Sowing a seed directly into the ground, nurturing it, and reaping the rewards is one of the easiest gardening activities you can do—yet many gardeners don’t. There are many reasons to direct sow. Often, you’ll have earlier harvests because the seeds will germinate when it’s the perfect time to grow, and stronger seedlings because transplant shock isn’t an issue. Planting seeds in general (instead of buying transplants) gives you more varietal options, and you can also save a lot of money (1 packet of 30 to 150 seeds often costs less than a 6-pack of plants). And then there is the personal satisfaction factor. Ask any child who has planted a sunflower seed how they feel when that flower towers over their head, and you’ll understand what I mean.
Eight classic ornamental trees and shrubs to plant now for long-lasting bursts of colour
24.02.2024 - 08:43 / irishtimes.com / Fionnuala Fallon
When it comes to botanical longevity, it’s fair to say that annual and biennial species of plants are the “here today, gone tomorrow” ephemerals of our gardens and allotments. No sooner have they made our acquaintance, then they up and disappear like thistledown. Perennials, by comparison give far more bang for their buck, but even they can’t compare to ornamental trees and shrubs, many of which are easily capable of outliving their owners by decades, sometimes centuries.
This, I suspect, is also why we’re sometimes wary of planting them. What if we choose badly? Or come to regret or dislike them? What if they become unruly, or too big for their boots, or cast unwanted shade, or suck up too much moisture and nutrients at the expense of smaller, easier to keep-in-check species. How much care will they need in terms of routine pruning, feeding, mulching and deadheading, and what if we’re not always able to provide it?
Truth be told, the very fact that these plants can serve as a sort of long-lasting horticultural testament to our aptitude (or not) for gardening, is also a little daunting. If/when it goes badly, then it can be like forever being confronted with a photograph of our younger selves sporting the sort of haircut we once loved but would now like the world to forget.
All of which brings me neatly to the idea of gardening classics, those species of ornamental trees and shrubs that share the ability to be always admired while others fall in and out of fashion. Some are in bloom right now or soon will be, enduring woody stars of the early spring flower garden, whose wattage never fades.
So, here’s a handy little seasonal shortlist.
Elegant and understated yet with a stately presence all their own, these exceptionally
Save on Cozy Earth’s Most Popular Bedding (and More) During Sleep Week
Sleep Week has arrived. Whether you’re on the side of keeping daylight savings or hope to get rid of the clock-adjusting routine, now is the perfect time to take advantage of all the bedding sales as your body adapts to losing an hour. And as someone who needs a minimum of eight hours of sleep (more for proper functioning than beauty), I firmly believe in making investments to create the best sleeping experience one could have.
Tips for Growing Cayenne Peppers
Tips for Growing Cayenne Peppers Capsicum annuum ‘Cayenne’
14 Fast Growing Shade Trees in California
Being the third largest state of the United States in size, it has diverse climate, this is why this list includes drought tolerant, sun loving, cold hardy, tropical, and temperate trees for the “Golden State.”
From seed to perfect plants and veg: tips to guarantee a bountiful garden
For gardeners who love to raise their plants from seed, the beginning of March is not unlike the build-up to Christmas. There’s lots of hustle and bustle, with flurries of intriguing parcels from favourite suppliers arriving in the post, accompanied by the making of wish lists and enthusiastic sorting of essential tools and equipment.
Gardens of the Year Competition terms and conditions
1. The Promoter is Immediate Media Company London Limited (company number 06189487), Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT (“Immediate”). The competition is sponsored by Weetabix Limited (company number 00267687) (t/a “Alpen”).
Tips for Growing Saskatoon Serviceberries
Tips for Growing Saskatoon Serviceberries Amelanchier alnifolia
How to Grow and Care for a Juniper Tree
Common juniper (Juniperus communis) is one of only three conifers native to the UK. It’s a member of the cypress family and grows on chalk or limestone in lowland areas, and moors, woodland and cliffs in northern Britain. Juniper is in decline in wild populations and has been designated a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. This special tree has disappeared from several areas in the south of England. Many remaining colonies are so small that they’re considered functionally extinct. Scotland is now the stronghold for 80 per cent of the UK’s juniper trees.
The best balcony plants and how to care for them | House & Garden
The beautiful balcony plants on the terrace at the London house of Henrietta Courtauld of the Land Gardeners
Always Put a Tablespoon of Sugar in a Planting Hole...For this Reason!
A tablespoon of sugar is quite a common thing in the kitchen or dining table, but what if we tell you that having it handy in the garden can be beneficial for your green friends?
How to get the best out of your potatoes
They say that you can tell a surprising amount about a gardener by the kind of potatoes they grow. Some of us, for example, are traditionalists who’ll plump for the floury, fluffy ‘British Queen’ (colloquially known as ‘Queens’) every time. Others are passionate foodies who prefer the firm, waxy, flavoursome, yellow flesh of a salad potato such as ‘Charlotte’, or the heirloom ‘La Ratte’. Individualists, meanwhile, often like to seek out unusual kinds, such as the dark magenta-fleshed ‘Vitanoire’, or the knobbly ‘Pink Fir Apple’, the heritage variety famed for its more-ishness.