Gardenig in Germany. Tips & Guides

I recently had the great pleasure of spending three hours walking round the garden of the 82 year old hydrangea expert and breeder, Maurice Foster. Despite the fact the temperature had plummeted from 28º the previous day, to 13º – and it was pouring with rain throughout – I loved every moment and came away determined to grow more hydrangeas – especially those of the non-mop-head species. Inspired by him I took a closer look at the hydrangeas in my own garden and at Wisley. I am anti mop-heads, far from

The Holz Hausen Visiting friends in Monmouthshire, we thought Andy Goldsworthy had been at work when we saw these wonderful wood stacks.  It turns out that they are Holz Hausen – a German method of stacking wood that is both good to look at and practical.  If you’ve got the wood, this is a good time to start one of your own – and here you can watch an American enthusiast explaining exactly how it’s done.

While some fruits are well-known and readily available, there are many that are relatively unknown or uncommon. Let’s dive into the world of Fruits That Start With Q.

Are you sick of mowing all the time? Why not replace that time consuming, resource draining lawn with a beautiful meadow of low-growing chamomile?Perfect for slopes and other hard to

The string of pearls plant, Senecio rowleyanus, is a funky succulent vine with rounded leaves that look like strands of pearls or peas. Formerly classified as Curio rowleyanus, it is also commonly called string of beads.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If

Flaming Katy, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, is like a warm smile among succulents.Also known as florist’s kalanchoe, Christmas kalanchoe,

If you could put summer in a bottle and save it, it would probably smell a lot like thyme.The perennial culinary herb has always been associ

Evergreens remind us of winter, fresh scents and the Christmas holidays. One of the fastest-growing and long-lasting evergreen trees in the UK is the Norway spruce (its botanical name is Picea abies), which, although non-native, is highly widespread in the UK. Due to its traditional green needles, conical shape and pine scent, many people like the idea of growing Nordic spruce in pots or directly in their gardens and making it into their Christmas tree when the festive season comes. Moreover, this evergreen tree variety comes at affordable pricing.

Herbs and spices can add flavor to your meals.But did you know they’re also

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) suffer from a bit of a categorization dilemma.There are maincrops, which are sometimes harvested as earlies. Or

Chamomile is a marvelous medicinal herb with beautiful blooms. But let’s be honest: it can be a bit boisterous in the garden.It’s one of those plants that you

It may have a funny name, but the health benefits of kohlrabi are no laughing matter!We link to vendors to hel

Kohlrabi is a fascinating and delicious member of my favorite vegetable family: the brassicas.Also known as “German tur

Chamomile, with its lovely scent and cheerful flowers, really deserves to be enjoyed all year long.It’s lovely brushing up aga

Bt is the abbreviation for bacteria that were named Bacillus thuringiensis in 1911 after the discovery that they could kill Mediterranean flour moths in the German city of Thuringia.These common soil bacteria have been used as microbial insecticides for

Can you believe it’s been over six years since Jim and I cycled along the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne? Why, we were practically children.

I like to think of planning my garden as a balancing act.While it takes a bit of self-restraint each year to

Nearly 10 years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Zermatt, Switzerland, a charming alpine town at the base of the Matterhorn.My traveling companions and I took a train up the mount

I have so many fond memories of my summers as a youth. Perhaps the most delicious is the memory of watching my Danish grandmother strip away the tough outside layers of a freshly-pulled kohlrabi.She would then slice the inside flesh into circular “chips,” which she would

Just about everyone has heard of chamomile, whether they’ve seen the cheerful little plants growing in the garden, or have relaxed with a piping-hot cup of chamomile tea.But not everyone knows that there are two species that sh

Shooting up almost as quickly as one of its many nicknames, firecracker vine can grow close to 10 feet in a month, racing up trellises and fences and launching attractive red, banana-shaped flowers that gradually fade to a cream color.Properly known as Ipomoea lobata, firecracker vine is also known by