For some time I have suffered from a skin complaint, possibly eczema or similar. Painful hands, drying, splitting skin, sent me off for serious medication as there was nothing I tried that worked. As time passed, I realised most of the skin irritation was after working with tomatoes. Just checking and removing the offshoots was … More Tomatoes Rebel
We all make mistakes but at the time they don’t seem like mistakes, perhaps just over-enthusiasm, especially when I see something not readily available elsewhere. Fortunately my error was in my choice of only seed. I saw, I liked, I bought, simple as that. Litchitomate Solanium S. sisymbriifolium, or litchi tomato, and it’s various other … More A Thorny Subject
I can’t believe that our long, very cold winter and spring, have played a part of the substantial amount of flowers appearing on shrubs and trees. Even in the car, the smell from the number of blossoms along the roadside, can be appreciated. The elder is a useful tree to have, the delightful umbrella of … More Heavenly Scents
Leaving the garden for a while, the sweet perfumes still permeate the roadside air with blossom covered hawthorn. It reminds me of my last house with the long hawthorn hedge. It helped keep intruders out, provided safe nesting for birds, was a haven for many insects and an absolute pain to trim. Even wielding the … More Road Scents
The first to strike me when going outdoors, is the smell of the lilac. Perhaps the sub-zero temperatures have given trees a good rest over winter and their pent-up energy is the result. I don’t think I have seen the lilac with so many blooms before. The pink rhododendron is also still in flower. Bluebells, … More Pretty, Pink And Perfumed
It is such a joy to walk into the greenhouse and see flowers appearing on the plants for the first time. For so long now, the inside of the greenhouse has just been that – green. Now the seedlings are growing up and flower buds appearing, it’s time to make sure they get enough feed … More The New Arrivals
When I bought my greenhouse several years ago, it was my chance to get as many extras as I thought I needed, within my budget. Only having a very small garden, I was limited to size, but still wanted a comfortable retreat in which to potter. The greenhouse has extra height with high eaves and … More Waxing Lyrical
I started assembling a tub for peas and strawberries for my neighbour’s grandchildren. I planted one up last year, and to keep birds and cats out, I used a wigwam trellis for the peas to grow up and covered it with a crinoline skirt of butterfly mesh attached to a hula hoop, which fitted over the … More The Naked Truth
I am fortunate enough to have bought my greenhouse many years ago, when I moved to my current abode. I’ve also received a lot of gardening gifts over the years, so although I have a reasonable amount of gardening sundries, I started thinking just how much I could do if I didn’t have any or couldn’t … More Free For All
For months I have been complaining about how cold and wet it has been. The greenhouse was comfortable to work in most days, but we had a whole two days of sunshine – and what happened? The plants got scorched! A bargain deal of 72 lavender plugs for the price of postage was too good … More A Shady Deal
