Author: Steve Ott

Steve Ott is editor of Kitchen Garden magazine and started his career as a professional grower, producing everything from cut flowers to vegetables. He has been growing fruit and veg all his life and spends most of his spare time in his garden in the East Midlands. He loves to experiment with crops and varieties he has never grown before and when he isn’t gardening is to be found out in the countryside bird watching and walking his dog Ted.

Spectacular Giant Lily Blooms at the Himalayan Gardens

Diary Dates
Alongside more than 80 contemporary sculptures, the Himalayan Gardens and Sculpture Park showcase nature’s own masterpieces. Now is the time to see the spectacular giant Himalayan Lily (Cardiocrinum giganteum), which is currently in full bloom. To celebrate being open and with this weekend being Father’s Day, the Gardens in Grewelthorpe near Ripon have partnered with Toast of Harrogate, so visitors…
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Historic gardens reopen to compete for coveted award

Historic gardens reopen to compete for coveted award

Diary Dates, News
The weather is glorious, historic gardens are open (or opening soon), so get out in the sunshine and enjoy the Great British Summer! Following clarification from government on May 22 that fee-paying outdoor heritage sites in England could now reopen to visitors, the attractions of Historic Houses – Britain’s largest collection of independent heritage – are throwing open their garden…
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Vegetable plots in, gnomes out!

Vegetable plots in, gnomes out!

News
The best and worst garden trends have been revealed by tool firm Draper Tools Trending well Water features, summer houses and decking are viewed favourably among green-fingered Brits – as are herb gardens, living walls and outdoors kitchens. However, the nation is less enamoured with hot tubs, trampolines and wind chimes – and they’re also not keen on fences painted…
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Lockdown SOS (Save our swans)

Lockdown SOS (Save our swans)

News
Lockdown leaves the UK’s ducks and swans at risk of starvation – here’s how you can help. Without intervention, many animals are being left without the food they rely on. Ark Wildlife has donated five tons of feed to charities, and is asking the public to do their bit. Why are duck and swan populations at risk? As we have…
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Five ways you can help protect the bees

Five ways you can help protect the bees

News
We’ve all heard the rhetoric of ‘Save the bees’ time and time again over the years and that statement is as important now as it’s ever been. They may not be everyone’s favourite critter, but they play an undeniably important role to our ecosystems. Unfortunately, many of our vital bee colonies have been dying out; the decline starting as far…
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Terry Walton hosts Q&A at the Virtual Village Hall

Terry Walton hosts Q&A at the Virtual Village Hall

News
TV and radio gardening guru Terry Walton to host live-stream question and answer session Terry has been a keen gardener and allotment grower since childhood and broadcasts regularly from his allotment in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. Like many people, Terry has been finding comfort in gardening and growing during lockdown and looks forward to sharing his expertise and experience…
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Merrygold' Tomato

Merrygold’ Tomato

News
First blight resistant orange tomato naming competition – the result! The Burpee Seeds Europe team ran a competition last month together with Mr Fothergill’s which gave readers of the Pumpkin Beth site an exciting opportunity to name their first-ever blight-resistant orange tomato. It was hard to choose a winner but after much deliberation, the name ‘Merrygold’ from Ann Page was…
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