Category: Blog

Learning how to grow leeks in the UK is one of the best decisions a kitchen gardener can make. How to grow leeks in the UK is less glamorous than growing tomatoes or courgettes — leeks don’t produce a dramatic harvest moment or a social-media-worthy abundance — but they fill a gap that almost no…

If you’ve noticed daddy long legs swarming around your garden in September, or found patches of yellowing, dying grass and wilting vegetable seedlings with no obvious cause above ground, there’s a good chance leatherjackets are involved. The connection between daddy long legs and leatherjackets in UK gardens is one that many gardeners don’t make —…

Learning how to grow clematis in the UK unlocks one of the most versatile and rewarding groups of climbing plants available to British gardeners. How to grow clematis in the UK is a question that intimidates beginners more than it should — the plant has a reputation for being fussy about pruning, prone to wilt,…

The plants that thrive in a shady north-facing UK garden are not a compromise — they’re a different kind of opportunity. If you have a north-facing garden, a shaded courtyard, or a border that barely sees direct sun, the instinct is to fight it: to try the sun-loving plants that look spectacular in other people’s…

Learning how to grow cucumbers in the UK surprises most beginners — not because it’s difficult, but because the results are so much better than anything available in a supermarket. How to grow cucumbers in the UK does require a little more warmth than most other kitchen garden crops, which means either a greenhouse, a…

Learning how to start an allotment in the UK is one of those decisions that sounds straightforward until you’re standing in front of a 250 square metre plot of weeds in October wondering where to begin. Starting an allotment in the UK is more achievable than that first overwhelming visit suggests, but it does benefit…

Few plants stop people in their tracks quite like a wisteria in full bloom. Learning how to grow wisteria in the UK is one of those gardening ambitions that many people carry for years before acting on — partly because the plant has a reputation for difficulty, and partly because the results, when they work,…

Hanging flower baskets UK: the plants, the planting method, and the watering and feeding routine that keeps them gorgeous all summer long.

If you want to know how to grow raspberries in the UK, you’ve picked one of the most satisfying fruit crops a British garden can produce. Raspberries are perfectly suited to the UK climate — they actually prefer the cool, moist conditions that make growing more heat-loving fruit a struggle — and once established, a…

If you’re asking why is my compost slimy and smelly, the answer is almost certainly one of three things — and all three are fixable within a week or two without starting over. A slimy, smelly compost bin is one of the most common composting problems in UK gardens, and it sends a lot of…

How to grow peonies in the UK: plant at the right depth once and enjoy the most spectacular flowers of early summer for decades to come.

How to grow runner beans in the UK: the most generous crop in the kitchen garden, from building your wigwam to picking pods all summer long.