Gardens and Roses

• Bougainvillea and Petrea make a Great Team
  Bougainvillea and Petrea come into flower at exactly the same time in spring. And they give a glorious display with their mountains of red and purple flowers side by side. […]
• A Sky Blue Clematis in full Bloom
  There were fat buds all over the clematis, peeping out from every possible corner and crevice. And overnight they burst open into this spectacular display of blue flowers. […]
• My Rose Pruning. A Success or Fiasco?
  I have always pruned my own roses. I like to prune lightly and I always prune to an outside eye. My roses have grown well and I always buy a few new ones each year so my rose bushes have grown considerably both  in number and in size. Not surprisingly, when pruning time came around […]
• When to Prune Roses – A few tips
  Optimally, it's best to prune just before the roses feel the first growing surge of spring. As you know, gardening has a lot to do with feeling! […]
• Proof that Gardening is Therapeutic
  We gardeners know that gardening is therapeutic. It isn't news to us. Gardens have always been places where you can reconnect with nature in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Now a rehabilitation Centre in Surrey has started a gardening therapy project for recovering servicemen. […]
• Daffodils – Loveliest of Spring Flowers
  Daffodils are my favourite spring flowers. They bring a splash of sunshine to any garden or patio. And they start to bloom when the garden is dull and still recovering from winter. As the poet Shelley wrote: “If winter comes can spring be far behind? As you know, gardeners always have to think and plan […]
• Calla lilies – Pink Marshmallow Arums
  Pink calla marshmallow lilies are large arums with magnificent blooms. They grow tall and flower in spring and early summer. […]
• Pickled Cucumbers – My Easiest Quickest and Best Recipe
  Pickled cucumbers add zest to any meal. And when you can make them so easily and quickly there is no reason to be without them. In my previous post,  Cucumbers by the Dozen,  I described how I had harvested tons of cucumbers from only six seeds. Well this is how I made use of at […]
• Cucumbers by the Dozen from your Own Garden
  Very soon cucumbers started to climb up the fence. They didn’t need any help at all and seemed to take on a life of their own. It wasn’t long before dozens of perfectly formed baby cucumbers began to sprout all over the vine. […]
• Why Fat Birds spurn my Bearded Irises
  I went into the house for a few minutes to get a piece of tin foil to wrap around the base of a magnificent bloom. It only took seconds but when I went back into the garden I found that my prize iris had already been chopped off. […]