MyGardenSchool^®

I never used to wear gardening gloves, mainly because I didn’t like working in them. I found them awkward and difficult and I found myself taking them off to do anything I needed to feel. As the gardening season got under way in early spring I considered frozen fingers, rough…

Chelsea Flower Show is the greatest flower show in the world, whether you are a keen gardener or just love the experience of this highlight of the London season. The interest in this event is immense, the demand for tickets incredible, it is always sold out before the show; it’s…

There is a great variety of garden arches, obelisks and arbours to choose from. These can make valuable focal points in any size of garden and add essential height which is so often lacking in the planting picture. They are also the best way to showcase climbing plants, especially in…

In the last ‘back to basics’ lesson, I talked about sowing seeds and pricking out.  Now we will look at another form of propagation; taking cuttings also known as vegetative propagation. One of the most exciting skills you can have in gardening is knowing how to take your own cuttings….

Jamie Butterworth and Andy McIndoe Reporting Live from The Chelsea Flower Show site in advance of the show, 2013 I met Jamie Butterworth at The Garden Media Awards in London last November. He’s clearly a bright enthusiastic young man; a great ambassador for the industry. As you know I am…

I first met Gary Long, head gardener at Trewithen, Cornwall, South West England a few years ago. I was leading a garden tour around some of the great gardens of Cornwall and Gary took us on a tour of the garden at Trewithen, a privately owned Cornish estate famous for…

One of the most exciting things you can do as a gardener, is to sow your own seeds. And if you don’t get excited when they germinate, you may as well pack up and go home now! Many different plants can be raised from seed, sown in containers in a…

I’ve always liked the idea of a little garden lighting, but was initially put off by that warning: “only connect to an outdoor socket installed by a qualified electrician”. I’m sure I’m not the only one that recoils with the thought of the expense and the hassle. That’s probably why…

What is the best way to water my garden?  It might seem obvious that all plants need water,…………..but why? and what is the best way to water my garden   Plants need water for many reasons. Seeds will not germinate without water and plants can only use the nutrients in the…

Risk! Is the theme of the Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres exhibit at RHS Chelsea Flower Show that opens in just two weeks. There are of course lots of risks involved in staging a Chelsea exhibit, but then again there are risks every season in every garden. In a previous…