With the arrival of warm weather in the middle of the month I spent some time in the vegetable garden planting tomatoes and basil in my raised beds. As I dug in the soil I was thinking ahead to late summer, when the tomatoes are hanging ripe and heavy on the vines and the fragrance […]
There aren’t many plant species whose members could fill your annual beds with a rainbow of colours and flower styles, bloom in the perennial borders throughout the summer and fall and then reliably return each spring and finally season poultry dishes and stews in the kitchen. When there are over 700 species it’s no wonder […]
I am ignoring the advice of a well-known horticultural figure who told our roomful of garden writers to avoid unpleasant column topics such as pests, diseases and sick plants. “Nobody wants to read about bugs chewing on leaves,” was the essence of her guidance. It’s a fact of nature however. Our gardens are a smorgasboard […]
