How to compost | Alys Fowler
A summer of snipping away and leftovers must be ready to spread out – but be wary when it comes to diseased materialAutumn rots all that summer has brought forth. It does so both gently and brutally....
View ArticleHow to grow erythroniums | Alys Fowler
I have plenty of time for daffodils and tulips, but in this corner of my garden, I want a bit of magicI always dreamed of creating a garden library, a small room to sit and read in, nestled at the...
View ArticleGet your garden ready for winter | Alys Fowler
Our gardening expert lists the crucial tasks, from cutting back to keeping birds happy – and you’re just in time to plant garlicTough stems that have dried standing upright will survive much of the...
View ArticleHow to grow narcissus paperwhite | Alys Fowler
A delicate bowl of the thin white blooms is quite something to come home to in the darker days of winterThe scent of paperwhite narcissus surpasses heady into something almost narcotic. I’m not sure...
View ArticleWhy we need open pollinated seed | Alys Fowler
I don’t think the apocalypse is coming, but Brexit probably isIf you examine my pockets you will always find, among the lint, some seed. It’s an absent-minded ritual when I see ripe seed. I guess it...
View ArticleHow to prune an apple tree | Alys Fowler
Winter pruning helps keep your fruit trees in orderIt doesn’t take long for an apple tree to go feral. Left to its own devices, an apple has no desire to be a neat thing with well-placed branches....
View ArticleHow to renovate a fruit tree – part II | Alys Fowler
Resist the temptation to cut off large limbs - radical pruning is always disastrousIt may lean over its neighbours or have overgrown its spot, but you cannot treat a neglected apple or pear – one that...
View ArticleHow to ease a cold with herbs
Our gardening export on how common culinary herbs can make brilliant medicinesThere’s nothing like a long-distance flight to test your immune system – my neighbour spluttered while the row behind...
View ArticleWhy it’s wise to prune your vines before Christmas | Alys Fowler
Cut back now to ensure new, strong, fruit-bearing shoots next yearI have been half neglecting my vine, letting it do as it pleases, occasionally trying to tame its wild ways, but mostly allowing the...
View ArticleHow to grow elephant ears for winter colour | Alys Fowler
Bergenias can be majestic in the colder monthsThe first hard nights of cold turn elephant ears into something else. Overnight they will blush from a glossy green into rich mahogany or deep plum wine....
View ArticlePlants to raise the winter spirits | Alys Fowler
When it’s cold and gloomy outside, let’s hear it for plants that flower in the depth of winterIt seems so vulnerable to bloom in these darkest of days, with the thinnest of sun rays to warm your...
View ArticleHow to grow winter aconites | Alys Fowler
Jolly polished flowers will create a pool of buttery sunlight into FebruaryThere is a little glimmer of hope at the beginning of January, a pool of buttery sunlight that shimmers on the floor as if to...
View ArticleHow to get your garden ready for March | Alys Fowler
Sow chillies now but otherwise it’s time to do some plotting and planningThank God January is almost over: it is never an easy month and is made worse by the desperate need to do something, anything,...
View ArticleHow to graft apple trees | Alys Fowler
It takes time to master this tradition but the knowledge can be picked up in an afternoonFor as long as we have loved apples (and that’s a very long time) we have been taking cuttings of them. There’s...
View ArticleWorm composting: a beginner's guide | Alys Fowler
A wormery can provide nutrients for your plants throughout the growing seasonI took my love to a fishing tackle shop to buy a squirm of worms. We went home, dumped them ceremoniously into a bin and she...
View ArticlePlant Jerusalem artichokes now for a plentiful supply | Alys Fowler
Our gardening expert on the divisive tubersJerusalem artichokes tend to divide people. To some they are the devil’s work, whereas others can’t get enough, particularly at this time of year, when the...
View ArticleGet set, sow – it's time to start growing vegetables | Alys Fowler
It’s not too early to start chillies, tomatoes, leeks and moreReady, steady, grow. It is time to start sowing. There’s no rush just yet; this is a gentle start. The only things worth sowing now are...
View ArticleHow to get the best harvest from seed potatoes | Alys Fowler
Our gardening expert on the case for chitting spuds before planting themIt is most likely too late to debate whether to chit or not. Across the land, egg boxes are full of sprouting potatoes willing on...
View ArticleHow to buy and set up a tall cold frame
It’s a big investment, but you’ll reap the rewards if you sow and grow under glass, says our gardening expertEvery gardener dreams of one day owning a greenhouse. It is an inevitable path that starts...
View ArticleHow to make the most of your garden if you’re renting | Alys Fowler
Short-term fixes to cheer up your space for summerTwo trees and a bare patch of earth. Not the most auspicious start, but a garden nonetheless. The true sadness of this space, though, is not the...
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