Plants for boggy shade
Series 2 of Great British Garden Revival has had many enjoyable episodes, and for me, the most inspiring was the one on last night (21st January) with Joe Swift encouraging us to include a Bog Garden in our gardens. By …
Gardening with ME: planning the kitchen garden year
The dark days of December are over. The light at the end of the tunnel, that is, the ever lengthening days of January and the promise of a new kitchen gardening year, are in reach. Like many gardeners, I suffer …
Seed viability: 2015 update
Update 5th January 2019: please see the 2019 update to this post When I undertake my annual sorting through my seeds to see whether they are still viable (in date), I cross-check it against the Seed Viability spreadsheet that I …
End of month/year view: December 2014
Short video of the garden each month during the year (c. 48s) NOTE: this is best viewed by clicking on the YouTube icon* 2014 saw the first full year of my new garden in growth after the landscaping was undertaken …
Photo essay: Snowy Peak
One of the many great advantages of living in Sheffield* is its proximity to the Peak District. In fact, one third of Sheffield IS in the Peak District. Blue skies and the sparkling of the recently fallen snow meant we …
Gardening with ME: sowing broad beans via micro-tasking
“I’m going to sow some broad beans”. It sounds like a simple enough task. Like you can just pop outside for a few minutes and quickly sow the beans. But of course it isn’t so straight-forward. Before you sow you …
Sheffield Botanical Gardens: Autumn-Winter structure, form and colour
Since moving to Sheffield, Kevin and I have often visited Sheffield Botanical Gardens. It’s free to visit, but I’ve joined the Friends of the Botanical Gardens, Sheffield in order to support it. Plus, they have some great talks on, that a free to …
End of month view: November 2014
November appeared a quieter time in the garden. Although the mild weather has meant that some things are still flowering that really shouldn’t be (I’m looking at you nasturtiums), much of the garden has moved into shadow, and the main …
Heucheras, Heucherellas & Tiarellas: a few notes
Attending a Friends of the Botanical Gardens, Sheffield talk today, I picked up some useful tips on growing Heucheras, Heucherellas & Tiarellas from Vicky Fox of Plantagogo. I’m sharing my notes here because, a) it will help me remember, and b) in …