Who knows when the rain will come? We have had such a prolonged extremely hot dry period. It is so sad to see flowers and plants which have taken so much time and effort to grow, plant and nurture, and vegetables which should be at their most productive at this time of year, shrivelling up.  Try to combat this by using any ‘grey water’ that you can, and use it on special items, particularly newly planted ones. Mulch with grass clippings (if you have any!) around plants and shrubs. Lawns hopefully will soon recover, as they always do, given a shower of rain, eventually. Even if the...

How welcome was the long-awaited rain after weeks of hoping for even a little shower! It is truly amazing however how nature can cope with the vagaries of the climate. At long last we can plant out late season annuals – Cosmos, Rudbeckia and Zinnia, etc. Many perennials are beginning to flower – Phlox, Campanulas, tall white Daisies and Salvias, albeit very much shorter than normal, and many self-sown annuals are popping up randomly along with sow thistle and bindweed, thanks to the welcome rain.  Hopefully, raspberries and runner beans will now be able to start...

How lovely to see the hedges adorned with masses of May blossom and cow parsley and pink campion billowing below. Cherry and apple blossom have now vanished: the searing northeasterly winds and chill mornings put paid to their beauty. However, the fruit trees seem to be set for a good harvest and soft fruit is beginning to form well. As we move from Spring suddenly weeds, lawns, hedges and new seedlings go into overdrive. Luckily the longer light evenings are one of the best times to be in the garden even if you have to wait until after work to escape into nature’s lush world. ...

Once again, as last year, Spring has arrived about 3 weeks earlier than is normal. What a truly mixed month April proved to be with record-breaking hot days preceding cold ones with night frosts followed by strong gale force winds. Unpredictable weather really is a problem for the unsuspecting gardener. Unfortunately the unusual weather overwhelmed the daffodils which just withered and dried up too soon. Tulips, which should be at their very best late in April and through May, have mostly been and gone while all the ornamental cherry trees have given a marvellous explosion of blossom and...

The haze of yellow leaves on the willow tree hanging over the pond hints of better weather to come when we can sally forth into the fresh air to begin another month full of opportunity and pleasure to be gained from the therapeutic activity of gardening. How glorious it is to see all the hard work of planting pots and borders come to fruition in a blaze of golden yellow. Another spring joy is the doronicum or Easter daisy, though they seem to be a particular favourite of slugs or snails, just like delphinium and lupin shoots. A collar of sharp grit, crushed eggshells or soot seems to deter...