Amelanchier lamarckii is the very best tree for a smallish garden. It could be Plant of the Week at almost any time, but now is its most exciting moment. It is almost fully in flower here in Dorset (fully open in other places I know). It goes by a number of names in its native ..read more

Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-No-Mai’ is the Fuji Cherry, gows naturally on the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan. It’s almost fully out now in the south-west of England, as this photo taken today shows. It is a very small cherry tree with zig-zag branches. The little tree is extremely hardy and reliable, with masses of flowers ..read more

Designing with bulbs Designing with bulbs is not difficult, but it doesn’t often happen. As always, it all depends what we want. It is certainly possible to have bulbs flowering from January to November. December can see some bulbs in flower, but it’s chancy, expensive to bring about, and undependable. A display for all seasons ..read more

It’s time to plan bulbs for 2024  even though it’s only August! This month and next, garden centres will be displaying their range of bulbs for the autumn. I find it best to plan ahead and get in the bulbs I want as early as I can. The choices will be at their widest; the ..read more

Inkarho Rhododendrons with Clematis Inkarho rhododendrons and their strenghs Growing Inkarho rhododendrons with clematis is now realistic and widespread. The Inkarho was found about 25 years ago in a lime quarry in Germany. In the years since, an understock was developed, and as a result there’s now a fair number of cultivars that share the ..read more

Looking after peonies is doubly important because they can live for a hundred years or more. It is not particularly difficult, but does require close attention to detail. Peony specialist nurseries I bought a couple of peonies ten days ago, from Kelways. I had known them as peony specialists from their heyday years ago; I ..read more

A Magic Web with Colours Gay ‘A magic web with colours gay’ is the tagline I have on the Welcome page at ashburygardening.co.uk. It is a pretty line, quoted grossly out of context I must admit, from The Lady of Shalott, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1842). My thought was that each word in it contributes ..read more