Showing my Mum round the garden yesterday, I noticed that the leaves of my borlotti beans are starting to wither away. I've not grown borlottis before (or beans, for that matter) but I reckon that means it's time for picking them. Glorious, aren't they? Inside, the beans have the wonderful marbled red patterns as well. … Continue reading A photo a day: August 8th
gardening
Garden moodboard: August
I'm six days late with my garden moodboard for August, though looking at the photo you could be forgiven for thinking I was month late and this was the bounty for September. What's happened to all my flowers? These are literally the only few I could find. (And the rose was one of only two … Continue reading Garden moodboard: August
The story of the asparagus pea
Like most back garden-vegetable growers, I can't resist the lure of the unusual. We’ve all heard innumerable times about the quest of the evil supermarkets to stamp out choice and offer us only the same few varieties of veg (those that store well and grow uniformly) whereas we (the elite! The vanguard! Those sticking it … Continue reading The story of the asparagus pea
Garden moodboard: July
One of the nicest things about moving to a new house is discovering all the different flowers that appear across the course of a year. Earlier in the Spring, the back garden was a riot of bright orange, pink and yellow rhododendrons, so I've been pleasantly surprised (that's an understatement, actually, I've been really flipping … Continue reading Garden moodboard: July
A garland of tomatoes
I feel I should offer some apologies to anyone who isn’t that keen on gardening, if you've still stuck with this blog long enough to read this post, for I realise it’s been a bit plant heavy round here these past few weeks. Whenever I’ve put my head above ground from revising for my horticulture … Continue reading A garland of tomatoes
Garden moodboard: June
June? June?! June! Where has the other half of this year disappeared to? Still, any alarm about the rapidity of passing time is allayed by a gentle stroll around my garden, which is looking particularly flamboyant right now. Here's the edited version: Why edited? Because, the back garden at the moment is a riot, a … Continue reading Garden moodboard: June
Bounty from the weekend
Not much chat this morning (I've got a Monday morning head on, I'm afraid) but just a few pics of things I harvested / grew / stole over the weekend, along with plans for their transformation... First up, this verdant little bunch of wild garlic leaves. I've felt a little jealous of the country lifestyle … Continue reading Bounty from the weekend
Garden moodboard: May
When we moved into our house last September there was a giant cactus in the front garden. As you're reading the words “giant cactus” I suspect you’re imagining a large cactus in a pot. Maybe a couple of feet tall. Nope, what I’m talking about is a giant cactus, growing straight out of the ground. … Continue reading Garden moodboard: May
Lusting after sheds
One of the things that appealed to us hugely when we bought our new house was the size of the garden. Countryside dwellers and non-UK readers, look away now (or at least keep your derisive snort of laughter quiet enough so I can't hear it...) For our garden is a whopping 60ft long. Sure, it's … Continue reading Lusting after sheds
Planting the seed…
If you’ve read, oooh, pretty much any other article on this blog, it’ll come as no surprise to hear I’m a lazy gardener. Every Wednesday in my horticulture course we learn about all the right ways to help a plant grow: how to provide the right soil conditions, the right nutrients, the best levels of … Continue reading Planting the seed…
Wolves in London 