If your garden is looking messy at this time of year, don’t worry. The garden at Lewis Cottage is also a bit of a mess and Richard Orton confesses he likes it that way. In his latest update Richard describes his own regime for tidying and pruning in winter and urges us to make up our own rules.
At this time of year, as the days shorten and time spent out in the garden becomes increasingly precious, Richard Orton likes to pause and reflect on the gardening year at Lewis Cottage. His beautiful garden is regularly open to the public during the summer months, but in this exceptional year he has decided to open it during the winter as well, to enable those who are feeling isolated to enjoy the benefits of being outdoors with like minded people.
The weather can be pretty unpleasant, the days are short, it seems to get dark far too early. Maybe it is hard to get inspired about your garden in winter, but for keen gardener Nancy Murgatroyd this is the time to dream and plan. Here she shares some ideas about how to plan a garden project.
If you are fed up with weeding your veg plot, why not have a go at the ‘no dig’ method? It’s not only easier and quicker, but can actually make your soil healthier and more productive, as our gardening expert Andy Colquhoun explains.
While many of us are wondering what to do with the apples in our gardens, at Lewis Cottage they are dealing with a bumper crop of some more unusual fruits - mulberries, figs, quinces and medlars. In the second of his blogs one of the creators of this special Mid Devon garden, Richard Orton, shares some ideas on how to use these fruits, a recipe for mulberry jelly and some tips on growing figs. He also shares his list of garden jobs for the autumn.
We’re well and truly into autumn now and winter is just around the corner. Most of the fun jobs are over, but local expert Andy Colquhoun suggests there are still some new things you can do to spice up your gardening.
September is a busy time in the garden, with seeds, fruit and vegetables to harvest. It is also a time to start preparing for next year, says local gardening expert Andy Colquhoun.
August is the time to take a well-earned break from the last few months of planting, cutting, digging, watering and to enjoy the fruits of your hard work, literally. Eat your crops as they come out before you miss them, says gardening expert Andy Colquhoun. But there are still a few jobs to do…...
The main tasks for this month are deadheading, watering and weeding, says gardening expert Andy Colquhoun. He also offers some advice on how to remove the dreaded ground elder without using toxic weedkiller.
June is a month of light, with the longest day on the 21st. This gives us a month of fast growth in the garden and plenty of jobs to be getting on with, says gardening expert Andy Colquhoun.
May can be an unpredictable month, from a mixture of hot, mild and cold temperatures with some chilly winds. Whatever we decide to do in the garden, we always need to go by the weather.
