The bluebells in my garden have thrust their flower spikes towards the sun and opened their blooms. They are plentiful in my garden, some surprising me for the first time, but it’s a particular patch that draws my attention. They are the bulbs I transplanted from my father’s garden. His garden was fronted by a […]

Hello and welcome to the spring equinox! Longer days and warmer weather are on the way for us here in the Southern hemisphere. One of my crabapples is in glorious bloom and, even though the flowers will only last a few weeks, it is worth it. I always celebrate the spring equinox; it’s the period […]

I knew as soon as we moved to a cooler climate I would plant tulips. I’d never been able to successfully grow them in Sydney (humidity? microclimate?). So, after we moved, I had to learn about their requirements and tap into local knowledge. May is tulip planting time in the Southern Highlands. I always take […]

I’ve always been entranced by the beauty of well-tended vegetable and fruit gardens. Those surrounded by quirky fences or walled gardens seem so romantic. All that flourishing greenery, just waiting to be harvested and eaten. Most photos of vegetable gardens found in books and online are shot when the beds are looking at their best, […]

So, there I was on a cold winter’s day, with the westerly winds making the ‘feels like’ temperature outside near zero. What was I doing? Ordering dahlia tubers online. Dahlias are summer blooms. They flourish on warm, sunny days, not in the depths of the cold. Their flowers constantly delight me and I look forward […]

It flourished for years in a large concrete pot, which was refreshed with a new coat of white paint whenever it looked dowdy. The pot rested on a couple of bricks to help with drainage. There were actually two of these pots, placed either side of a short path that led to the clothesline. In […]

One of the delights of gardening in a cool climate is that we can grow hellebores. Or rather, they can grow themselves and flower prolifically, with little human interference. Hellebores are perennial ground-covering plants that enjoy shaded areas. The back corner of one of my garden beds has been colonised by these independent plants. Their […]

The showers are only lightly falling now so I went outside and inspected the garden. I wish I hadn’t. As I took steps across the grass, I could feel myself sinking into the sodden ground. That’s enough, I thought, go back inside and focus on pretty things. So, I’m going to write about polyanthus instead. […]

Do you have a potted cyclamen? It’s not too late to purchase one, since they are still available in garden centres. If you’ve succumbed to their stunning blooms, I’m sure you want to keep enjoying the flowers as long as possible. Cyclamens grown as indoor potted plants are known as Persian or florist’s cyclamen, Cyclamen […]

The flowers of lavenders are assets to any cottage style garden. The bees love them and they have a delicate perfume that wafts across the garden on warm days.  I have planted many lavenders in my various gardens over the years. Although that’s a fact, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The brutal truth doesn’t […]