February’s pickings from the vegetable patch can be sparse, but if you’re lucky you’ll have apples and pears from autumn’s harvest to use up. There might also be some winter salad leaves such as mizuna, lamb’s lettuce or baby spinach. Tossed in a punchy mustardy dressing, they’re the ideal counterpoint to this crisp and indulgently… Continue reading Comté & pear tartlets
Getting a Word in Hedgewise
Here at Ashridge the ‘dormant season’ is anything but – in fact it’s our busiest time of the year. But we’re not the only ones kept busy in winter. While we’re despatching bareroot trees and hedging plants from the nursery, out in the fields hedge layers are hard at work. Hedge laying has been practised… Continue reading Getting a Word in Hedgewise
The best of bareroot trees
We’re slap-bang in the middle of bareroot planting season. And that’s something worth celebrating when you love trees and shrubs but are on a budget. If you’re new to the joys of bareroot, the bottom line is that these are brilliantly healthy – but dormant – specimens. All trees and shrubs enter a period of… Continue reading The best of bareroot trees
Pruning Jobs to do now: Coppicing
Requiring only a sharp saw or secateurs and the courage of your convictions, coppicing is a straightforward and satisfying winter job. This short burst of activity will both warm the body and enhance the garden, with the added benefit of perhaps providing a fresh crop of bean poles or even some of next year’s firewood.… Continue reading Pruning Jobs to do now: Coppicing
Herb-crusted lamb cutlets
A lovely recipe for Easter Sunday lunch. We’ve taken to visiting our local butcher every Thursday (who incidentally we totally recommend as he does mail order – see The Thoroughly Wild Meat Company) and asking for his week’s recommendation for a treaty Sunday lunch. We have had some seriously delicious meals as a result, one… Continue reading Herb-crusted lamb cutlets
Dark Chocolate Truffle Torte Recipe
Decadent and delicious, a slice of this wonderfully luxurious, yet relatively cheap and easy-to-make dessert, is great for Valentine’s Day – and every other day of the year too! They say dark chocolate has several health benefits: it is highly nutritious, is a great antioxidant and can reduce heart disease. If so, then give us… Continue reading Dark Chocolate Truffle Torte Recipe
Ham Hock Terrine Recipe
The shelves in the supermarkets seem to be full of ham this time of year, and especially when it’s discounted, as a family, we stock up on it throughout January. Our family eats a lot of ham throughout the winter months. It’s a great alternative than your ‘standard’ winter stew, it works well with bubble… Continue reading Ham Hock Terrine Recipe
Baked Camembert, Olive & Straws Recipe
The perfect food for your Christmas dinner party, New Years Eve, or all to yourself! Baked Camembert is both fancy and so simple to prepare with olives and pecorino straws: all your guests will be asking for the recipe. Ingredients: How to make the straws… How to make the baked Camembert…
Why I love hazelnuts. Or cobnuts?
What is the difference between a cobnut and a filbert? Are they the same thing, with regional variations of nomenclature? Is a filbert the fancier version of a cobnut with a longer husk? And how do they relate to hazelnuts? There must be a kernel of truth in there somewhere… Kent is where you’ll find… Continue reading Why I love hazelnuts. Or cobnuts?
Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Chark Docolate Budge Frownies Yes, that is their correct name, and if you don’t like it, that’s fine: none for you, more for me. Treat mum this Mother’s Day (Sunday 14th March 2021) with some truly indulgent, gluten free, home-made, star-studded, morally indefensible, CD BF’s. Ingredients: Method:
Frankie’s Homemade Pizzas
This recipe makes two pizzas, fit for 2 people (and a small toddler). Just double all ingredients to make for a famished family of four. Ingredients for the Dough Method for the Dough Ingredients for the Sauce Ingredients for the Toppings FINAL Method to bring it all together… I like mozzarella, cheddar, peppers and… Continue reading Frankie’s Homemade Pizzas
How and When to Deadhead Daffodils
Daffodils and Narcissi are undoubtedly among our most cherished and adored spring flowers, and they form a large part of our collection of flowering bulbs. The cheery flashes of bright canary yellow along our roadsides and verges heralds the start of spring and tempts us with summery thoughts of the sunshine to come. Deadheading is… Continue reading How and When to Deadhead Daffodils
Honey Fungus: The Tree Killer
What is Honey Fungus? Honey fungus is a spreading, parasitic fungus that lives on trees, woody shrubs, and occasionally herbaceous perennials. It plays a crucial role in the regeneration of forests: at the destruction end! It is capable of killing complete woodlands, which is wonderful for the churning gyre of biodiversity and evolution, but no… Continue reading Honey Fungus: The Tree Killer
Freezing weather & bareroot plants
Most of the damage caused to bareroot plants in cold, freezing conditions is to the delicate roots themselves. The roots are fine, fibrous structures with a high water content: moving them, or even the slightest touch whilst frozen, can cause damage. Almost all of a shrub or a tree’s energy reserves are stored in the… Continue reading Freezing weather & bareroot plants
A Yew Supplier’s Thoughts for Yew
We say 3 things about Yew – quick growing when young, likes clay on the dry side & is very durable.
Growing Fruit Trees at High Altitude
We get lots of enquiries about growing fruit trees in the UK at altitude, often from people who have seen Sepp Holzer at over 3600ft in Austria. We would love to sell as many orchards as we can, but for most honest gardeners in the UK, it will be very difficult to copy high altitude… Continue reading Growing Fruit Trees at High Altitude
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Homemade Elderberry Syrup The Recipe: This is our family recipe, and we think it makes the best elderberry syrup we have ever tasted. Pick the berries on a dry day, (I added pieces of ginger before simmering) You will need: * Loads of elderberries – get a couple of kilos to begin with (take whole… Continue reading Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Photinia Leaf Spot – Don’t Panic!
Photinia Red Robin makes a really photogenic hedge plant, with blazing red young leaves that can be persuaded to reappear all summer with regular trimming and simple but lovely white flowers. However, just as the most handsome face can be marred by acne, the prettiest Photinia bush can be disfigured by an unpleasant looking dose… Continue reading Photinia Leaf Spot – Don’t Panic!
Lavender Pests and Diseases Exist!
I read an article the other day that claimed that lavender is immune to disease, a quality linked to its healing properties I almost choked on my caviar and crisps at such dangerous misinformation. As the most famous musical plagiarist of my youth said: In the everyday running of our nursery, we are always on the… Continue reading Lavender Pests and Diseases Exist!
How Not to Plant a Beech Hedge… But Did It Matter?
My friend Rachel is a passionate if impatient gardener. Vegetables are really her thing, probably because they germinate and grow before she gets bored Rachel planted a beech hedge five years ago with great enthusiasm, so much so that she put a lot of effort into doing the wrong things, leaving her too knackered to do… Continue reading How Not to Plant a Beech Hedge… But Did It Matter?
How to prune Cordon Fruit Trees
This is just about pruning cordons – there is a much longer piece on growing cordon fruit trees if you would like to know more. Cordons should be pruned every year around mid-August (i.e. about now). Your cordon is ready for pruning when the new side shoots from the main stem(s) become woody at their… Continue reading How to prune Cordon Fruit Trees
Saving a Tree that is Falling Over
It crossed my mind this morning that we are in August. September is the other month of the equinox (exactly half a year away from Shakespeare’s “Beware the Ides of March”). March and September are the months when the Earth tilts just more than halfway to or from the Sun. So September and March are… Continue reading Saving a Tree that is Falling Over
Dying Yew Hedges and Trees
Yew has a reputation for being indestructible, and given fair treatment, it almost is! At the same time, Taxus baccata, like any living organism and can die prematurely. Because it is so tough, you may be able to save your tree or hedge with swift action. Here are a few reasons why yew dies when… Continue reading Dying Yew Hedges and Trees
Elderflower Champagne Recipe
When you have enough Elderflower Cordial you might like to think about Elderflower Champagne. By the way, it is a good excuse to plant a few more Elder (Sambucus nigra) bushes – as you will find you have friends calling round in June and July almost daily and for the oddest reasons….. This is a… Continue reading Elderflower Champagne Recipe
Elderflower Cordial Recipe
Homemade Elderflower Cordial Recipe Late May – June is Elderflower time! Elderflower cordial in the shops is expensive and can be a bit sickly sweet. This homemade recipe makes great cordial and, with the use of Camden tablets your cordial will stay fresh for a long time. We also have a recipe for Elderflower Champagne (we… Continue reading Elderflower Cordial Recipe