Five Mistakes to Avoid Planting and Growing Bare-Root Peonies, Peony, Pa...
Peonies are arguably some of the most bold and impactful of all ornamental flowering plants. However they can be surprisingly expensive, especially when bought in bloom. So by keeping an eye out in...
View ArticleTropical Gardens UK: Exotic Garden Jobs for February
While technically still winter, February is usually when the first signs of spring appear. However a few mild days can spring the garden back into to life so its worth taking advantage of these balmy...
View ArticleHow to Plant and Grow Tree Peonies, Peony , Paeonia suffruticosa
Tree Peonies are one of those plants that gardeners tend to put on a pedestal. Exquisitely fragile, expensive if you have purchased one from a decent propagator, yet full of eastern exoticness! I think...
View ArticleFive Mistakes to Avoid Planting and Growing Crocosmia Bulbs - Montbretia
Crocosmia cultivars and hybrids are one of the great mainstays of the tropical-effect, exotic garden. However as a native to southern and eastern Africa some specimens are hardier than other and native...
View ArticleHow to Plant and Grow Magnolia x soulangeana - Saucer Magnolia, Tulip T...
Magnolia x soulangeana, along with its many gorgeous hybrids, is arguably the first full-blown, outstanding horticultural display of the spring. With its massive blooms opening up and unobscured by...
View ArticleTropical Gardens UK: Can You Grow a Banana Tree Outside in the UK ?
As far as tropical-effect plants go banana trees (not a true tree) are arguable amongst the most iconic. So wouldn't it be amazing if it were possible to grow a fully hardy banana plants outside, all...
View ArticleAre Aspidistra elatior Cold Winter Hardy - Cast Iron Plant?
The Cast Iron Plant - Aspidistra elatior is well known as a popular houseplant of the Victorian period and for good reason. It is drought tolerant, cold tolerant, shade tolerant and capable of...
View ArticleTropical Gardens UK: Exotic Garden Jobs for March
With the milder overnight temperatures of March you can really begin to see plants waking up for spring. Early bulbs are coming into bloom and even hardier plants are beginning to break bud. This...
View ArticleTropical Gardens UK: New Plants for our Exotic Garden
The winter calendar has finally clicked over from February to March allowing specialist nurseries to finally dispatched long awaited exotic plants to eager customers such as myself. Within just a few...
View ArticleTropical gardens UK: Exotic Garden March Tour Walk Around
March has brought with it a change in the air! The nights are milder and plants are racing to emerge from the soil. So its worth having a walk around the garden to witness the beginnings of new life,...
View ArticleTropical Gardens UK: Five Genuinely Blue, Cold-Hardy Palm Trees
If palm trees were not exotic enough for an English garden, there are a number of absolutely fantastic blue palm trees available too. All of which are capable of withstanding the freezing temperatures...
View ArticleTropical Gardens UK: RHS Wisley Exotic Garden March Tour Walk-Around
Although spring has barely begun to sprung, any good exotic, tropical effect garden should have something interesting to look at, at anytime of year! So Lorna and I took a rare opportunity to visit RHS...
View ArticleHow to Plant and Grow Ginger Lilies - Bare Root Hedychium
With milder winters, and a far better availability from our traditional garden and on-line retailors, Ginger lilies are slowly becoming the 'must-have' plants of the season. In fact, no self-respecting...
View ArticleHow to Plant and Grow Musa basjoo - Hardy or Japanese Banana
The hardy Japanese banana is arguably the toughest of all banana plants and is super-easy to grow here in the UK. With roots cold tolerant to -15 degrees Celsius it is as strong as they come and they...
View ArticleFive Mistakes to Avoid Growing Tomatoes from Seeds
Tomatoes are one of the easiest edible crops to grow from seed but there are so many things than can go wrong and ruin it all! So in this video English horticulturist points out his top five mistakes...
View ArticleIs RHS Wisley England's Best Garden? We Take a Tour
The Royal Horticultural Society gardens at Wisley, Woking, is not only the best of all the RHS gardens, but it is at least in our opinion one of the very best gardens in England! It displays a large...
View ArticleHow to Plant and Grow Bare-Root Canna Lilies
As far as exotic plants go Canna lilies almost have it all! They are hardy throughout a good proportion of the UK, they produce incredible tropical -effect, architectural foliage, and once they start...
View ArticleApril Garden Pests Warning!
April brings with it warmer weather, rain and the emergence of new plant growth. In fact one could say that it has everything you need to kick start your garden pests into abundant, foliage-destructive...
View ArticleTree Fern Unwrapping and Spring Maintenance - Dicksonia antarctica
With the returning mild spring weather, tree ferns are awakening and with that work needs to be done. Winter protection will need to be removed and environmental needs need to be met in order to give...
View ArticleHow to Plant and Grow Seed Potatoes in a Container or Pot
If you want to grow healthy, excellently flavoured potatoes, but neither have the room outside nor a garden for traditionally trenched rows, then planting your seed potatoes into a large pot or...
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