Tejvan

I was caught by the headline ‘On the Eighth day God Created Allotments

Daffodil Blindness occurs when daffodils fail to flower, i.e the green leaves appear, but no flowers. I am updating this post formerly released in 2014 as I have just experienced  annoying blind daffodils.

Iris flowers are named after the Greek Goddess of the rainbow, which is appropriate for their extensive range of colours.

Homegrown  vegetables are definitely worth the time and effort and organics are even better. Growing vegetables will reward you with a fresh and tasty supply of your favourite vegetables. You can also have the reassurance of knowing how they were grown without the unnecessary spraying of countless chemicals.

This is a popular variety of Fritllaria grown in wet meadows. It is often found in Oxfordshire.

Some Tips for Encouraging wildlife into your garden:

A red ‘Lily Flowered Tulip’ creeping above the late spring snow.

Lovely climbing rose on the front of this house

Gardening is one of the most popular pastimes; everyone knows we are supposed to enjoy our garden but do we enjoy gardening or at times does it just feel like hard work? Is it similar to the Joy of Sex or 50 Shades of grey-green?

Every gardener wants to have better plants and flowers, but, sometimes we just need to get to the root of the matter so to speak. There is nothing more satisfying than a deep rich loamy soil. Unfortunately, unless you are very luck, you are unlikely to inherit such a soil. Nevertheless it is definitely worth investing the time and energy to improve your soil. Over time looking after your soil will pay dividends.

I took this photo in Autumn last year, outside Merton College, Oxford near to Christchurch Meadow. The natural sunlight highlights the colours of the changing leaves. The sugars in the old leaves can create wonderful colours ni autumn

Mother’s day in the UK is fast approaching. If you have a habit of forgetting until the last minute, you can always rely on a bunch of flowers to save the day. But, rather than just a standard bunch of daffodils from the petrol station, what else would make your mother really happy and inspired to bake you more cakes?

Waterperry is a small village eight miles east of Oxford. It lies on the River Thame (not to be confused with River Thames), though the Thame does end up feeding into the Thames. The extensive gardens and river-side setting offer a combination of formal gardens, flowing herbaceous borders and wildlife meadows by the river. Helenium

You can have success with successional sowing of seeds.

Fountain in Oxford Botanic gardens.

Winter can start in December and continue through March (we even worry about snow in May up north) but do not let that put you off flowering plants.

Moss will recur if the growing conditions are not changed. Killing moss is not a one time operation. Moss stultifies other plants.

A simple single colour Petunia gives a good effect.

Biological controls work best when it is warm and activity is highest. The more pests the more there is for the control to eat and treat.

Some of the best garden flowers are white! See our selection.

Penstemon are one of the most underated herbaceous perennials. Relatively easy to grow they can give an uninterupted display of flowers for several months.

Unfortunately, my lawn has a lot of moss (if you look closely) this is because I’ve gone for the ‘wildlife effect’ i.e. too lazy to mow the lawn.

This picture was taken in late March at the University Botanic Gardens Oxford. I’m not sure of the variety, but, they remind me of tete a tete.

Penstemon’s have been an excellent, low maintenance plant for me. They can start flowering in June and still be flowering 4 months later in October. They mostly require well drained soil and protection from heavy frosts. Dead heading is advisable as it will encourage new flowers.

Delphiniums are stately border perennials which come in a wonderful variety of colours. Strong blues and clear whites are colours which are often hard to find in the garden. The delphinium is one of the few plants to give a true blue colour. The delphinium also adds greatly to the height of the garden. If well staked it can tower above the other foliage to give an eye catching display.

Some of the other varieties good for growing with kids include:

Daffodils by river Cherwell and Magdalen Tower in background

Foxgloves are native to the British isles and can be grown relatively easy here in the UK. They provide an excellent addition to any cottage garden. There distinctive spikes of flowers can be up to 4-5 feet high and they offer a new dimension to any garden. They also attract bees for their extensive nectar.

Sometimes as gardeners, we place all the emphasis on plants. However, a few well positioned ornaments and focal points can heighten the interest and drama within a garden.

Bamboo is an intriguing plant, which contains over 1,200 species ranging from specimens 6 inches tall, to varieties which can grow upto a foot a day and reach over 130 feet. With the 1,200 species there are varieties which deserve a reputation for being an invasive plant. In the above picture, you can see how the bamboo is spreading away from the wall and is popping up in the middle of the front garden. This particular variety is not too bad, and digging up the rogue runners once a year is sufficient to keep it in check.

Attracting wildlife into your garden can help deal with types of pests and increase the diversity of life in the garden. Some methods for increasing wildlife are quite easy.

Grasses give a rich combination of autumnal colours

See composting accelerators.

Now is a good time to think of planting some more daffodils for cutting or naturalising.