Allotment holder Karen Thirkell

GIVING HOME OWNERS THE CHANCE TO GET GROWING

RETIRED nurse manager, Redrow home owner and first-time allotment holder Karen Thirkell is enjoying the fruits of her labour. Karen, who lives at Horsforth Vale, near Leeds, is one of many Redrow home owners around the country who have been encouraged to ‘get growing’ thanks to the availability of community spaces on their developments. As National Allotments Week 2022 (Aug…
New Worthy Earth kitchen garden At Blenheim Palace

New life for historic walled gardens

Blenheim Estate has joined forces with food producers Worthy Earth to create a flourishing regenerative kitchen garden within its historic walled garden. The estate is partnering with Worthy Earth, makers of no-dig, regenerative market gardens to renew and manage the plot to grow produce for its cafes and restaurants. As well as supplying vegetables and salads for the UNESCO World…
KG tomato crop 2022

A tomato update

The tomato (and pepper) season has seemed a little slow to me this year with germination being a bit erratic and subsequent growth slow. But as always the plants come through in the end and now that they are planted in the spoil of the polytunnel enriched with compost, leafmould and blood, fish and bone, seem to be greening up…
Visit London Square Open Garedns Weekend 11-12 June 2022

A weekend of discovery unearthing London’s hidden gems by foot or bike 

As well as opening up over 100 hidden green spaces across the capital, London Square Open Gardens Weekend will be organising over 30 guided walks and cycle rides this year.  The event, on June 11th & 12th, supported by residential developer London Square, will feature a host of walks uncovering some little-known nooks, crannies and fascinating facts as expert guides lead…
sowing courgettes

Time to sow tender veggies

If you haven’t done it already, now’s the time to sow things like courgettes, pumpkins, cucumbers and other squashes. I always wait till now (mid-May) as I don’t have a heated greenhouse and although it’s plenty warm enough during the day, night time temperatures can still be quite low. I start them off in pots with two seeds per pot…
Insect homes at Thames Ditton station. Photo: Scott Cooper

Next stop – wildlife recovery!

RSPB partners with South Western Railway Key railway stations will be transformed into hubs for wildlife thanks to an exciting new partnership between the RSPB and South Western Railway (SWR). Through steps such as planting wildflowers, cutting holes in fences for ‘hedgehog highways’ and putting up nestboxes, the stations will act as refuges for wildlife in trouble. This isn’t the…
2022 Trellis seminar series

Seminar Series draws ‘gardening for wellbeing’ experts from around the world

Everyone involved in gardening for wellbeing will be delighted to learn about the 2nd online Seminar Series coming to their screens from Therapeutic Gardening Charity, Trellis. The event, which takes place from the 7-11th March this year, will bring together experts from around the world who use gardening to support people’s wellbeing. A line-up of distinguished presenters, including practitioners from…
A display of daffodils at Cornwall Spring Flower Show. Photo Charles Francis

Cornwall Garden Society’s Spring Flower Show Bursts into Bloom

Dramatic displays of spring flowers and shrubs; exquisite exhibits by leading nurseries and landscape artists; a spectacular spread of horticultural traders; a Floral Art marquee and botanical illustrations from the Eden Project’s Florilegium Society are just some of the features of the Cornwall Garden Society’s 2022 Spring Flower Show to be staged at The Royal Cornwall Showground near Wadebridge on…
Visitors to Chaiwick Floer Market

Chiswick Flower Market grows

Chiswick Flower Market today publishes its review into its progress made in 2021 and sets out its plans for an exciting 2022. The 8 markets that could be operated in 2021 managed to attract more than 60,000 visitors to what has become known as the “Columbia Road of the West”.  There were more than 60 different traders at the markets, with…
See dazzling dahlias at Heligan

DAZZLING DAHLIAS AT HELIGAN

This August, The Cornwall Dahlia Society return to The Lost Gardens of Heligan to showcase a weekend of dazzling dahlias in their 40th Annual show. Visitors to the show will be invited to marvel at hundreds of The Cornish Dahlia Society’s most spectacular dahlias, in beautiful displays at the iconic Lost Gardens. “We’re really pleased to be able to showcase…