Sage Common sage (Salvia officinalis) is a popular culinary, medicinal and ornamental herb with a multitude of uses It have silver-greyish leaves and bears attractive flowers which are purple-blue in colour. It is also a versatile drought-tolerant grey foliage plant and is very hardy as it often bounces back in the spring even after a … Read More
Sweet Basil Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) When we think of basil, chances are that we have Italian Genovese basil in mind, which is often used in pesto and tomato-based dishes. It has shiny dark leaves, and is very aromatic with a sharp, strong taste that compliments the sweet-tangy taste of vine-ripened tomatoes. Other species and hybrids of … Read More
February has been a month of record rain fall and below average sunshine hours but the plants have grown and so have the weeds. March is the end of summer and what I call the harvest month as much of the fruit is ready for picking along with the summer vegetables such as the tomatoes … Read More
Lemon Verbena (Lippia citrodoro or Aloysia citrodora) When brushing past the foliage of a Lemon Verbena shrub, you are surrounded by a most refreshing perfumed fragrance, redolent of lemons. The leaves are light green, thin and pointed with a slightly sticky feel and a wonderful citrus aroma. This versatile plant which originates from Chile, could … Read More
This is one of the busy times in the garden when many of the fruit trees will start to ripen their fruit. Berry fruits are well through their season so a tidy up of any branches that have finished fruiting will give room for new growth in preparation for next year’s fruit. Strawberry plants can look … Read More
Elder (Sambucus nigra) Elders are large, bushy shrubs or trees, and can grow up to six metres. They grow in both the city and countryside, favouring hedges, footpaths, motorway banks, railway lines, derelict land and domestic gardens. Elderflower blooms are flat-headed sprays with the most wonderful flavour, that start to bloom in late spring. From … Read More
December is a very busy time in the garden! Berry fruit are ripening, plants are growing fast and the first of the stone fruit are ready. Regular weeding and watering are most important at this stage if we expect to get the best from our flowers and vegetables. Once the tops of the spring bulbs … Read More
Unfortunately Covid-19 is still restricting us from meeting. As I write this I do miss the personal contact at the monthly meetings, but the plants carry on regardless! One advantage of the restrictions is we have plenty of time to spend in the garden and be up to date with every thing that needs to … Read More
Rosemary The plant’s botanical name used to be called Rosmarinus officinalis but it was decided by the RHS in 2019, the plant is now to be called Salvia rosmarinus, following research that shows it’s a salvia (in the sage family). Rosemary is the herb of remembrance. The scent of the needle-like leaves seems somewhere between the tang of … Read More
We are now well into spring and the weather has been typically varied from warm to cold to windy. The longer days mean that the plant growth will be rapid but so will the weeds. Preparation for the main planting/sowing for the summer must be well under way. The soil is now in a good … Read More