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The February garden: here’s what to do
As I write, after 6 straight days of heavy rain, snow is now swirling around a bleak and sodden February garden, whipped by a bitter easterly wind. It seems scarcely possible that this is the same patch of ground that a few months ago gave us rich ripe tomatoes, aromatic basil, and sparkling borders full…
How to choose the best garden hoe for weeding
Weeding is generally one of the gardener’s least favourite tasks, but a good hoe can make the task not only easier but often, in my experience, actually enjoyable. Now, I had better qualify that last statement. A lot depends on the type and quality of your hoe. So, let’s look at these points below. When…
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The curated garden – the best gardening blogs
This post is designed for you to come back to again and again. By the miracle of technology, I can bring you a feed from some of the best gardening blogs and websites on the internet – updated daily. Sources, drawn from around the world, include: BBC Gardeners WorldA Way to GardenGardening Know HowSavvy GardeningDiggingThe…
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Reflections on the gardening year 2020
As we approach the end of 2020, it seems quite hard to imagine what life was like before the Coronavirus pandemic. I realise that readers in different parts of the world will have had different experiences, but here in the UK, the full lockdown and the closing down of normal life for several months, generated…
Perennial plants
How to plant tulips: a complete tulip growing guide
Tulips have long held a deep fascination for mankind. Originating in the mountains of central Asia, where Tibet meets Russia and China, they were first cultivated on a…
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Dahlia varieties: your complete guide to all types of dahlias
Classification of types of dahlias (or varieties) is a fluid subject. Botanists argue about the division of species and growers create increasing numbers of cultivars and varieties. Thus,…
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Dahlia Pinnata: a dahlia original
Dahlia pinnata, along with Dahlia imperialis, is one of the two original varieties of dahlia that were described by Francisco Hernandez, physician to King Philip II of Spain,…
Growing trees from seed
At the beginning of Spring this year (2020) I was lucky enough to acquire a new greenhouse for my new garden. Of course, I have used it to…
All About Weeds
Weeds of North America
Here you will find a comprehensive list of weed identification resources for the USA and Canada. Given the vast size of the…
Weed control – is this the gardener’s toughest job?
It is said that gardening is all about the gardener’s efforts to control nature and controlling weeds must be one of the…
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What are weeds?
In part 2 of this weed control series, I try to answer the simple, but not entirely straightforward, question – what exactly…
Why get rid of weeds?
In the other posts in this weed control series, I’ve written about what weeds are and made the point that, fundamentally, weeds…