Malvern Spring Garden Show

I am exhibiting two gardens at the Malvern spring show in May 2010. The Owl and the Pussycat, a budget garden and Stillness a minimalist garden. More info about these in the new year.

New book just published

My new book Container Gardening for Schools has just beeen published. You can get a copy from www.Lulu.com or email me. A really useful little book for schools wanting to start a new garden.

Everything in the garden is looking good.

Now that we are half way through April the garden is beginning to come to life. The daffodils are nearly over but tulips are looking lovely and early clematis are in flower. I have noticed flower buds on my wisteria and early flowering perennials.

Make sure you keep up with weeding as all the rain we have had really makes the devils grow!

Also if you have lilies in the garden look out for red lily beetle, you can,t miss them as they are scarlet and rather like elongated ladybirds without the spots. They will happily munch up all your lilies in a very short time, I pick them off and squash them. You have to do this carefully as they seem to detect any movement and will fall off the plant on to the soil. They are very difficult to find then.

Credit Crunch Gardening

We are all trying to save money these days, so how about having a go at growing your own vegetables. You don't need a large garden or an allotment. A selection of tasty fruit and vegetables can be grown in containers of all kinds indoors and out.

Small, trailing, cherry tomatoes grow very well in hanging baskets on a sunny wall. Climbing beans look good growing up wigwams in the flower border. Potatoes, carrots, salad leaves and many other vegetables can be grown in large pots or bags on the patio.

If you want your own fruit try patio apple, pear, plum and peach trees in pots. All you need is a sunny sheltered site and patience. Remember to feed and water the plants well as the soil dries out quickly in containers.

Herbs can easily be grown on a sunny windowsill or in a conservatory. Small, portable, mini greenhouses are fairly cheap and give you somewhere to plant your seedlings and keep the more tender crops warm.

Try to grow produce that is expensive to buy such as new potatoes, cut and come again salad leaves, courgettes and mini plum tomatoes.

Good gardening and good eating.

Is Spring on the way?

At last, some milder weather. I have managed to get some well rotted manure on most of my allotment beds and have planted some peas and broad beans in the greenhouse. It is unheated but I manage to get seeds to germinate by using plastic covers on the seed trays. The sweet pea seeds I planted last December have all germinated and are growing well.

I am trying to tidy up the garden, removing dead leaves and cutting down some of the old foliage from my herbaceous plants that I didn't do last year. I have started spreading garden compost on the borders and have given the compost heaps another stir. At least all this activity keeps you warm (and fit).

The first snowdrops are starting to flower and the hellebores are also in bud so spring can't be too far away.

The winter garden

With all this very cold weather it has been very difficult to get any work done in the garden. The soil has been too frozen to work and I have spent a lot of time wrapping up my more delicate plants in fleece. It has however given me time to get the greenhouse in order, wash pots and order seeds for the new growing season.

The garden has looked quite beautiful with the frost on the trees and grasses. I'm glad I did not cut down all the seed heads and grasses. These acer leaves looked very attractive edged with frost.

Don't forget to feed the birds in this cold weather. They will reward you by eating all your insect pests come the summer.