally-adapted seed is best…
The environment, climate change, water and plastic waste were common themes running through this year’s show gardens. Having just written a book on climate change gardening, I was keen to see what the designers had done on these topics. The garden that really got to grips with water and climate change was Thames Water Flourishing…
Just as the first proof copy of our new book, The Climate Change Garden, lands on the doormat, I received a press release that the Environment Agency has launched a major long-term strategy to tackle flooding and coastal change. The Environment Agency is preparing for a potential 4°C rise in global temperature and urgent action…
The orchards are full of blossom at the moment and bees (hopefully) are busy. But all may not be well. I have just watched a Countryfile Spring report on fruit trees, pollinators and the threat of climate change. The item resonated with me as we have a chapter on orchards in the Climate Change Garden…
It’s time to sit down and look through all the seed catalogues and try not to get carried away. I like to review the successes and failures of the year when choosing varieties to grow for the new year and I check my stocks as you can see in the photo, as I have a…