The Wonders of Woolbeding

With its long history of medicinal use, I find yarrow to be one of the most incredible and fascinating common garden plants.An herbaceous perennial and member of the

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Chitting potatoes is also called gree

Fothergilla Monticola a shrub which I was not familiar with

It’s an age-old debate that’s almost impossible to avoid when living with another person: Does silverware go up or down in the dishwasher? And is there even a right answer? Since the popularization of the dishwasher, how to load this appliance has been a hot point of contention, particularly when it comes to silverware. Should silverware be rinsed first? Should you organize each utensil so like is grouped with like? Should you use the silverware basket or the rack, if your dishwasher is a newer model? Some people are adamant that silverware should be placed handle-up, while others insist on handle-down—but those aren’t actually the only options.

In my very first blog in 2016 I wrote about my love for wonderful hardy geraniums here

Flowers come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors and can be found in various habitats around the world. Fascinating and unique, here are Flowers That Look Like Eyes that mimic the appearance of an eye that will leave you in awe.

Zinnias are truly marvelous flowers, spectacularly colorful annuals that are incredibly easy to grow.And they come in a dizzying array of colors,

This pathway is made out of wooden planks, disassembled from pallets and joined together on the ground. You can create terrific garden paths from planks. Read more on inspiring garden path ideas.

Woodland Wonders Erythronium Bluebell – I suspect a hybrid between the wild bluebell and its Spanish cousin, both of which are in the garden. Spot the difference.

Retail therapy at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014 by Daniel Carruthers The Chelsea Flower Show, now in it’s 101st year, is revered for its wonderful gardens showing the latest trends in garden design. The show does also have many other elements of inspiration too with a wide and often unsung retail section. Predominantly the Eastern Avenue is the shopaholic gardeners first port of call with everything on display ranging from hats and gardening apparel to seeds and works of art.

In the course of my work I get sent many garden books to review – some I keep for reference, some I give to friends or good causes, but just occasionally one is so good that I keep it for myself and then buy further copies as presents.  Wonderful Weeds is just such a book, written by botanist Madeleine Harley. Its great strength is that the photography shows each weed in its various stages of development from seedling to seedhead, helping gardeners enormously in the identification of problem plants.  The text is clear and concise, offers advice on control and on regeneration (for the more desirable weeds e.g. campion) and

A Weedy Wonder Of all the weeds in my garden this oxalis is my favourite – unlike its yellow cousin it isn’t trying to take over, it just pops up here and there and puts on a wonderful show.