Making a compost heap is such a positive thing to do. People with compost heaps enjoy fabulous compost delivered straight to their gardens and allotments, for free! Save money on council green bins and spare yourself weekend trips to the tip by starting a compost bin. Homemade compost enriches our soils and benefits nature and the environment.
Ox-eye daisies are one of Great Britain’s most endearing wildflowers. These charming large, white daisies with their golden centres light up our meadows; we should embrace these beauties, as they can bring just as much joy to our summer gardens! August and September is the ideal time to sow seeds.
The ox-eye daisy, dog daisy, or Marguerite is also known by the botanical name Leucanthemum vulgare.
Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count runs from Friday the 17th July 2026 through until Sunday 9th August 2026 – meaning the count ends today. It has been so hot and I’ve been too busy since the Butterfly Count started, so mainly due to the heat I’m sorry to say that I’ve only managed to do two Big Butterfly counts this year – both of them in my garden on the same day (with a gap in between each count).
Hardy annuals grow, flower, and die within the same year. Short-lived they may be, but their generosity of spirit and abundant flowering give our gardens a delightful floral boost, making these plants welcome additions to our gardens. Sowing seeds directly in the soil now requires less physical effort and is more economical than buying plants to plant in springtime. Spending under £10 on hardy annual seeds at the garden centre can produce enough plants to fill an average sized garden!
My heart is full of love for butterflies, so I’m encouraging everyone to take part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, which starts on Friday 17th July 2026 and runs until Sunday 9th August 2026.
If you’re visiting the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show (or watching the television coverage) this week, look out for Plant Heritage who will be unveiling their first ever Chelsea Garden when this prestigious Flower Show opens to the public on 19th May 2026! At the show, you can also meet the Plant Heritage team inside the Great Pavilion on stand GP088, selling seeds collected by National Collection holders and Plant Heritage Members.
I get such a thrill from writing about plants that I know are super-star performers, as I’ve trialled and tested them over a number of years. The thought of a lovely reader discovering an exquisite plant that flourishes in their garden fills me with happiness! Clematis ‘Hågelby Pink’ is a stand-out clematis from my Clematis Trial; this strong-growing, yet mild-mannered climber is incredibly floriferous.
As autumn’s whisper reverberates through our landscape, many plants begin to fade, as they respond to the changing season and wither in the ever-lengthening nights’ embrace. This is a season of salvage, protection, and celebration; it’s time to bring tender plants inside our homes, conservatories, and glasshouses, and gather in our harvest.
At this time of year, Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans) is often viciously working its destruction through our tomato and potato plants, marking leaves and stems with patches of brown and spreading rot and disease, turning green or ripening tomatoes a deathly brown.
Does your garden need a boost? Do you have enough summer-flowering perennials? Treat yourself to some Echinacea, these gorgeous plants have stunning, long-lasting flowers that attract butterflies, moths, bees, and other pollinating insects.
I adore Echinacea, also known as Coneflowers. My favourites are the purple and white flowered forms of Echinacea purpurea, as well their elegant cousin, Echinacea pallida.
Plant Heritage is a charitable organisation that works to safeguard and conserve the diversity of our garden plants by encouraging the growing, propagation, and distribution of plants. National Collection holders are key to Plant Heritage’s aims, they hold documented, registered plant collections, featuring plants that are proactively propagated and conserved. Many popular groups of plants are currently without the protection of a National Collection holder, including some fabulous plants that attract a wide range of fascinating bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies, and other important pollinators to our gardens.
April is such a wonderful month to sow seeds of edible plants, as it’s possible to grow almost anything from seed at this exciting time of year! Make the effort to get out in your garden or allotment now and benefit from the opportunity to sow seeds of carrots, parsnips, globe artichokes, and other edible plants that take more time than others to grow and develop.
I want to inspire you to support nature and Surrey’s conservation groups and make a positive difference for the Small Blue Butterfly by growing Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) in your garden, or at your school, workplace, or allotment.
The Small Blue Butterfly is Britain’s smallest butterfly; it was once common in Surrey. This rarity is classified with Near Threatened status by the IUCN Red List.
Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) is one of our beautiful British wildflowers that grows in chalk grassland, over sand dunes, across shingle, and atop cliffs, in South East England. These stunning plants should be cherished, as from late spring and early summertime, Kidney Vetch bloom continuously for around three months. Their flowers are a magnet for bees, and Kidney Vetch thrives in containers on a sunny patio or balcony.
Fittonias are stunning indoor plants with exquisite, detailed veining on their leaves that resembles a network of nerves, hence the plants’ common name, the Nerve Plant. These short, bushy houseplants don’t take up much space, yet Fittonias’ colourful, intricate foliage can brighten up our homes, adding pops of colour and bringing seasonal cheer to even the smallest of spaces!
Fittonias are available in a wide range of colours, from vibrant reds or glowing oranges, punchy cerise or zingy lime, to blush pink, and softer pastel tones.
Is there a better gift than a plant? I can’t think of any gift that surpasses that of a plant – my favourite gift would be a houseplant. I’d prefer to receive a houseplant over a garden plant as a surprise gift, as it’s easier for me to find a suitable space and make room for an indoor plant than a garden plant.
Are you, your family, or community group, or your neighbourhood, village, or town planning a bonfire night celebration? Members of our community often devote significant amounts of their time and energy into creating a spectacular display for all to enjoy. Bonfire celebrations bring us together, but our actions can be harmful for wildlife.
Bonfire mounds resemble five-star luxury hibernation destinations to hedgehogs, frogs, newts, and toads, who enter seeking refuge, mistakenly assuming they have found a safe place to hibernate over winter.
Life isn’t always as relaxed as we’d like it to be. Daily demands and pressures can leave us feeling tense, stressed, and exhausted. My favourite way to relax, recharge, and re-energise my body and soul is to spend time outdoors in a garden or allotment, or to take an uplifting walk outside in our beautiful countryside.
If you’re looking to unwind, make time to enjoy a pot of tea in the garden.
Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count runs from Friday the 12th July 2024 through until Sunday 4th August 2024. Taking a Butterfly Count is one of my absolute favourite things to do! I’d really like to encourage you to join in and take your own Butterfly Count – this is such a fun activity.
Some plants don’t flower for long and although they can excite us with their fleeting beauty, the brevity of their blooming often leaves us wanting more. If you’re looking for a plant with a generous, floriferous nature, and ability to bloom throughout the summer months, let me recommend Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (‘Gerwat’) (PBR).
‘Rozanne’ is a hard-working perennial. Plant ‘Rozanne’ in your garden now and enjoy her blooms all summer, safe in the knowledge that next year (and in future years) ‘Rozanne’ will return to delight you!
I’ve got a wonderful weekend of outdoor gardening lined up, as our lovely friends Ian and Martin are coming over to help us in the garden. I am so grateful for their help and I can’t wait to see my friends and spend time together outside. I am hoping we hear lots of birdsong. I’ll be doing my best to remember to turn the Merlin Bird ID app on.
