A walled garden hidden away in London's busy Spitalfields neighbourhood
Coming across an abandoned walled garden, you’ll often find a rather wild and unruly place, dotted with hints at what was there before – snippets of yew hedge, flower bed borders half concealed in the undergrowth, evidence of having been a well cared for and important part of a home. “They are a lovely window into a past life” says garden designer Angel Collins, who has worked on many throughout her career, “when vegetables not only fed the whole household all year around, but the abundant vegetables were also given as presents to tenants and local villagers.”
More often than not, inherited walled gardens are given a new purpose; now people prefer to optimise their sheltered and sunny positions as places of entertainment and pleasure as opposed to hard graft and productivity. But equally there are some inspiring projects where large houses with restaurants have resurrected theirs to provide food for their kitchens, or community-based funding has helped bring some productivity back to a previously neglected space.
Here’s a brief history of the walled garden, along with ideas on how to design a similar space of your own (big or small, you can apply the concept even if you don’t have acres to work with) and what and how to grow in it.
Deep borders make an impact at Jasper Conran's Dorset garden
Historical walled gardens were often enormous places, carefully managed by gardeners working closely with its household to fulfil its needs. One acre could feed twelve people, and some even reached up to 30 acres. One of the largest was Queen Victoria’s royal kitchen garden at Windsor; built in 1844, it was an enormous 31 acres.
The website greengrove.cc is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Gardening gloves are available in an array of designs, materials and with various features, including waterproofing, added grip, cushioning, and breathable fabrics to help regulate hand temperature. The design and features you need will depend on the gardening jobs you intend to carry out and when. Thin, lightweight gloves are best for duties where dexterity and being able to feel what you’re doing is key, such as potting up, weeding and planting. However, heavy duty gardening gloves are essential for providing for protection and support when using tools or doing hard landscaping jobs.
Nerine ‘Sparkle’ is a hybrid derived from the more tender N. sarniensis, the original Guernsey Lily. Ideal for growing in a conservatory or glasshouse, the sarniensis hybrids have a wider colour range than the hardier species, and typically their flowers appear before their leaves, on a tall, elegant steam.
In 1752, Britain changed its calendar from the old “Julian” style to the Gregorian version that most of Europe was already using. People rioted, demanding back the 11 days of their lives that had gone “missing” in the switchover, but there would be far-reaching effects too. Any festivals set by the phases of the moon continued as ever, but set dates, such as Midsummer and Christmas, now fell on the “wrong” days. Plants didn’t know this, of course, but it muddled folklore, making some customs even stranger to modern eyes.
Traditionally, greenhouses can be quite energy and water intensive, running on fossil fuels which are detrimental to the environment. This is why more and more UK homeowners and gardening enthusiasts are designing their greenhouses with sustainability in mind. In this article, we’ll talk you through the different areas where you can consider improving the sustainability of your greenhouse and how these could benefit you – so that you can garden with a green conscience as well as a green thumb.
Tiny objects are everywhere, as you see tiny toys, houses, and gardens, but have you also seen some tiny vegetables and fruits? If not, you need to search them and look at these plants as they have a very Instagrammable appearance which you will absolutely adore. There is something fascinating about looking at small objects, and no matter what you see in a small dimension, you will feel happier, especially if these are represented by cute and tiny fruits and vegetables that you don’t have the opportunity to see every day. Growing something in your garden will always be a satisfying process, as you can watch how your plants transform, and you will also be able to taste them once your plants are harvested. But we think it is funnier to grow plants in miniature and try something new from the usual alternatives you find on the market. And if you thought that they don’t have the same nutritional benefits because of their small look, you are mistaken, as even if they are so little, they still give plenty of vitamins and minerals.
Those stubborn cracks and gaps in your garden pathway, walls, or rocky outcrops look really bad with dirt and muck accumulating in them. What if we told you that these challenging spaces are actually opportunities for a unique garden aesthetic? Prepare to unlock a new dimension in gardening as we reveal the perfect Plants for Cracks and Crevices to turn these so-called ‘problem areas’ into miniature gardens brimming with charm and character!
Blazing in shades of orange, gold, peach, and red, marigolds inject the garden with warmth and cheer during summer and into autumn. The flower name encompasses two types of plant: Calendula and Tagetes. Both are easy to grow from seed and boast the fascinating ability to attract wildlife and, in turn, stave off pests in the vegetable garden.