This post answers the critical question: how do plants grow? We also cover the different parts of plants. We explain how those parts contribute to plant growth and why all of this matters to the gardener. For most people gardening is about plants. Admittedly, features like paths, walls, fences and decks play part in creating …
Here you will find a comprehensive list of weed identification resources for the USA and Canada. Given the vast size of the continent and the tendency of weeds to be a local issue, the weeds of North America are many and varied. The books on weed identification tend to focus on broader areas. Some of …
This urban garden transformation was the first gardening I ever did. The garden was in Tooting in South London and was about 9 metres long by 5 metres wide. Although it contained a fair bit of rubble that I had to dig out, the soil was a surprisingly good loam, except in one corner where …
In this 5 part series, I’ll show you the process of transforming a good sized suburban garden from boring lawnscape to this riot of colour and texture: I’ve called it a garden makeover because it wasn’t a complete rebuild. There was very little hard landscaping involved and what little there was didn’t involve specialist skills, …
It is important to carry out a soil texture analysis for any garden that you want to plant in. This is one of the first things I do in any garden I get my hands on – and I have moved home plenty of times over the years, so there have been quite a few …
Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’Common name : Japanese Maple Family Aceraceae Plant Type Small to medium sized tree. Soil Type Moist, fertile, well drained. read more on soil type here → Aspect Sun or partial shade. Eventual Size Height: up to 8 m (26ft). Width: up to 5m (16ft). hardiness Hardy down to -10°C to -15°C (14°F …
Acanthus mollis is also known as the Oyster Plant or Bear’s Breeches. It is a plant I very often incorporate into my gardens. Acanthus mollis is a striking perennial with large, deeply lobed leaves and tall flower spikes. The flowers bloom in late spring to early summer. They are white or pinkish with purple bracts …
It’s hard to overstate how important it is for gardeners to understand the soil in their garden. The soil dictates the kind of plants that you can grow and has a huge bearing on how well your plants will grow once you have selected them. As indicated in our introduction to garden soil, perhaps the …
For a gardener, the garden soil is probably the single most important thing in your garden. Everything good in the garden comes from the soil, so it’s important for gardeners, especially new gardeners, to understand their soil – we need to know the characteristics of the soil we have and we need to know how …
What is deadheading and why should you deadhead dahlias? Taking care of dahlias involves the usual necessities of feeding, watering and mulching. But another question you may ask yourself is do you deadhead dahlias as well? The answer to that question is am emphatic yes! To get prolonged and repeat flowing, you definitely need to …
Bamboo is undoubtedly one of my favourite plants. I almost always use bamboo in the gardens I create. Bamboo has striking presence. It can be used as a specimen plant – a star in the border, like this phyllostachys nigra – or as a wonderful screen. Learning how to grow bamboo for the garden is …
I’m guessing that if you are here you may be new to gardening. If you are, then you are in exactly the right place, because this post on gardening for the beginner will point you to the knowledge you need for your gardening journey. Maybe you have recently acquired a property with a garden for …