Will you opt for a classic deadwood construction, or get creative – even weaving in living elements for the long term? Either way, a dead hedge is a win-win for your garden and its wild life. Angry autumn and winter storms harried and toyed with my garden’s boundary fence, leaving sections of it weakened, wobbly and damaged. The original fence is made entirely of sweet chestnut; the posts support horizontal rails to which palings, of differing lengths, are individually wired. The storm-ripped gap in my fence. This irregular, less formal look is a good fit for my edge-of-woodland setting, blend ..read more

Lavender cuttings can make a dramatic display. One of the most effective ways to generate a multitude of plants is to grow your own from cuttings that will get a good start in the greenhouse. This month, I’m talking with Nancy Connolly Blum, a professional landscape gardener and former owner of the Sawmill Ballroom Lavender Farm in Oregon. Here are the propagation steps she learned when she was a lavender purveyor. “I was always trying to figure out the easiest way to do it,” she says. “It is an enjoyable task that will likely produce success.” Lavender cuttings root easily.Lavender in quantit ..read more

Now that it’s spring in New England, it’s time for planting in the garden the vegetables and flowers that I started weeks ago in the greenhouse. But to do this, I have a special concern. Compared with inland temperatures, my garden in spring is significantly cooler due to winds that blow directly across the still cold ocean water I live next to. These cool spring winds are intensified when the city of Providence to my north heats up on sunny days, drawing in wind off the water because of the temperature gradient. This pattern slows the growth of every plant in my garden. For a quick temporary ..read more

Three days from now it’ll be Earth Day 2024, and thoughts turn to the climate, which of late can be described–at best–as uneven; right now, snow is forecast for tomorrow, but on Earth Day, the sun will shine, and the snow will water the garden as it melts. My one lonely daffodil will be pleased. It’s at moments like this when a heated greenhouse really comes into its own. Seed can be sown, tomato plants cossetted, and my pot-grown olive tree, rosemary and lemon verbena polished and fluffed in readiness for transfer to the great outdoors. The earliest depiction of a range of greenhouses was sho ..read more

I picked up a copy of The Times the other day to be met by a headline declaring that the wet weather we’ve been having is affecting our mental health. Yes, we are all feeling under the weather Mr Times, but we’ll all recover once the sun shines again. And so will my garden. It’s been weather-affected as never before and I’ve seen my snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils turn to soggy mush. My cherry blossom and daphne flowers have been blown off, laying like damp confetti but without the blushing bride. I’ve no need to build an ark, like Noah did, for I can retire to my Hartley greenhouse and drea ..read more

Sow celeriac, spinach and turnip in modules early in the month. Use peat free seed or finely sieved multipurpose compost; larger seeds like peas and beans can be sown in straight multipurpose compost. Place tender plants in the propagator to encourage growth before hardening off and planting outside once there is no danger of frost. Sow half-hardy annuals including climbers for ornamental outdoor displays. Like all greenhouse grown plants, they need ‘hardening off’ ready for transplanting once the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. If you are sowing the climber ‘Morning Glory ..read more

I have some small lettuce seedlings that I started in the greenhouse and it is time to plant them out and get some summer salads going. The weather has been so very wet here in the southwest of England this spring that the garden is well behind, and the only work that has really occurred is in the greenhouse. The soil outside is sodden, but the raised beds that are just outside the greenhouse are in a better state, and I think we can just about get away with planting into them during a brief break in the endless rain. A shady bed can be useful for growing salad plants including lettuces, which ..read more

In the last nor’easter gale here in Rhode Island, wind gusts reached 60 to 70 mph. Usually, the greenhouse, which is in the lee of my studio, is not affected by northerly winds. But one sunny day this spring I opened the greenhouse windows to lower the interior temperature, which had reached 90°F (32° C). I then forgot to close the windows that night when the gale hit. Consequently, one of the large panes of safety glass on the south side of the greenhouse blew out. The glass pieces were so small that collecting them had to be done by hand. After several hours of work, there were still many pi ..read more

Ideally, plants in gardens and greenhouses are designed in layers. And the most neglected layer is right at the bottom—the groundcovers. Using living plant material instead of just mulch makes for easier maintenance, and less weeding. This is true in garden beds and in containers, where shallow-rooted groundcovers do not compete with their deeper-rooted companions. They form a community, preventing weeds and holding moisture. Bright selaginella, bottom right, skirts the pink blooming hellebore ‘Ice N Roses’ with black mondo grass on left for contrast. Good groundcovers work hard. They must be ..read more

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