I have been keeping a close eye on my small garden pond since the annual explosion of frogspawn appeared a few weeks ago. The eggs have hatched and the pond is full of tadpoles which seem to be even more prolific than usual this year. My two young grandchildren came to stay for a few [...]
Conventional wisdom tells us that shade is the last thing that vegetables need, but Mark Hoffman from Kempton, Illinois disagrees. He will tell you from personal experience that some shade can have unexpected benefits. For instance potatoes which are grown partly in shade are more resistant to leaf hoppers. While crops grown in shade will [...]
Tags:gadgets·guerilla gardening·proactive gardening·shade·vegetables·veggies·weeds
After two months without any rain and unseasonal high temperatures the last three weeks have reversed the trend with heavy showers and longer periods of rain nearly every day. As a result my roses bloomed a month earlier than usual and so now have finished their first flush, but made a great show for a [...]
I know it’s rather late but I have just noticed an article on new plants for 2011 and this has prompted me to check a few sites to see what new varieties are on offer this year. Black and white seem to be common themes with the Black Velvet petunia and the Coconut Ice sunflower [...]
Tags:burlap·DIY·gadgets·herb·new plants·Queen Anne's Lace·wild carrot
Image via Wikipedia In my last post I discussed ways of keeping cats out of your garden and also the subject of raised beds and how some people thought that you could’nt grow veg without one. Well today I have found a gadget, or rather an installation, that combines all round protection from intruders with [...]
Tags:at repellent·deer·gadgets·rabbits·raised beds·squirrels
A few years ago I wrote an article on How To Keep Cats Out Of Your Garden. As well as placing a copy on my website I submitted it to Ezine Articles where it has been viewed over 152,000 times. Clearly cats are a problem for many gardeners and although various solutions have been suggested, [...]
Bulb planting time is here again and all the papers are full of articles reminding us that now is the time to complete this task. Pop them in the ground and then wait for spring is the general tenor of their advice, but it’s not always that simple as Mike Lascelle has discovered. Raccoons and [...]
“Mowing your lawn for an hour produces as much pollution as driving a car 650 miles” is just one of the facts quoted by the Virginia Living Museum in its campaign for the creation of conservation gardens. While it’s a well known fact that gas mowers cause pollution, I have not seen it spelt out [...]
Combine the current enthusiasum for growing your own veggies with the concerns about the use of pesticides and you will see how Tressa Eaton can make such a persuasive case for turning your lawn into an edible garden. “When we put pesticides onto our lawns they run off into sewers, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Consequently, [...]
Tags:gadgets·lawns·pesticides·veggies
I planted this peony in my garden last year and it has just come into flower for the first time. But if you want to see some spectacular peony pictures take a look at this piece about Cricket Hill Garden and Peony Heaven. Cricket Hill in Thomaston, Ct is the nursery where the owners have [...]