The summer garden is coming to an end and the autumn garden should just be beginning. In a traditional gardening year maybe.

Yet again a disappointing summer. The summer this year came in April and the following months were either cool, wet, windy or a combination of these weather conditions.

As might be expected, along with this far from ideal summer weather came successes and disappointment in the garden. The greenhouse coped well and yet again the tomato crop has been abundant and tasty. In fact there the ... << MORE >>

August already, can you believe it? The gardening year moves so quickly. You browse through the seed catalogues, order your seed, sow and prick out with the anticipation that spring and summer cannot be too far away after the cold and dark days of winter. Yet in no time at all the garden is in full flow and it all seems to be passing much too quickly. Being away for two weeks in July there is no doubting the fact that some things are missed when at their best. This year it ... << MORE >>

July already, the gardening year seems to be flying by. Such a mixed up growing year that there are already signs of autumn before the summer blooms have had a chance to impress.

Yes it is true. Some summer perennial plants are blooming where others look like they are wondering whether to bother. A beautiful and hot April has given way to cool, if not cold, May and June. July so far is no better. Walking around the garden yesterday there are autumn flowerers that have buds swelling that look ready to burst ... << MORE >>

We are fortunate that every year we get visits to the garden by blackbirds and thrushes. Waking early one morning when the dawn chorus was in full swing and no other noises to mar it, loud and clear above all else was a shrill wolf whistle ... << MORE >>

Where are my garden predators when I need them? For many years now I have no sprayed insecticide on anything in my garden. The first two or three years were difficult but the no spray ... << MORE >>

Gertrude Jekyll is without doubt my favourite rose. This pink English rose is both beautiful when in bud and full flower and the perfume is stunning. If there is one downside it is that it likes to think it is a climbing rose rather than a bush rose. But that is not a problem, rather than fight it I train it as a climber.
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It is the end of April and the garden is full of new life. New life is not only the plant life but the bird population has increased with the promise of even more to come. The first to fledge to my knowledge this year is a family of Great Tits. This noisy brood appeared the same day that I found the egg of a freshly hatched Blackbird. One Pigeon has built a nest and is sitting while a couple of trees away a second is building. ... << MORE >>

After the very cold winter it looks as if one large shrub is not going to make it. This is an improvement on last year when six large shrubs were lost. A holly had to come down and a pole saw would have been a good gardening tool to have at my disposal.<< MORE >>

It may only be mid March but the garden is changing quickly. So much seems to have happened since last weekend and it certainly lifts the spirit. << MORE >>

At last we have Snowdrops in flower. The very cold weather seemed to have put them off but they appeared and flowered in double quick time. Within a week of their blooms opening the first purple crocus opened. It will be interesting to see how soon we get our first daffodil.

The reason I mention the daffodils is that I have visited two local gardens and not only do they have snowdrops and crocus but they have daffodils ... << MORE >>