Bright ideas for spring-flowering bulbs Autumn is the best time to plant spring-flowering bulbs ready for next year including corms, tubers, rhizomes and bulbs. Most bulbs suit well-drained soils in full sun, but for shady areas, you could plant Anemone nemorosa, Corydalis solida, Erythronium and Galanthus. Benefits of planting now Most bulbs benefit from being…
Planting allium bulbs The perfectly formed allium is a sight to behold in the garden, coming in a variety of colours from white, yellow and sky blue through to deep claret and mauve. There are tall ones, short ones, single flowered and multi-headed ones that can add a different dimension to your planting schemes. How…
Creating a winter window box wow Window boxes are wonderful for relieving townscape drabness and will add charm to any home in an urban or country setting. To add a striking note to winter containers use ornamental cabbages. Their swirls of crinkly-edged leaves add welcome textural impact to a mixed planting arrangement and their rose,…
A few jobs for the weekend Now is a great time to do a few essential jobs while things are a little quieter generally in the garden. Pruning Tall deciduous shrubs like roses, tree mallow (lavatera) and butterfly bush (buddleia) that will be pruned in early spring are best cut back by about a third…
How to plant bareroot hedging Our Associate Member Wyevale Nurseries has put together a step-by-step guide on how to plant bareroot hedging. The leading commercial grower has been growing trees, hedging, forestry and other hardy plants utilising innovative approaches to production and sustainability for 95 years. Its bareroot lifting season starts at the beginning of…
Season-by-season guide to sustainability With climate change raising environmental consciousness, little changes could collectively add up and make a positive impact on the environment. This guide provides over 45 actionable tips to help readers incorporate sustainable practices for every season. Some highlights featured: 10,000+ clothes are binned every 5 minutes Palm oil is a major…
‘How to be heart healthy’ guide Did you know your heart beats over 100,000 times a day to power your body and support everything you do? Your heart keeps you going at work, at home and everywhere in between, so when your heart is healthy, you have more energy, more focus and more freedom to enjoy life. Making…
Two weekend tasks If you’re looking for two tasks to do this weekend, how about taking some cuttings and planting some hyacinths. Both will give you a great deal of pleasure in the coming months as they develop. Taking cuttings You can take cuttings now from all your half-hardy bedding plants such as fuchsias, bedding…
Autumn houseplant care tips You should give your houseplants some additional tender loving care during this month. Most houseplants will need less water than in summer and you can stop feeding foliage houseplants. Feeding Autumn and winter-flowering houseplants will benefit from feeding with a high potash liquid fertiliser every seven to 10 days. If your…
Tips for winter container colour To get the best displays from your winter and spring hanging baskets and containers, plant them now. Here are a few of our handy hints to get you growing: Plants to use include ivy, dwarf conifers and dwarf shrubs, winter-flowering pansies, hardy primulas and polyanthus. Add bulbs, underplanted, to extend…