Little Garden Beauty

04/06/2022

Impoverished chalk hillsides make for floriferous wildflowers.

03/06/2022

Randomly discovered Figsbury Ring yesterday! So many wildflowers and stunning views. Just don't stray into Portland Down next door! .... so many warning signs!

03/06/2022

Mass upload of photos taken at Mottisfont garden today 🥰 ... remember to pre-book your car park space!

20/04/2022

Old work boots don't go to waste! 😊

19/04/2022

There's a gateway at the end of the road that opens up to this view .... my phone camera doesn't do it anywhere near enough justice!

18/03/2022

Spotted!!! - calender marked. 😁

27/02/2022

A sunny Sunday afternoon enjoying the winter colour in our own garden, albeit on a much small scale than yesterday. 😁

26/02/2022

Oh the weather has been nice to use ... mini trip to Cambridge to visit possibly some of the best winter interest/colour gardens the uk has to offer. Cambrige Botanical Gardens and Anglesey Abbey.

21/02/2022

Our mini break to visit the gardens of North Wales didn't happen (everything closed due to wind), but we went anyway and decided to do some hill walking, equally stunning views!!!

10/02/2022

February kitchen and allotment growing suggestions.

10 years worth of Gardener's World Growing Guides and recommended varieties condensed into 1 list :)

Plant out:

Apples - tree
Asparagus - Pacific 2000 (crowns)
Blackberries - canes
Califlowers - All Year Round (seedlings)
Cherry - Morello (tree)
Currents - Red start (red), white, black (bush)
Garlic - Solent Wight, Germidour, Cristo, Illico, Jolimont (bulbs/colves) Elephant
Gooseberries - Careless, Hinnonmaki (bush)
Grapes - vine
Loganberries - canes
Nectarines - tree
Onions - Red Baron, Sturon, (sets)
Peaches - tree
Raspberries- Valentina (canes)
Rhubarb - crowns 'Raspberry red'
Salad Onions: White Lisbon (sets)
Shallots - Longor, Golden Gourmet, Jermor (sets)
Strawberries - Florian
Quince - Serbian Gold (bush)

Sow: Under Cover

Aubergines - Bonica, Calliope
Beetroot - Albina Vereduna, Bikores, Bolthardy, Pablo, Pronto, Red Ace, Solo, Wodan
Broad Beans - Stereo, The Sutton, Bunyard's Exhibition
Broccoli (sprouting) - Blaze, Early Purple
Brussels sprouts - Crispus, Clodius
Cabbages - Primo,
Carrots - Jaune Obtuse de Doubs - yellow, (Under cloche) Atlas (containers), Rainbow Mix
Celeriac - Alabaster, Monarch, Prinz,
Celery - Tango
Chicory - Witloof Zoom
Chilli's - Apache, Jalapeno, Demon Red, Habanero
Chinese Cabbage - Mibuna, Mizuna, Red Komatsuna
French Beans - Dwarf: Delinel, Purple Teepee, Safari, Speedy, The Prince,
French Beans - Climbers: Cobra Hunter
Kohi rabi - Violeta, Azure Star, Kolibri, Korist, Lanro
Leeks - Apollo, Autumn Mammoth, Goliath, Carlton, Jolant, King Richard, Oarsman, Toledo
Onions - Ailsa Craig
Pak choi - Green Boy, Tai Sai
Parsnips - outdoors: Avonresister, Cobham Improved marrow, Gladiator, Javelin, Tender and True, White Spear
Peas - Spring, Feltham First, Dorain, Hurst Green
Peppers - Basket of Fire, Bell Boy, Gourmet, Gypsy (bell)
Raddish - Cherry Belle (under cloche)
Salad Leaves - Little Gem , Bubbles, Catalogna, Cacarde, Lakeland, Lollo Rossa, Nymans, Red Salad Bowl (under cloche)
Spinach - Amazon (outside if warm enough), Boreaux
Swedes - Angela, Brora, Magres
Tomatoes - Chelsea Mini, Gardeners Delight, Ildi, Moneymaker, Alicante, Costoluto Fiorentino, Shirley, Stupice, Sungold, Tigerella, Vanessa, Indigo Cherry
Turnips - Atlantic, Market Express, Primera, Tokyo Cross

Harvest:

Broccoli (Sprouting)
Brussels sprouts
Cabbages
Cauliflowers
Celeriac
Chicory
Kale
Leeks
Parsnips
Radish
Rosemary
Sage
Salad Leaves
Swedes
Swiss Chard
Thyme

11/01/2022

Further proof that Gorse is the best plant ... evergreen, grows in all locations, all soil types, and can flower for 10 months of the year - now it can feed us! 😁

Invasive prickly plant is widely cleared in Scotland and has been used as animal fodder in the past

03/01/2022

January kitchen/allotment planting guide.

Veg seeds To Sow - Indoors/undercover/under cloches

Aubergine - Bonica, Calliope
Broadbeans - Aquadulce Claudia, de Monica, The Sutton
Carrots - Parmex, Rainbow Mix
Cauliflowers - Mayflower, All Year Round
Chilli - Demon Red, Habanero
Leeks - Apollo, Autumn Giant 2, Autumn Mammoth Goliath, Below Zero, Carlton, King Richard, Oarsman, Striker, Toledo
Lettuce - Winter Gem
Mizuna - Kyoto
Onions - Red Baron
Spring/Salad onion - White Lisbon
Peas - Feltham First (end of the month), Hurst Green
Peppers - Bell-Boy, Gourmet
Radish - Scarlet Globe (round), Short Top Forcing
Spinach - Amazon, Bordeaux, Emilia, Fiorano, Violin

Veg to plant out:

Garlic cloves - Albigensian Wight, Arno, Germidour, Illico, Solent Wight
Shallots sets - Mikor, Golden Gourmet, Pikant

Fruit to Plant Out (depending on ground conditions)

Apple trees - Discovery, Fiesta, Worcester Pearmain
Blackberries - Chester, Black Butte (compact), Lochness (thornless)
Blackcurrants - Big Ben
Blueberries - Bluecrop, Duke
Cherries - Stella, Morello (sour)
Cobnuts - Cosford
Gooseberries - Hinnonmaki, Invicta (pink)
Loganberries
Peaches/Nectarines
Pear - Douce Provence
Plums - Giant Prune, Victoria
Raspberries - Autumn Bliss, Glen Ample
Redcurrants - Jonkheer, Redstart
Rhubarb - Timperley Early, Hawke’s Champagne, Raspberry Red
Tayberries - Buckingham
Whitecurrants - Versailles Blanche, Blanka

Veg/Herbs To Harvest

Brussels Sprout
Bay
Winter Cabbage - Savoy (Ormskirk types), Collard
Cauliflowers
Celeriac
Chicory
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce - Winter types
Mizuna
Chinese Mustards/Greens
Parsnips
Raddish
Sage
Swedes
Swiss Chard
Thyme