It is a great treat for us gardeners and allotment holders to have fresh, healthy and delicious fruit at our finger tips, but increasingly the majority of us do not have an acre or two to turn over to an orchard! Most of us however do have room on our patios for growing dwarf trees[…]
Mini Fruit Trees – An Orchard On Your Patio
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Fruit and veg gardening, Gardening for beginners Oct 09, 2019
Plant Profile – Hardy Osteospermums
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Ornamental gardening, Perennials, Plant Profiles Sep 30, 2019
Many of us are used to growing Osteospermum in our summer patio containers for their bright and cheerful daisy flowers. There are a wide array of beautiful varieties but they are not winter hardy in all but the very mildest areas of the UK. How many of us new though that there are a few[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Rose Timeless Purple
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Cut flowers, Fragrant plants, New plants, Ornamental gardening, Plantaholics choice, Roses Sep 26, 2019
I can think of so many reasons why we should all be growing this stunning new Rose Timeless Purple. Below I have listed just a few:- A perfect cut-flower rose that can be grown by the amateur at home in our gardens. This Hybrid Tea rose bears old-fashioned style, multi-petalled, deep purple blooms that have[…]
NEW – Giant Dinner Plate Iris
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure New plants, Ornamental gardening, Perennials Sep 19, 2019
You might have heard of dinner plate Dahlias but Irises?! Iris ensata, sometimes known as Iris kaempferi or Japanese Iris, are a stunning group of moisture loving Iris I have long been fascinated with. They are hardy and perennial. The new Dinner Plate Series however are brand new, superior breeding with huge blooms 15cm[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Rhubarb Apple Delight
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Fruit and veg gardening, New plants, Plantaholics choice Sep 11, 2019
Some of you who are beginners in gardening may have thought that any rhubarb you buy is just the same old variety. This could not be further from the truth. The breeders have been hard at work creating this brand new, superior variety for us to grow in our gardens and allotments. The features of[...]
Planting a Spring Bulb Lasagne
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Autumn, Bulbs, Container gardening, Gardening for beginners, Ornamental gardening Sep 04, 2019
A bulb lasagne is simply layers of flower bulbs between layers of compost. The reason for doing this is to greatly increase the season of interest. For example, you could plant tulips on their own. This, though undoubtedly beautiful, would only provide weeks of colour. By planting layers of bulbs that come into flower[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Viola Bunny Ears
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Ornamental gardening, Plantaholics choice Aug 27, 2019
Viola Bunny Ears is a great favourite of mine and a real character of a plant! The unusually long ‘rabbit ear’ petals sit atop the cheeky pansy faces and the blooms dance in the breeze. These delightful plants are a new take on the cottage garden favourite. They are great in containers and hanging baskets[…]
Controlling Leatherjackets In Your Lawn With Natural Nematodes
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Lawns, Pest and disease control Aug 27, 2019
Leatherjackets can be a serious lawn pest especially in poorly drained lawns and after a wet autumn. In late summer Crane flies, better known as daddy-long-legs, lay eggs in the grass and clouds of the daddy-long-legs can be seen leaving the lawn afterwards early in the morning. It is the grubs (pictured above) that hatch[…]
Rose ‘Sweet Honey’ – Rose Of The Year 2020
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Cut flowers, Fragrant plants, New plants, Ornamental gardening, Roses Aug 20, 2019
Rose Sweet Honey has been named as Rose of the Year 2020. It was launched at the 2019 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival In the Festival of Roses display by Roses UK on behalf of Kordes Rosen of Germany. This elegant floribunda variety was chosen for it’s many qualities including:- Outstanding disease resistance Strong,[…]
The Fight For The English Bluebell
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Bulbs, Fragrant plants, Gardening for beginners, Ornamental gardening, Spring, Wildflowers Aug 20, 2019
Beware, the English Bluebell is under threat from Spanish invaders! The quintessential English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) that we all see and love in our woodlands is in danger due to people inadvertently planting Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica). The English Bluebells are now being overtaken by the more vigorous Spanish Bluebell and hybridising with them. There[…]