Digging up and dividing most summer-flowering herbaceous perennial plants is an excellent way to perk them up when they’re looking tired, giving you free plants in the bargain. Some perennials are either not suitable for division, or else seed so readily that there is no point, so research each plant first. You will need a fork, spade,… Continue reading Dividing Herbaceous Perennials
Sweet Pea Cultivation Guide
Sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus, are one of the most popular annuals thanks to their strong scent and how easy they are to grow. Unlike most bedding plants, they are climbers and so need support to grow on. They are a staple of beds of flowers for cutting, and informal cottage garden designs. Growing Sweet Peas… Continue reading Sweet Pea Cultivation Guide
Dahlia Tuber Parts: Eyes and Crowns
Receiving your Dahlia Tubers Dahlia tubers are like people: they come in a wide range of sizes, from small, narrow, slightly wrinkled ones, to big, round, plump ones.It can be a shock for new Dahlia growers to compare two varieties: the smaller one looks like a reject compared to the bigger one!This diversity is natural, and in… Continue reading Dahlia Tuber Parts: Eyes and Crowns
How to Dig Up & Store Dahlia Tubers Overwinter
Once Dahlia leaves are blackened by the frost, it’s a common practice to dig them up and prepare for storage over the winter How to Lift Dahlia Tubers from the Soil To lift Dahlia tubers before storing them overwinter, you need a garden fork, some pots or crates for storage in a cool, dry place, and something to… Continue reading How to Dig Up & Store Dahlia Tubers Overwinter
How To Start Dahlia Tubers In Spring
We deliver Dahlia Tubers from late February, which is much too early to plant them outsideYou pot them up in a frost free place while you wait for the soil to warm up in April-May Dahlia tubers are tender, and planting them out into cold soil at best sets them back (makes them grow slowly)… Continue reading How To Start Dahlia Tubers In Spring
How to Cut Back Lavender Hard In Late Summer / Early Autumn
August or September is the best time to hard prune Lavender for great flowers the following year Late August is the absolute best time to prune your Lavender plants, when the final flush of flowers has died down.September is also fine, but it’s best not to leave it later, or you will get sparser flowers… Continue reading How to Cut Back Lavender Hard In Late Summer / Early Autumn
Should I Cut Lavender In Spring Or Autumn?
Lavender should be pruned hard every year to keep it dense, bushy, and covered in flowers during Summer It’s not good to prune your Lavender plants in late Autumn / Winter when it’s not in growth, and if you prune it in Summer you will remove all the flowers, so that leaves either Spring, or late-Summer… Continue reading Should I Cut Lavender In Spring Or Autumn?
How to Grow Lavender
We start delivering Lavender plants each year when the weather warms up in April. How to Grow Lavender Don’t plant lavender out too early in Spring: the cold soil will shock the roots. In most years for most of the UK, wait until warm nights arrive in May, even June in the coldest Northern regions. … Continue reading How to Grow Lavender
Year Round Guide To Essential Garden Jobs
January Hedging Fruit Trees Garden Trees Roses Soft Fruit Climbers Bulbs Olive and Bay Nature Other February Hedging Fruit Trees Garden Trees Roses Soft Fruit Climbers Bulbs Olive and Bay Nature Other March Hedging Fruit Trees Garden Trees Roses Soft Fruit Climbers Lavender Bulbs Olive and Bay Herbs and Veg Borders and Flowers Other April… Continue reading Year Round Guide To Essential Garden Jobs
How to Scarify Your Lawn
Scarifying Your Lawn is Easy With a Springy Garden Rake Lawn scarification in the UK is done in Autumn or Spring, about every two to three years in a garden, to get rid of “thatch“. Lawn thatch consists of living grass roots, the woodiest parts of dead grass, and usually moss, all piled in a… Continue reading How to Scarify Your Lawn
How To Make Leaf Mould
What is Leaf Mould? Raking up leaves is part of a gardener’s life. The best way to make use of all those leaves is to keep them as mulch, compost, or leaf mould: that crumbly, airy, free draining stuff that improves soil, and makes a superb potting medium for seeds and cuttings. Which Leaves Should… Continue reading How To Make Leaf Mould
How To Use Horticultural Fleece on Pots
Wrap up outdoor potted plants to protect them from frost for Winter When Winter frosts are on their way, sensitive plants that aren’t practical to move into shelter should be wrapped up to protect them from the freezing weather. This is most important for tender plants, but even relatively hardy bay leaf trees can still… Continue reading How To Use Horticultural Fleece on Pots
How to Aerate Your Lawn With A Garden Fork
Using a trusty garden fork to aerate your lawn is suitable for most gardens. It’s a nice, gentle workout that you can spread over a couple of weeks, and it leaves no mess of soil plugs like an aerator machine.If you have a huge lawn, then it makes sense to invest in an aeration machine,… Continue reading How to Aerate Your Lawn With A Garden Fork
The Best Trees Suitable for Heavy Clay Soils
Most trees are happy growing in heavy clay soil, as long as it does not get waterlogged in Winter Clay soil is fertile soil, the problem is that low-lying sites tend to trap water in winter, and exposed clay bakes hard in Summer. Most trees grown in the UK will thrive in clay where: So… Continue reading The Best Trees Suitable for Heavy Clay Soils
Best Plants for a Small Garden Wildlife Hedge
A good hedge is an invaluable addition to any garden. It delineates and disguises boundaries, providing privacy for humans and habitats for wildlife, with nest sites for birds and foliage, blossom, nuts, and fruits to eat. The leaf litter at the base of a mature hedge is perfect for hibernating creatures, especially reptiles and amphibians,… Continue reading Best Plants for a Small Garden Wildlife Hedge
Game of Thrones Trees Take Their Final Bow
Winter has come for four of the famous Dark Hedges beech trees, and there was no King’s Landing for them Game of Thrones was a TV show that ran between 2011–2019, famous for its strong starting season, ending with the death of main character Ned Stark, played by Sean Bean, England’s greatest living Sheffield United… Continue reading Game of Thrones Trees Take Their Final Bow
Darnley Sycamore Gets a Storm Eowyn Haircut
It’s been a wee bit of a trying day for Glasgow’s famous Darnley Sycamore, which got pollarded by 100mph winds The sycamore tree, thought to be at least 450 years old, is a historic landmark connected to Mary Queen of Scots and her ill-fated cousin-husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. 450 plus years is a decent… Continue reading Darnley Sycamore Gets a Storm Eowyn Haircut
Alabama Snow Alert
Alabama, a county West of Cornwall, is experiencing freak snowstorms Despite the balmy weather in Cornwall right now, neighbouring Alabamians are having a rough “affliction of the stone-mackerel”, under a once-in-a-century-so-far blanket of snow. British gardeners are not well known for growing coffee or loquats, not ripe ones anyway, but we used to lead the… Continue reading Alabama Snow Alert
Ashridge Nurseries Reviews 2024-25
Feefo, the gold standard of customer review platforms, has awarded us their 2025 Platinum Trusted Service Award Thank you very much to everyone Who gave us a nice Feefo review. I should be giving you all the attention right now, you deserve it.I hope that your plants are settling in nicely. If anything goes wrong… Continue reading Ashridge Nurseries Reviews 2024-25
The Wilsford Community Orchard Group’s Applesolutely Apeeling Vision
Every day, I get to the office really early, sometimes before noon, pick up my online issue of Lincolnshire World from the letterbox, and settle down to read with a cuppa before the hurly-burly work day starts So it was that I was one of the first people this morning to read the article that… Continue reading The Wilsford Community Orchard Group’s Applesolutely Apeeling Vision
Plant Botanical / Scientific / Latin Names
“Latin” plant names aren’t really Latin, as in the language of the Roman Empire, they are a mix of words and names from Latin, Greek, and other languages “Latin names” is easier to say than Binomial Nomenclature, which means “two part naming system”; that’s lovely, but still doesn’t explain much. Why are these alien sounding… Continue reading Plant Botanical / Scientific / Latin Names
What Does “Bulbs in the Green” Mean?
There are two ways to buy and/or transplant flower bulbs: either when they dry and dormant, or when they are in growth, known as “in the green” Most bulbs are like bareroot trees in the sense that they are only transplanted when they are dormant. But a few species tend to transplant better when they… Continue reading What Does “Bulbs in the Green” Mean?
Hereford Times Orchard Lane Leylandii Song
Orleton locals got a laugh from the Hereford Times “AI Assisted” article that used a stock image of an Oak Tree for an article about cutting down a tall Leylandii hedge, inspiring a satirical folk song Church Lane residents in Orleton, Herefordshire, were treated to a masterpiece of robot writing in this Hereford Times article… Continue reading Hereford Times Orchard Lane Leylandii Song
Self-Fertile Apple Trees That Pollinate Themselves
Apple pollination is usually not a concern in the UK, because there are so many orchard and crab apple trees around However, self-fertile apple trees are still the most reliable choice for most growers, especially if you only have space for one tree in your garden. Self-pollinating apple trees are the most popular varieties we… Continue reading Self-Fertile Apple Trees That Pollinate Themselves
Royal Horticultural Society Wisley Winter Walk
In January, gardeners stare longingly at soggy patches of lawn and bare trees, scouring the earth for the tender spear of a spring bulb or the plump purple protuberance of a leaf bud on a naked branch But, wait! I’ve already gone on about the best plants for a winter garden, which is all very… Continue reading Royal Horticultural Society Wisley Winter Walk
Which Tree is Yggdrasil?
The question “what species of tree is Yggdrasil?” is not one I ever get asked, but when the day comes I will say “ha, finally! A species is a group of things of the same kind, and Yggdrasil is unique. Gotcha!”This could be why I don’t get invited to parties. According to science, Yggdrasil, honoured… Continue reading Which Tree is Yggdrasil?
Ashridge: A Rural Nightmare Audiodrama
In this shamelessly low effort blog post, I share with you Tony Walker’s chilling series of supernatural stories set in the fictional town of Ashridge, which doesn’t exist just down the road from us in Castle Cary While I was busy working hard, doing important business research on YouTube about handsome young Scotsman Graeme Parker and… Continue reading Ashridge: A Rural Nightmare Audiodrama
Best Plants for A Winter Garden
Tiny marvels dispel winter gloom: the uplifting power of nature! As I filled up the bird feeders yesterday, I noticed the intense dogwood stems contrasted against the fence, and the first winter clematis flowers emerging. I inhaled deeply, savouring the trace of witch hazel on the breeze. “Ah”, I said to myself, “I could feast… Continue reading Best Plants for A Winter Garden
The Best Tomato & Mascarpone Risotto Recipe: Creamy, Savoury Comfort Food
For a comforting dish that’s bursting with rich, creamy flavours, this Tomato & Mascarpone Risotto is exactly what you need. Ingredients: Method: Prepare the ingredients:Begin by heating your stock in a saucepan over low heat to keep it warm. In a large pan or wide skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the… Continue reading The Best Tomato & Mascarpone Risotto Recipe: Creamy, Savoury Comfort Food
Apple Orchard Wassailing
Orchard wassailing is an indigenous English ritual with records dating back as far as the 11th century, and is still performed by the tribes of the South West in cider orchards Here we come a-wassailing! Traditionally performed on the 12th night after Christmas, January 5th or 6th, some people may accuse me of being a… Continue reading Apple Orchard Wassailing