Pest control

Explaining a little about fertilisers; What N:P:K means; the benefits of Organic Matter, mulches & green manure – and making your own compost & manure brews. Some steps towards Organic Gardening

Categories Bee Friendly Plants, Composting, container gardening, General comment, jobs to do in ..., Organic Gardening, Pest control, Roses, Spring Garden, Wildlife gardening2 Comments on Explaining a little about fertilisers; What N:P:K means; the benefits of Organic Matter, mulches & green manure – and making your own compost & manure brews. Some steps towards Organic Gardening

I had quite a few ideas about gardening that I believed wholeheartedly but quite without foundation - that is before I started my formal horticultural training. One of these truths was that there was no such thing as the over-use of fertilisers. A little more would surely provide extra benefit. Well, no, it turned out.…

Continue reading ➞ Explaining a little about fertilisers; What N:P:K means; the benefits of Organic Matter, mulches & green manure – and making your own compost & manure brews. Some steps towards Organic Gardening

A Riot of Roses at David Austin HQ – An Access All Areas Tour of the Gardens, Glasshouses, Breeding Program, Trial Fields … and musings on Fragrance in the summer and autumn garden –

Categories David Austin roses, Fragrant plants, Open to the public, Pest control, Petersham Nurseries, Plants for a shady garden?, Pruning, Roses, Seasonal colour, Summer garden, Travel broadens the mind16 Comments on A Riot of Roses at David Austin HQ – An Access All Areas Tour of the Gardens, Glasshouses, Breeding Program, Trial Fields … and musings on Fragrance in the summer and autumn garden –

The Gardens at David Austin Roses, Albrigton, Shropshire They may have been battered by the rains but how beautiful are these gardens still! A veritable riot of colour, in beds and borders, along paths and clothing walls and clambering up and over pillars. Every conceivable space is festooned. Walls have climbers and ramblers flowering from…

Continue reading ➞ A Riot of Roses at David Austin HQ – An Access All Areas Tour of the Gardens, Glasshouses, Breeding Program, Trial Fields … and musings on Fragrance in the summer and autumn garden –

Plant tonics expertly explained and recommended – thank you ‘The Telegraph’ – with some home thoughts too …

Categories Composting, General comment, Organic Gardening, Organic pest control, Pest controlLeave a Comment on Plant tonics expertly explained and recommended – thank you ‘The Telegraph’ – with some home thoughts too …

Plant tonics expertly explained and recommended .... I'm very taken with this article on plant tonics that appeared in The Telegraph today - always the bastion of excellent gardening advice (regular readers to my blog will know this already and be converted as I am). Taken so much am I that here it is in…

Continue reading ➞ Plant tonics expertly explained and recommended – thank you ‘The Telegraph’ – with some home thoughts too …

What’s wrong with my rose?

Categories General comment, Organic pest control, Pest control, Roses2 Comments on What’s wrong with my rose?

A gallery of roses photographed over the last couple of days. Rose season has started! It's roses all the way for me this week - well for the season now if I'm honest - and I'm collecting information and articles on a whole range of rose-related topics. The notes which follow cover a whole range…

Continue reading ➞ What’s wrong with my rose?

David Austin Roses – the who, what, why and when…

Categories David Austin roses, Garden Design, General comment, late summer border, Pest control, Roses, Summer garden6 Comments on David Austin Roses – the who, what, why and when…

Now that the rose season is almost upon us, I'm refreshing my memory after long rose-less months, of what is to come! These notes are culled from a series of presentations the year before last, covering all things 'David Austin Roses'. If I find the pictures which accompanied the talks, I'll attempt to add them…

Continue reading ➞ David Austin Roses – the who, what, why and when…

Almost, nearly there: David Austin’s finest – the promise of a good year for the roses?

Categories David Austin roses, Flower Shows, Fragrant plants, General comment, Organic pest control, Pest control, Petersham Nurseries, Roses, Summer gardenLeave a Comment on Almost, nearly there: David Austin’s finest – the promise of a good year for the roses?

This time last year, nothing. Barely a bud, nothing even closely resembling a flower. The month-long Sub-Zero ºC that was March 2013 put back the roses until July. This year, after a mild winter and some early sunshine (and the possibility of a long warm summer), I think it will be a good year for…

Continue reading ➞ Almost, nearly there: David Austin’s finest – the promise of a good year for the roses?