This is a timely reminder to cut back cold season grasses in late winter just before they start in to new growth. Normally, I would do this in February in Amsterdam, but this winter it is ridiculously mild here and so I must not delay tackling one grass in particular – Calamagrostis x acutiflora. I …
Start of the late winter tidy-up – Cold Season Grasses Read More »
I dreamed of my own greenhouse long before I had it and in the beginning I grew lots of annuals in spring, failed to grow tomatoes in the summer and stored pot plants there in the winter. It was a luxury, but over time I came to wonder if it was really worthwhile. For three …
Plant tulips too early and there is more time for things to go wrong. Since each bulb already contains its flower all that is needed is to give them a chance to send out some roots, experience the cold of winter and not let them dry out – the result is a guarantee of flowers …
In the last ten years digital cameras have improved to the point where technical aspects of photography such as exposure, depth of field, focus and sharpness are no longer problems. What has not become any easier is composition and the ability to communicate; in other words, the art of photography. Generally I am disappointed by …
What a strange winter here in the Netherlands. Almost the mildest on record until the end of January and then more than three weeks of intense cold in February. The result is that my normal plan of tidying up the garden in mid February didn’t happen. Only now are we getting through the work, but …
Its official, the last day of February marks the end of the meteorological winter and this year its a day later. Or at least that’s what my weather lady tells me on Dutch television. I always had in my head 21st March as the first day of spring, but no, that’s the vernal equinox; and …
This gardening practice is well established in Dutch gardening where native plants as well as hardy annuals form a recurring element within planting designs. As a design concept the spontaneous appearance of delicate plants throughout a border or indeed a whole garden is in line with contemporary attempts at naturalism. The perennial meadows which are …
Two words that seem to trigger instant depression for gardeners: dry and shade. Yes, of course, plants need water and light to grow, but some can do with less. In some ways dry shade can offer opportunities that more clement growing conditions might not. To start with we need to identify what sort of dry …
It is now three years since I planted nine separate perennial meadows to illustrate my eBooks and they are looking fantastic. In fact they looked good in the first year, but now we can begin to see just how successful they are going to be in the long term. I have twenty five years of …
Success with Perennials – Establishment and Maintenance of Planting Schemes Read More »
Early summer is an excellent time of the year to be taking cuttings of perennials. Perennial meadows use a restricted pallet of plants that are repeated across the planting area to create a bold visual impact; not ones or twos here and there, but tens or maybe even hundreds of plants are needed to fill …