I find autumn to be a very satisfying season. You quite literally can enjoy the fruits of your labour, or even just enjoy the fruits that you didn’t necessarily labour over! Have you tried Quince? It’s been a great year for quince, a forgotten fruit that is enjoying a bit of a revival. We are lucky enough to have a tree in our communal allotment … Continue reading Autumn fruitfulness and an unwelcome visitor…
You know how everything builds up in spring to culminate in extravagant floral exuberance in May and June? By contrast July and August can seem a tad underwhelming in the garden. But a few summer troopers will lift the mood and keep the interest going. Here are six of my favourites to beat that summer slump: 1- Hemerocallis (daylilies) Producing classic lily flowers in sunny … Continue reading Six plants to beat the summer slump
There’s a specific moment in the garden when it’s poised between the excitement of early spring, when each sign of life is a treasure beyond compare, and the mad rush of exuberant growth in the heady months of May and June. A lot of the spring bulbs have done their thing, but the herbaceous perennials aren’t quite ready to fill the gap. This is where … Continue reading The indispensable gap filler: Forget-me-not
Hello! It’s a while since I did a Six on Saturday, a more personal post about my garden and what I’m doing. There are some lovely highlights to share with you at this exciting time of year when everything is bursting into leaf and life. 1 Bulbs and breakfast The garden table, still covered, is put to good use at this time of year, serving … Continue reading A Six on Saturday: Spring Surprises
Happy New Year! I’ve just completed some tardy bulb planting, the very last ones. I was experiencing mild but niggling guilt each time I went into the shed and those unopened packets started at me accusingly. Really, they should have gone into the ground and pots earlier, but they were a December gift, and they will still come up next spring, perhaps just a little … Continue reading Why you should never be without Alliums
I thought I would bounce into a Six on Saturday for a little analysis of the garden in early spring (which began yesterday, on 1st March, as far as I am concerned!). What’s more, it’s a sunny morning, such a rarity that it’s worth celebrating in writing! We really have had dreary weather lately, and horrible horrible things happening in the world, it’s hard for … Continue reading Spring in waiting (Six on Saturday)
Am having a bit of a slow day today. Is it maybe related to the time of year? August is a month of relaxing holidays, balmy evenings and that niggling almost back-to-school feeling that summer is slipping through one’s fingers. Something about all of these things begets slowness. Luckily, from a gardening perspective, there’s still plenty going on with the veg harvests coming in thick … Continue reading August harvests and sowings (Six on Saturday)
I am typing this on my phone in the garden on a Friday evening, sitting in the sun, the washing drying on the line for the first time in ages. The sun feels good on my skin. The pollinating insects know it too, they are out with the very fist ray. Yesterday I sent out August’s edition of my newsletter – The Green Gardening Newsletter … Continue reading Six on Saturday: the pollinator edition
After a short break in the sun in Barcelona last week, am finding it difficult to readjust to life back in Belgium. Mainly because of the weather. It has rained pretty much non-stop for the past week, and while the slugs are delighted, I am not. There are upsides. Tithonias (Mexican sunflowers) love the rain and they are doing a good job adding some brightness … Continue reading Six on Saturday: Where is the sun?!
Hello! It’s been an interesting July so far from a gardening perspective: the weather has been cool and there have been quite a few rain showers at regular intervals. This has been most welcome as I haven’t had to water much (apart from the greenhouse) and I feel that everything is looking fresher than usual at this time of year. I have felt torn between … Continue reading Six on Saturday: July highlights
