Holly comes out at Christmas!
The problem we have determining the sexes of our hollies goes way beyond the genus Ilex. (cf Holly Aird; Holly Johnson.) I can legitimately use sex…
Not always what they’re cracked up to be – Part Two
The plants therein Mother Earth is a great insulator against frost. That’s why we have herbaceous perennials which die down at the end of the season,…
Not always what they’re cracked up to be – Part One
This is when the cracks start to appear. Well, perhaps not with the very first frosts, but as winter progresses, and the frosts become harder and…
One day, I will be the organ grinder – Part Two
“the Organic Gardening Catalogue offers a mouth-watering range of organic seed. Within this stock list lurk many old and almost forgotten varieties of vegetables, with their traditional disease resistance and flavour. Yes, all those good, tasty veggies your granny used to grow, but which are out of favour today because they are not uniform and pleasing to the undiscerning eye, and do not conform to the rigid standards of the supermarkets.” Mike Clark makes a persuasive case for organic gardening.
One day, I will be the organ grinder – Part One
“Commercial pressures in my previous life prevented me from adopting the organic way of gardening (and indeed life), though no doubt this may be seen as an excuse. But it is a fact of life that while on a personal level the whole concept of organic gardening is, among all its other benefits, extremely cost effective, in the commercial world it is still a prohibitively expensive option.” Mike returns to one of his favourite topics – organics.
Never underestimate Number Twos
“The average garden is seriously deficient in humus and organic matter. We work our plots and borders year after year, expecting them to perform to our ever increasing demands with the occasional addition of some chemical fertiliser to which the manufacturer appends the epithet ‘Miracle’, or similar.” Mike talks a pile of crap! Why is natural compost so much better than artificial fertilisers? Read on…