In recent memory no genus has seen such a spike in popularity as the Rhododendron. Although it has become a widely cultivated plant in the British Isles, the Rhododendron is endemic to the Himalayan ranges of Nepal where it is the national flower. This species also includes the cultivar known ... Views: 2192
The benefits of a water-based garden are numerous –from attracting wildlife, to providing an environment for different types of plants that you might otherwise not be able to accommodate, however, you may wish to build a pond in your garden and the presence of small children or animals does not ... Views: 1684
While an experienced gardener will have a knack for best taking advantage of the space they’ve got, for example with the correct balance of small to large plants or how their borders are positioned, there is one magic trick none of us can perform and that is expanding the space itself. Of ... Views: 1307
In light of the rumoured approaching summer, and with the hope of warmer weather ahead, I present to you this week a list of tropical plants suitable for a metropolitan environment. City gardens often suffer, not just because of space restrictions or local conditions, but more commonly through ... Views: 849
Continuing with last week’s instalment on colour based foliage, this time we’re continuing with the gold tinted medallists of our gardens. That’s right - it’s time for the amber leaves of our locality to rear their gleaming heads.
1. Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’
Sharing its name with my ... Views: 755
Last week saw this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, an event of special significance for one of its garden’s sponsors, Brewin and Dolphin, for they were celebrating their 250th anniversary. So, with an eye to our horticultural heritage, we thought it appropriate to research the history of the Chelsea ... Views: 748
In the wake of recent disasters that have stricken the country with poverty and forced its people into the tall shadow of starvation, and since the devastation of 2010’s earthquake that laid waste to much of the country’s infrastructure, the charity organization Haiti Survie has turned its ... Views: 746
Due to the uncharacteristically wet springs we have suffered in recent years (although not so much the early part of this year), our blossom trees have suffered accordingly - an unfortunate and somewhat alienating side effect, seeing as the common cherry blossom symbolizes for many the dawn of ... Views: 745
Mistletoe - second to the Christmas tree, it is the staple yuletide plant. Songs are written about it, doors adorned with it and kisses won under it, but this seasonal decoration and great matchmaker is under threat, it is believed. The RHS is awash with rumours that the fabled mistletoe is in ... Views: 738
To help your garden cope with the hosepipe ban and our seemingly changing climate, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite drought tolerant plants:
1. Abelia grandiflora – a large, easy-to-look-after, semi-evergreen shrub - properly tended it can reach heights of 1.8 metres and will bear ... Views: 736
Following on from last week’s article concerning silver toned foliage, this week we will be covering the colour blue, and a selection of the most effective cultivars for displaying this hue. As has been mentioned previously, it is interesting to consider the time of year that your foliage will ... Views: 712
Continuing the theme of the importance of sustainable gardens, here we will discuss what are known as ‘Green Roofs’, the different types available and why they have become such an integral part of modern horticultural planning.
As one can ascertain from the name, the basic premise of a Green ... Views: 710
As gardening is such a global pursuit, is important that those of us who hold an interest in horticulture should be encouraged to pursue the purveyors of the craft’s excellence – and to the ends of the earth if possible! With summer holidays approaching, we now have an opportunity to tailor any ... Views: 707
Are you sick of rainy days? This so-called July weather? Is it dampening your spirits and killing the social calendar? Is it threatening your species? If the answer to the last question is yes, then you are one of the butterflies that feature in this article, if not then you're like me - just ... Views: 703
A couple of weeks ago began the years first major garden show, courtesy of the people of Cardiff and of the RHS and the Cardiff Flower Show is as much a celebration of the beginning of spring, as it is of the advancements in horticulture and breeding over the previous year. This year the show ... Views: 696
If winter be our great discontent, then spring is the time of great uncertainty and none in recent memory has proved this the case more righteously than the one we are currently experiencing. So far we have seen several late frosts, one of the longest droughts in recorded history and now a ... Views: 683
As promised in last week’s editorial on delectable domestic mushrooms from Oysters to Puffballs, here is the twin article that will inform on the appearance, and effects, of some of Britain’s most dangerous fungus.
1. Yellow Stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus)
Often confused, to the folly of its ... Views: 676
Since time immemorial flowers have been the subject of literature, paintings and poetry, not only for their beauty but more significantly the connotations that their individual appearances, uses and detriments evoke.
Consider how often Shakespeare would characterize flowers or even use them ... Views: 671
One of the major headlines that have dominated the domestic press runs this year has been Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th year on the throne - a feat only achieved once before, by her grandmother Victoria. And her celebratory tour of the country, and, ... Views: 666
The week before last I was lucky enough to attend Custom House’s Grand Designs convention, wherein over a thousand different exhibitors displayed a range of new products, techniques and disciplines, applicable not only to interior design and decoration but also (on a smaller scale) to ... Views: 664
Previously we discussed the viability of the night time garden and also promised a piece detailing the ways in which you can outfit your property to be more environmentally friendly, as witnessed by the products and practices exhibited at two of London’s largest ecological and domestic shows - ... Views: 655
A couple of weeks ago, the RHS celebrated its London Orchid Show in fine style, exhibiting the very best of England’s cultivars and awarding those of special merit. One of the country’s most prolific growers -The Chantelle Nursery - made quite an impact on the show with their Cattleya hybrids - ... Views: 647
Grass - it’s one of the most common elements of any garden style, be it as a simple filler or part of a practical play space, or even an all-encompassing border to divide different plant types. The majority of gardeners will recognize its basic application - the lawn and, although this ... Views: 647
Nature, and more specifically its minutiae, comprises probably the oldest topic of recorded artwork - dating from the documentation of prehistoric animal and tree life in the cave scrawls of our ancestors, to Van Gogh’s Irises, arguably the most lucrative bouquet in history. This week I'll be ... Views: 645
This week we have a list of silver tinted cultivars to brighten your borders. A quick word on the colour silver - while you won’t achieve a mirror effect no matter how diligent your maintenance routine is, you can bring a bright, shiny feel to your garden with shimmering silver foliage. It’s ... Views: 643
Continuing, as promised, from last week’s article which began this title race for, what could be considered, ‘the greatest garden design standing’, we now have for you numbers 6-10 of the premier league of horticulture. As with the first section, our aim has been to maintain the standard of ... Views: 637
Ferns are something of a British institution, being one of the most common members of most of our forest and woodland based eco systems. Ferns are also an extremely diverse family of plants, as they can be suited to a variety of different weather conditions and situations, and varieties can be ... Views: 637
Fortunately we’ve already seen the first snows of the year and can soon expect the last frost to fall, thus signalling the dawn of spring and all the colourful flowers that will bring. Our editorial, centred on the application of specific hues in the garden, continues this week with the vibrant ... Views: 636
It is oft disputed whether an insect population as a general concept is beneficial or detrimental to a gardener, however this subject cannot be decided with a simple black/white frame of mind. Like their micro equivalent bacteria, there are types and species of creepy crawlies that can be ... Views: 635
Being the month of May, we each of us have an opportunity now to begin sowing new crops in time for a summer harvest, more specifically salad and vegetable crops that, weather willing, we’ll be able to enjoy with a barbeque come July. Aside from the satisfaction of raising your own dinner, home ... Views: 635
One of the key concerns that modern gardeners face is how best to utilize one of the most important resources to their projects, that is to say water. There are a of myriad different methods that deal with this problem and each has their own benefits and drawbacks, ranging from their basic ... Views: 628
A while ago we released an article on the increasing encroachment of urbanization on personal green spaces, stating some means by which a lack of space can become an opportunity, rather than a hindrance to creativity. This week we want to follow that up with a selection of wall based planting ... Views: 623
A short time ago, in our review about the RHS London flower show, we talked about the value of natural screening in the garden and this week we wanted to devote some more time to the subject, and specifically the benefits of growing Bamboo. It’s a rare and wonderful plant that can engage you on ... Views: 618
While mowing the lawn may seem a mundane and at times trying task, it needn't be. Indeed the maintenance of a fresh, emerald swath can be extremely therapeutic, provided you have the right tools for the job, however, it can also be a real pain in the neck if you find yourself ill equipped. ... Views: 617
In our initial report on the Ecobuild conference we touched on a seminar given by Duncan Baker-Brown representing BBM design and titled 'Searching for an eco vernacular' wherein he described briefly the imminent need for change in our architectural infrastructures. That due to the global ... Views: 617
We have previously discussed the recent RHS London Flower and Design Show, which I was fortunate enough to attend, and one of the exhibitions I saw was for ‘The Sculpture Park’, a Surrey based company that essentially serves as an outdoor gallery for developing sculptors. It is so important ... Views: 616
Annual plants are an excellent way of bringing colour into your garden and, as any gardening centre will tell you, the best time for sowing them is in the height of spring from March to early June, so here at the end of May it is not too late for planting to provide late summer bloomers. Below ... Views: 614
Following on from last week’s update on this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, we wanted to include a piece concerning your, the ‘people’s’, choice winners. Every year the Royal Horticultural Society awards two designers with this auspicious title based on the many thousands of votes they receive from ... Views: 611
S.O.D, or Sudden Oak Death, caused by the fungus Phytophthora, filled some headlines recently due to the mass de-forestation it has triggered. In an effort to contain the disease that afflicts the common Oak with bleeding cankers and destroys the trunk foundation of Magnolia and Rhododendron ... Views: 606
In previous articles we’ve talked about the environmental influence that our indigenous bee population has - from flower pollination and, subsequently, propagation, to their agricultural applications - indeed they are one of the most critically needed insects that exist on earth today. But ... Views: 599
Continuing our colour themes editorials about the different tones of foliage available to the gardener to provide interest and contrast throughout the seasons, we write this week about the anomaly of variegated foliage. The term refers to any foliage which is possessed of multiple leaf pigments ... Views: 597
The importance of soil types in the different areas of your garden cannot be overstated, as the ph level (alkalinity versus acidity), density and moisture retention can all serve as major factors in the success of the plants you try to cultivate. Aside from this you also have the fertility of ... Views: 591
Well it was inevitable – we have run out of colour schemes for your gardens bloomers, so natural progression dictates we focus now on the foliage of a garden and how this can be tailored to suit your colour choices. As with the floral side of planting, the hue of foliage is affected by the ... Views: 590
It is 2012 and aside from a certain birthday party here in the UK, we have several things to celebrate, not least of which is Holland’s Floriade, the ten-yearly festival that, as of this year, has been going strong since its inception in 1960. The theme for this year’s expo, which takes place in ... Views: 587
When it comes to the world of luxury, you can’t put a price on exclusivity, and horticulture is no different. Recently Thompson and Morgan made headlines and history in their successful bidding war for the world’s rare yellow variety of snowdrop, Galanthus woronowii ‘Elizabeth Garrison’. The ... Views: 584
Despite our country’s worldwide reputation for being wet and grey, last year may have been grey but certainly it wasn’t very wet and, consequently, this week a hosepipe ban comes into force in many areas. Among the uses of hoses that are banned are watering lawns and borders with a hose attached ... Views: 584
In recent news it has become a point of national pride that nearly half of Britain’s schools have not only actively encouraged their students to take an interest in horticulture, but that they have made a private space on their grounds a standard as much as the playground, or the assembly hall. ... Views: 583
There are fewer habits a gardener can develop that are of greater benefit than composting. Dedication and persistence are rewarded with a cost effective means to fertilize your garden, not to mention a practical use for your garden and household green waste. So, this week’s editorial will focus ... Views: 581
Defining the border between privacy and security is a particularly precarious balancing act, especially when you are situated in the close quarters of urban living. In our previous article concerning hedges we named a few species which could provide adequate measures of both, without completely ... Views: 580
In Cuba, word is spreading like a wild fire of a new use for a weed that has blighted the local agricultural industry for decades. With the growth of the sugar industry during the reign of the Soviet Union, and then the sudden depletion following its collapse, the ‘Marabou Weed’ quickly took ... Views: 578