pruning

I love roses. They’re colourful, sophisticated, often gorgeously perfumed and happy as Larry in clay soil. Being a London gardener with little time to garden, this is crucial. A winter project My little pre-Christmas project this year is to plant the climber ‘Bathsheba’ in a pot against the east-facing wall...

April is such an exciting month in the garden; colour has returned with all the glorious spring bulbs, seeds are sprouting, and that bright flush of lime green new growth lights up the trees and hedgerows.

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One of the joys of gardening is that patience is usually rewarded.

Plants increase in size and impact as time passes and fruit trees are no exception.

Understandably, however, an oft repeated question runs along the lines of "how do I get more fruit, more quickly?"

There are a number of golden rules in gardening but the most important of them all is summed up in "as ye sow so shall ye reap."
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The Gardens of the Rose in St Albans is a generously laid out, dense collection of roses ranging from little shrubs the size of a curled up cat to massive ramblers roaming over tunnels and arches. Summer time is clearly the season to visit for the narcotic effect of so...

We say 3 things about Yew - quick growing when young, likes clay on the dry side & is very durable.

Winter is generally the best time to prune woody subjects and it certainly is the best time to trim the hedge plants you have just planted. Hedges must be clipped and sometimes pruned. Fruit trees need some pruning to maintain the best crops. Older ornamental trees can need pruning if they are...

Spring is easing into a ready to be sprung position and the propagators among you will be looking forward to getting those cuttings that you were eyeing up last year off their parent plant and into your garden (having asked their rightful owner first, of course...). A list of plants...