Garden Smarter, Not Harder!
Wheatgrass juice provides excellent benefits for the body. People who take it daily testify that they’re more energized and have better immune system. Wheatgrass supplements abound in wellness stores but they’re quite costly. Why not grow your own wheatgrass and extract the juices? … [Read more...]
Watermelon is a vine that has large crinkled leaves. This yummy, heat-lover annual fruit grows rampantly once established and does not require too much attention. Provided you grow it in the required conditions and follow the right growing procedure, you are sure to enjoy a good harvest. The fruit … [Read more...]
Growing your own bean sprouts is as simple as it gets. My 3 year old grandson does it because he loves to eat the sprouting beans. You can use this method to grow many different types of bean sprouts. If you want bean sprouts like the ones used in Chinese food then use Mung Beans. You can buy … [Read more...]
The Laburnum or Golden Chain Tree is a common sight in front gardens. It is unusual in that it has dangling chains of yellow flowers in early summer, so it can brighten up a dark corner. The tree is boring for 49 weeks of the year, so it is not suitable as a specimen tree. If you plant one then … [Read more...]
Seed Catalogues are the best Christmas reading material for any gardener. I always use the few days of peace between Christmas and New Year to make endless lists of seeds that I “need”. I usually have three catalogues, Suttons, Dobies and Chiltern Seeds. Each company has its strong points and … [Read more...]
You will have seen banks of orange and yellow flowers at the side of the road and been struck by their beauty. Close up, the trumpet shaped flowers of nasturtiums are even more stunning. Even the dark green, veined leaves are attractive. Nasturtiums are annuals, but they set seed easily and will … [Read more...]
Growing leeks from seed is incredibly easy. This is a vegetable that any beginner gardener can grow. You do not need to grow 3lb leeks for shows, just grow them to eat. You can buy leek seedlings in July to transplant into the ground, but it is much more satisfying to grow your own leeks from … [Read more...]
Most Internet searches for native trees do not include the searcher’s location. What is native to one country will not be native to another. There is even argument about the meaning of the word native. In the context of the UK and Ireland the last ice age wiped all life from most of these … [Read more...]
Cheap landscaping ideas are the ones you can do yourself. Forget walls and fences, think hedges and shrubs instead. Forget buying fully grown trees and plants and grow your own. If you need to move large amounts of earth around then you will need to hire a mini-digger. You can hire a large one … [Read more...]
September is often a glorious month in the garden. The weather is more likely to be sunny than in July or August. It is a time to spend outside doing all kinds of gardening. Shrubs You can start tidying up many shrubs, taking hardwood cuttings for propagation and just sticking 18in lengths … [Read more...]
You can grow courgettes even in Northern England in the open as long as we have a good summer. Gardeners south of the Midlands will be able to grow them successfully in most years. Irish gardeners find growing courgettes more difficult away from County Wexford because summers in Ireland are cooler … [Read more...]
Spinach is a very easy vegetable to grow and one that is always expensive in the shops. Fresh spinach from your own garden has much more taste than the week old leaves you buy in supermarkets. Growing your own will spoil you for the commercial stuff. Spinach plants grow like large lettuces. Plant … [Read more...]
Irises are some of my favourite flowers. I love their range of colours and the shape of their flowers. I cannot see irises without thinking, “Van Gogh”. The flowers always seem to be where you least expect them and with their blue-green foliage they give a welcome variation in colour in the … [Read more...]
Every garden should have a lilac tree, or two. There are many varieties available, including some that are available as seed to grow your own. Lilac trees have an open-branched habit and grow to about 15ft. They are perfect for front gardens and small back gardens because of their limited size. … [Read more...]
Perennials that bloom all summer are few in number. These plants are different from annuals in that they must put energy into their root systems in order to survive whereas annuals must put all their energy into flower and seed production. The few that there are include all the different species … [Read more...]
