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Gardening / The early blooms of autumn
WE approach autumn with the hope of cooler weather for ourselves and our plants! Cedric Bryant. As the blooms of summer fade (or are burnt to a cinder with the heat), the autumn colours come into their...
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Gardening / Seek out super-tough plants
Cistus… one of many varieties and colours WHATEVER the weather, life in the garden goes on as it has done for millennia. We lose a few and, being optimists, we pull out the dead plants and replant....
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Gardening / When things go to pot, the pots get going
Alibaba tapered pots… great for decoration, but not for getting plants out. THIS summer has been a swift learning curve for old-timers like me, gardening for half a century, right through to those new...
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Gardening / Taking care of tree ferns
The beauty of a tree-fern frond opening. UP to 80 per cent of tree ferns die due to lack of information about siting and watering requirements. Tree ferns, or Dicksonia antarctica, are sold in...
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Gardening / Entranced by the perfection of plants
The intricacy of Echinacea or cone flower petals. THE intricacy of flowers never ceases to amaze me. We can land men on the moon or make mobile phone calls to anyone anywhere in the world, but we can’t...
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Gardening / Yew should see this old tree!
The Llangernyw Yew is an ancient yew (Taxus baccata) in the village of Llangernyw, Conwy, North Wales. The tree is fragmented and its core part has been lost, leaving several enormous offshoots. The...
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Gardening / The hardy plant anyone can grow
Sedum… performs year after year in drought or rainy weather.SEDUM is a plant that anyone can grow, without any gardening knowledge, that performs year after year in drought or rainy weather. The sedum...
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Gardening / The thorny problem of Mop-Top suckers
Mop-Top Robinia suckers… out of control. I HAVE had a stream of inquiries on how to stop suckers from the ever-popular Mop-Top Robinia and the simple answer is: you never will! Cedric Bryant. It grows...
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Gardening / Beware, here comes Jack Frost
DESPITE the warm days and nights, one thing is certain; the chances of getting caught out by a sharp, unexpected frost are very high. With this in mind, here are a few suggestions to be ready before...
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Gardening / Winter’s the time for flowers!
Now’s the time to plant pansies, primulas and polyanthus. WHO ever said winter was dull? It’s a time for flowers! Just look at the three “P’s” – primula, polyanthus and pansies, plus violas and the...
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Gardening / Go light on hedge trimming
Clear fallen leaves from the tops of hedges… wet leaves can be heavy and cause severe damage, especially to small-leafed hedges. IF you haven’t completed trimming hedges by now, I recommend leaving any...
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Gardening / Colourful ideas for the winter garden
Winter-flowering iris… for colour and fragrance. BRIGHTEN the garden through the dull winter days ahead with perennial flowering plants. Cedric Bryant.At the moment Iris unguicularis will be all...
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Gardening / No better time to plant a tree
A maple in autumn… maples are renowned for their autumn colour. A LEAFLET was produced by the inimitable Peter Sutton in 1980 for the then City Parks Administration entitled a “Guide to the City’s...
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Gardening / Gallery’s secret fern garden
The National Gallery’s secret garden… the Fiona Hall Fern Garden. THERE is a hidden treasure with plants forming the basis of a sculpture garden in Canberra. It is the Fiona Hall Fern Garden at the...
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Gardening / Spring is in the air for optimists!
Flowering apricot blossom… delicately scented, double pink flowers and will appear in a few short weeks. GARDENERS are eternal optimists. Winter may start on June 1, but are we depressed with the...
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Gardening / Busy time for trees and roses
THERE’S nothing quite like fruit off your own trees and the next couple of months will be the busiest time of the year for planting fruit and ornamental trees and roses. Cedric Bryant. Before even...
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Gardening / Roses are red… yellow and apricot
The new Rosa Ali Baba is a striking climbing rose with clusters of salmon blooms and ideal for growing over an arch or trellis. Photo by Benedetta Rusconi ROSES are the gardener’s favourite flowering...
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Gardening / Why fruit trees need bees
Feijoa sellowiana or persimmon… a delicious, late-autumn fruit. WHEN planting fruit trees it is of the utmost importance to be aware of cross pollination. Cedric Bryant. For bees to transfer pollen...
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Gardening / Famous flower grows fans
Tree peonies in the Rieks’ garden make a spectacular show. WITH a history going back at least one thousand years BC, tree peonies are China’s most famous flower and can be seen everywhere from temples...
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Gardening / Ins and outs of winter gardens
The beauty of bare silver birches against a clear, blue sky. GARDENS in winter can be full of interest, a time of looking at interesting bark on trees, such as the beautiful mahogany bark of Prunus...
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