Using bird feeders encourages a multitude of songbirds into your garden where you can enjoy watching them. The food you provide also helps our precious garden birds thrive. However, for many of us, squirrels can be a problem. These ingenious creatures steal the food from bird feeders before the birds have a chance to dine. […]
Allotments conjure up visions of carrots, potatoes and cabbages rammed into sacks. There’s so much you’re barely able to get your produce home. On overcast days you drink tea with neighbouring plot holders in a rickety iron building….it’s a lovely vision and it can be yours. But first, you’ve got to put in the hard […]
For many people, the vibrancy of this evergreen climber tumbling from gateways, walls, balconies and roadside trees brings back memories of summer holidays in the Mediterranean. Bougainvillea was discovered in tropical and sub-tropical areas of Central and South America during a round the world voyage by the French explorer Admiral Comte de Bougainville in the […]
The glossy, strap-shaped leaves and striking trumpet flowers of Amaryllis bring welcome colour and brightness to the home in the depths of winter gloom. Provided the bulb is planted at the right time, the spectacular flowers will bring additional cheer to the Christmas table to complement the mulled wine and roast turkey. There is confusion […]
Heavenly bamboos are slow-growing perennials with upright or gently arching stems that give the plants a similar appearance to bamboo. In the garden, they will eventually reach a height of up to 2m and develop a spread of approximately 1.5m. Despite its similar form and the common name, Nandina is not a bamboo but an […]
The hellebore or Christmas rose family consists of approximately 20 species of herbaceous or evergreen woodland perennials, many of which have become popular garden plants because of their tolerance of shade and habit of blooming very early in the year when there are few other flowers around. They are not related to the true roses, […]
The passion flower belongs to a group of approximately 450 species of predominantly evergreen, woody climbers that grow in tropical woodland in North, Central and South America, with a few outliers in Australasia. In favourable conditions, the vines grow vigorously and quickly as garden plants, and are easy to support with their numerous tendrils. The […]
This hardy evergreen with its large shiny leaves is a great addition to the garden adding a lovely tropical vibe. As an added bonus, it can survive in the most sunless corner of your garden where little else will grow. They are very hardy and long-lived so given a reasonably sheltered position they will give […]
It is easy to see how pyracantha got its common name, Firethorn. This shrub blazes with fiery berries in autumn and has very sharp thorns. For this reason, it is often used as a hedging plant to deter unwanted visitors from the garden. This is a great plant for adding some stunning colour to the […]
Penstemon is a tall, spired perennial, that will give you plenty of bell-shaped blooms from June right up until the first frosts. These wonderful flowers come in a range of gorgeous colours. They are easy to grow and propagate and most are hardy enough to make it through a cold British winter. They provide plenty […]
