What to do in your garden in June

It’s June! Here are some gardening jobs you can be getting on with this month:- – Plant out annual summer bedding plants in the garden, in containers and hanging baskets now the risk of frost has passed. If you have them growing on in a greenhouse move them outside to their final position. – Continue […]

June’s plant of the month

June’s plant of the month is Allium ‘Purple Sensation’. Allium are bulbous herbaceous perennials with linear, strap-shaped or cylindrical basal leaves and star-shaped or bell-shaped flowers in an umbel on a leafless stem. ‘Purple Sensation’ is a perennial to 90cm, with short basal leaves dying down by flowering time. Flowers are small, vivid rosy-purple, in […]

May’s plant of the month

Brunnera is a great plant to choose if you’re looking for something a bit more unusual for the spring garden. Throughout May, Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ is covered with lots of small, bright blue flowers which look rather like forget-me-nots. These are complemented by the beautiful heart-shaped foliage which is a pale silver-grey with pronounced dark […]

What to do in your garden in May

Top 10 gardening jobs for May are:- -Prune spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, after flowering to keep them compact; -Plant out dahlia tubers and cannas after all risk of frost has passed; -Tie in the new shoots of climbing plants, including clematis, wisteria and honeysuckle, to their supports; -Continue sowing annuals, such as California […]

What to do in your garden in April

Here are some jobs to do just now in the ornamental garden:- – Scrape away a layer of old compost of permanently potted plants and top dress with fresh compost; – Cut back perennials left with top growth over the winter; – Divide overcrowded clumps of herbaceous perennials and replant them; – Prepare ground for […]

April’s plant of the month

Primula denticulata or the drumstick primula are herbaceous or semi-evergreen perennials, with a rosette of simple leaves, with dense rounded head of flowers in pink, deep purple or white with a yellow eye on an erect stem. They like any aspect or soil and will grow in full sun or partial shade.   They are […]

The problem with artificial grass

In March 2019 the Society of Garden Designers (SGD) took a stand against the widespread use of plastics in gardens by banning artificial lawns and plants from all of its advertising and sponsorship.  You may be asking why? Here are 10 reasons:- Artificial lawns are made of plastic – mainly unrecyclable polyurethane and polyethylene – […]

Plants for winter structure

A question which I am often asked at my consultations is ‘what can I grow in my garden in North East Scotland which will look good all year round?’ Many people would like to emulate the show gardens at Chelsea Flower Show (wouldn’t we all?!) but many plants featured there will not survive a winter […]

What to do in your garden in November

It’s November! Here are some gardening jobs for the month:- – Plant bare root roses, trees and hedging (much cheaper than their potted equivalent); – Plant strawberry runners in containers and baskets to overwinter for next year; – Sow micro salad leaves for germinating on the window sill; – Harvest autumn fruit raspberries; –  Plant […]

Top 10 tips for selling your home

If you are thinking of selling your home, here are our top 10 tips for getting your garden in order:- 1. Spruce up your garden Remove old sheds, broken items and pots Rake up leaves Dispose of all rubbish and garden waste Hide all toys, play frames and trampolines and personal items such as laundry […]