The Garden Lady

07/11/2025

Jobs to do in early Winter

With shorter days and a really cold feel, with rain at times, not forgetting the wind, we like to be inside in the warmth. Which is the best way to enjoy your days at this time of the year. However, it’s good for your health to get outside into the with plenty of jobs to do.

A good way to warm up on cold days is to start composting. With so much dead plant material around it’s a good time to make a heap. Garden compost is the number one soil improver. Whilst most trees and shrubs are winding down for the winter, look out for birds foraging for berries.

Now is a good time to take hard wood cuttings of deciduous plants with perennial in containers. Loosely wrap the containers in horticultural fleece or hessian to protect them from the worst of the cold and wet. This is also good for small shrubs growing in pots.

Plant up bare areas, as well as pots, with bedding plants for early colour, winter pansies, and small shrubs with berries, such as .
With fallen apples on the ground are best left for food for the – the different types of birds that may visit will surprise you, like Red Wings and Thrushes.

27/10/2025

October is a wonderful time of the year with the light and colours and exotic colours of and . It's also a month for getting fruity - the peak time for apples and pears. Now summer is officially over you may not go in to the garden as the weather is colder and at times wet but that doesn’t mean you should leave it unattended. Preparing your garden for colder weather is as important as maintaining it in the summer.

A frequent nip in the air especially after dusk so now is the time that talk about the beginning of the “tucking the up for the winter season”.

RAKE READY – collect up leaves on a regular basis from all over the garden if possible, which not only includes the but also steps and pathways (wet leaves make these slippy). Using a rake or a leaf blower, if you have one, bag them up and allow them to decompose for good free . If you only have a small amount create a small compost pile.

PREPARE FOR SPRING – Despite plant growth being dormant during the autumn and winter months you need to take action to ensure your garden is in full bloom during spring. An ideal time to plant spring flowering bulbs in lawns, beds and pots, and is late November Also plant in trees and shrubs before the ground starts to freeze. Check and fix plant supports on walls.

And don’t forget the hedges. Autumn will improve soil texture, and help protect tender plants.

This is also an ideal time to plant garlic!

01/10/2025

Its Autumn
As we move into October all about change, the days shorten and the temperatures drop can be one of our busiest times out in the garden a wonderful month for us as gardeners with so much to enjoy the wind in the trees and the leaves to the rattle of seed heads, colours of late flowers to scent of vegetables and fruit at their peak.
Whether harvesting the last of the tomatoes the lawn its final cut there is plenty to be getting on with, one of the most important jobs is mulching beds and borders what ever your soil type after the baking summer we just had, as now the rains came need to lock in moisture by adding organic matter like garden compost, leaf mould and well- rotted manure. Now is the time for planting spring bulbs in pots or in the garden, as we get the garden prepared for winter all about cutting back, weeding, divide plants to care of tools and making plans.

11/09/2025

Do you struggle with ? Have you tried and failed? Have you tried, failed and given up?

If so, keep an eye on this page and my website for my forthcoming booklet called "A Simple Guide to Growing from Seed" - its going to give you all the knowledge and knowhow for successful planting.

23/08/2025

Late summer - our gardens will look as how much care we put in to our space or does it look a verdant oasis of plants we made a chose. Look at our borders To keep them fresh which is not easy in late summer, start by cutting back spent flowers and faded foliage remove weeds. Keeping tidy trim pyracontha to limit its size as their can grow into a big shrub also encourage more flowers and berries as well the berries are on show. Look out for self sown seedlings like verbera when weather is cool like first thing in the morning pot them up with much root as possible water well. Tidy up tidy up lavender by cutting back old flowers use shears or secateurs. Flowers to enjoy are aster, ice plant, rudbecke, echinacea. and verbenc, shrubs like buddleic and h**e great to watch the butterfliers.

12/08/2025

Late summer😀it may be hot and dry with a lot of people on holiday more so if you have children, if you enjoy being out in the garden there are jobs to do but also there is a lot of colour in the garden from plants like Achllea yarrow, Linathes pooched egg plant, and golden rod. With wildlife in the garden on warm sunny days can be alive with pollinating insects more so if you grow lots of annuals . Frogs and toads like a place that is cool like long grass or a pile of stones.
Plants for free collect seeds on a warm dry day when light brown shake the seed heads into a paper bag or a paper envelope make sure you label the bag. Find time to enjoy the garden just sit out side.

01/08/2025

Love your in late summer? After hot dry weather and little rain, your garden can still look its best.

This period can sometimes be called "the dog days of summer" and also the time when many people take their , more so if they have children. But your garden can still look its best on your return.

Before you go away, do not cut your . With beds and , the and move any pots into the shade.

Pick and check the plants. Stand pots on capillary matting that is thoroughly wet before you go away or you can use a bowl of water. You can use a length of fabric tape by putting one end into the and placing the other end of the tape in the water, which will draw up the moisture and prevent the compost from drying out.

A neighbour or friend can pop around and do some jobs in return for some vegetables or which are growing in your absence.

Want further advice, then call 07767 690009

11/06/2025

11/06/2025

We love June shining with warmth and joy as we move into summer with long days of sun shire a great time to enjoy your garden. With all hard work done in spring you now see the benefits time to enjoy your garden just sit out or eating out in the garden with how it looks and the smells of flowers and herbs. Still a lot of jobs to do but just relax and enjoy working out in the garden.
What is the one thing you enjoy about the summer garden love to hear from you.

11/06/2025

Looking for a PA lady in Gloucester area please drop me an e-mail or just get in contact with me
Catherine the garden lady

04/11/2024

Switch on your bulbs for spring colour. As we move into November now is a time to plant tulip bulbs with colour whether in the ground or pots. Good to plant tulips a little later as reduce the disease called tulip fire which produce brown spots and withered leaves. Plant two/three times the size of the bulb in depth, in good soil in full sun if your soil is heavy a little bit of grit or sand at the base of the bulb. Perfect for pots , with the pots group together with different types of tulips will give you a display to look forwards to in spring. To consider colour shape of flowers and flowering time with colour from "Queen of the night "dark to Apricot Beauty. Last but not least a good cut flower long lasting in the vase.

30/09/2024

Autumn is with us now! Still lots of colour in the garden though, with Asters, Chrysanthemums and lovely sedum plants which the bees and butterflies (busy dodging the rain!) love to visit. It's the ideal time to start planting bulbs for some glorious Spring colour, so get to those garden centres. Don't forget, you can also plant bulbs in your lovely pots/containers. As long as they are kept free from being waterlogged (using free-draining compost), they should survive the winter outside with a bit of shelter.