The Victoria plum, Prunus domestica ‘Victoria’, is Britain’s best-known plum variety. It produces heavy crops of delicious, egg-shaped fruits, ideal for use in jams and chutneys, as well as eating straight from the tree.
11.01.2024 - 13:48 / theenglishgarden.co.uk
Bare-root roses (those that are dug up from the nursery’s fields during dormancy and come without soil around their roots) are delivered from November onwards and can be planted throughout the winter. Now is the time to order for the widest choice of varieties and, come summer, the reward will be the most colourful, fragrant and quintessentially English garden flowers there are.
If you are new to rose gardening, do not be put off by a perception that roses are complicated. Think of them merely as a flowering shrub, and the prospect immediately becomes less daunting. Also, be heartened by the fact that starting with bare-root roses is the best possible way to establish new plants.
Dig a large hole and work in a handful of bonemeal
Bare-root roses can be planted during their dormant season from now until February, and they do not need to be planted as soon as the parcel arrives. Simply ‘plant’ them temporarily into a bucket of damp compost and because they are dormant they will happily wait. Just don’t let the roots dry out.
Water newly planted roses thoroughly with a watercan full of water
Shutterstock
There are thousands of varieties of bare-root roses to choose between. Nostalgic, old-fashioned varieties and species roses often flower only once and can be more vulnerable to disease. That said, many gardeners will argue that a few black-spotted leaves are worth tolerating for these roses’ magnificent, usually heavily scented, flowering display.
More modern varieties repeat flower and have normally been bred with health and disease-resistance a priority. Most also have excellent scent. David Austin’s English roses are well known, beautifully combining the best qualities of both old and new varieties, but other new roses are
The Victoria plum, Prunus domestica ‘Victoria’, is Britain’s best-known plum variety. It produces heavy crops of delicious, egg-shaped fruits, ideal for use in jams and chutneys, as well as eating straight from the tree.
Often, these are timeless items that have truly stood the test of time, but there’s also room for innovations that have transformed the way we garden – battery-powered tools that have done away with electric cables and noisy, smelly two-stroke fuel, for example. We asked the country’s top head gardeners which tools they couldn’t contemplate gardening without.
Learn how to grow a cute mini lavender tree that not only looks pretty but also smells lovely! Choose the right variety like Hidcote Blue or Munstead, find a sunny spot, and use well-draining soil with occasional watering. Give it a trim after blooming, and watch out for pests. Simple, right?
Cherries make a wonderful tree for all sizes of garden. Many varieties are attractive trees, bearing spring blossom, colourful fruit, interesting bark and leafy foliage that turns orange, red and yellow in autumn.
How to Grow and Care for Ironweed (Vernonia) Vernonia spp.
Some people get their kicks from designer labels, others from rummaging through flea shops, or collecting obscure Japanese comics, vintage tractors, handbags, dolls, beer-mats, Star Wars merchandise or whatever else. Me, I get mine from ordering seeds.
Being British we love to talk about the weather, it’s just one of those things we do. Many of us are never happy whatever the weather brings. It’s either too cold (but it’s the winter so what do you expect, put a few extra layers on), or too hot (again it’s the summer and that’s what happens, drink something cold and buy a fan). It rains when people don’t want it to (I must admit sometimes when it pours and I’m working I do get cross but I can’t do anything about it), and then sometimes it gets very windy (we live on a small island that is right next to the Atlantic ocean so it’s gonna happen). Stop complaining about the weather all the time and just live your life and enjoy your life. You only get one life so make the most of it and stop moaning about something that really doesn’t effect you that much. Yes you might get wet when it rains or sweaty when it’s hot, but there is always someone worse off that you. Ok so moan over, here’s what I got up to today and how the weather has effected my plants.
January is an interesting time to look for birds in the garden, as days are short and the availability of natural food is limited. This brings more birds into gardens, for whom a reliable source of supplementary food can be a lifeline.
Last September my husband and I fulfilled a long-held dream of visiting Australia, when we decided to take a road trip from Brisbane to Sydney. When you look at the map, our trip marks only a tiny slice of this massive country, but we knew we wanted to take it slowly and really soak up the countryside and enjoy the places we did have time to see.
This month, why not use your 2-for-1 Gardens entry card to spot some of the most exciting wildlife the UK has to offer in late winter. Wrap up warm, grab your2-for-1 Gardens card, maybe even some binoculars and head out to one of these gardens for a full day out.
The pear grown in Britain is the European Pear which derives from Pyrus communis, native of the temperate parts of Europe and the western part of southern Asia as far as the Himalayas. In America some varieties are grown which are hybrids between the European Pear (as represented by ‘William’s Bon Chrdtien’, known in America as ‘Bartlett’) and Pyrus serotina, the Japanesesand pear.
How to Grow and Care for Freesia Flowers Freesia spp.