I’m sure you know by now I love an Iris, especially a Bearded one in all it’s forms. It’s dividing time now and I am busy digging and dividing and composting old bits. I am reminded of how lovely they were this Spring did you see them on our Instagram page? they looked a bit…
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RECIPE: Soft Set Gooseberry Jam – or Fridge Jam
After making Sarah Raven’s wonderful soft set Apricot jam earlier in the year I have been playing about with the ‘soft set’ method on other jams. Our goosberry bushes have been over abundant this year so it seems like a good time to try it out on them. Ingredients: 1kg Gooseberries – topped and tailed…
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Review: Colour Your Garden – Jacqueline van der Kloet
This is one of those books that looks pretty uninspiring and a ‘wade through’ read, on a first flip through the images are a bit ‘so what’, no instagram candy here and it all looks a bit dense. DO NOT BE FOOLED! It is in fact a ‘cannot put down once you start’ kind…
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Planning for summer bulbs
Winter is not even over and Spring a longed for moment that is a good month and a half away but NOW is the time to plan those summer bulb plantings. The best time to get you orders in but the plants won’t go in until March/April. We’ve included 5 of our favourites below:- Martagon…
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A time to plan
In these dark winter days I find myself planning many things, sometimes gardens in their entirety mostly it’s planting or work schedules for the year to come but then there is the moment when the first signs of growth appear and you realise that seed sowing will soon be upon you. This week as the…
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Recipe – Rhubarb, Date and Ginger chutney
It’s January the time for clearing out and cleaning down and generally getting ready for the seasons to come. I will admit our freezer has been rather bulging with excess produce this year so this weekend I took everything out and made preserves, LOTS and LOTS of preserves, Blackcurrant jam, Goosberry jam, Raspberry jam, Rhubarb…
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Bare roots
In September there is always a wild rush to plant while the soil is still warm enough for plants to get a start with settling in before winter but IN winter many are doing just that as they go into the ground as bare root plants. Roses from David Austin mostly come bare root…
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Hippeasturm (Amaryllis)
Late in the winter when it’s still dark as all hell and even the mornings are murky darkness, one plant brings me such joy. Bursting with unseasonal vigour and vivid colour the Amaryllis bursts forth to show off it’s vibrant wares. Hippeastrum originated in South America, a fairly large Genus of 90 species but having…
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Making : A wreath for Christmas
I know I know it’s OCTOBER, how can I be talking about the BIG season so soon? we haven’t even had Halloween yet! I have a reason and good one too. This year has been a good deal about diversifying, blending all the elements of gardens and plants that I love, adding a boost to…
Continue ReadingBook Review: Secret Gardens of East Anglia – Barbara Segall
I love a good book and can slew through one in a few hours if hooked. I read a lot of books, sometimes having 3 or 4 on the go at once sometimes only 1, though this is rare for me. I read a good deal for work too, magazines in the main but also…
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