When To Plant Peonies In Uk

Measuring a slope's rise and run is a first step in creating a hillside garden Don't take on too much at first, because most terraced vegetable gardens are tended by hand, which requires slogging up and down a slope in addition to the usual stooping,...

The remains of reseeding flowers and herbs can be given their own space in the garden 4. When I do use compost to top-dress fall veggies, I place old boards or pieces of weathered cardboard along the edges of the bed to provide shelter for fall crickets...

Like many flowering plants, the most effective way to speed up ripening is to simply remove ripe fruits as they appear. Once consistently cooler weather arrives it's time to bring all of the fruits indoors, whether they're ready or not.

Beans will also stop producing more pods if the existing ones are left to ripen to biological maturity – by forming seeds, the plants will have completed their lifecycle, and will have no reason to continue flowering.

Practice crop rotation to help prevent a build-up of crop-specific pests in the soil, and if you have suffered from a soil-borne pest such as wireworm it's a good idea to dig or at least disturb the top few inches of soil with a fork between crops –...

Savoy cabbages have a long harvest period stretching from autumn all the way through winter to early spring. Red cabbages are popular for braising or pickling. Summer cabbages crop from summer into early autumn, while fall cabbages and winter varieties...

A water feature of any size can add interest and soothing background noise Add Interest with Sound and Movement Stimulate the senses with sound, color and movement. If you're patient, why not lay down plans for a country wine or two?

The leaves are thin, smooth and hairless compared to other radishes, with attractive red stems. Then factor in that daikons are a pickler's dream, whether you ferment them in a salt brine or turn them into spicy Vietnamese-style refrigerator pickles.

Cover them with paper bags to stop them getting covered in dust. No matter how meticulous you are with planning crop timings, there's always going to be a hardcore of homegrown hooligans that arrive en masse, intimidating gardeners with more fresh produce...

Rutabagas are highly sensitive to boron deficiency, which leads to a condition called brown heart, a discolored hollow in the middle of the rutabaga. The best rutabagas are harvested from cool soil after autumn leaves start to fall.

If you save seeds we'd love to hear your top tips for doing so – don't be shy, please drop us a comment below! < All Guides As with any vegetable, it's important to choose the very best plants to collect seed from.

Silver leaf disease is spread by spores from a bracket fungus. There are also two serious diseases to be aware of. If you see signs of silver leaf, cut well beyond the area where the dark stain shows in the centre of the wood to make sure that no trace...

They're incredibly easy to make and they can look just stunning. Cotton thread comes a close second. Photo by Christopher Holden Fine, smooth fishing line is the best thread for your ristra because it offers least resistance, enabling the chilies to slide...

Water along marked-out drills. Get around this problem by simply placing the end of the hose in a watering can so that it fills as you pour. Fill up a suitable-sized reservoir, adding any liquid feed you'd like to apply at the recommended rate.

In temperate regions, little more than an extra pile of earth strewn over the top of the rows should be enough to provide an additional layer of defense against occasional frosts. At this stage cut the foliage off and put it on the compost heap.

Early summer offers us a tempting taste of what's to come in the fruit garden. The fruits left to grow on will enjoy more airflow, sunlight and energy from the tree for even ripening.

It's that time of year again, when wafts – nay, clouds – of whitefly lay siege to summer favorites like tomatoes and cabbage. Whitefly love the color yellow and will flock to the cards, only to get stuck and meet their end.

Use row covers to exclude them from garden crops. Damage: These and other closely related species have sucking mouthparts, as do their tiny larvae. Tarnished plant bugs can become a problem when they move into the garden from nearby fields.

Harvesting The delicate flowers and fragrance of poached egg plant always bring cheer to the garden. Spacing Single Plants: 3" (10cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 3" (10cm) with 3" (10cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Sow poached egg plant in early spring,...

If storing shallots, cure in a dry place for 10 days after pulling the plants. Frost tolerant Yes. Spacing Single Plants: 5" (15cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 3" (10cm) with 5" (15cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Set individual cloves in prepared ground...

A small vacuum is a good way to collect cucumber beetles. Females lay eggs near the base of plants, and the larvae feed on the plants' roots. Floating row covers are the most dependable way to protect plants.

Harvesting Cut back borage plants by half their size in midsummer to encourage reblooming. Spacing Single Plants: 1' 1" (35cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 11" (30cm) with 1' 11" (60cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Plant the large seeds in your garden...

Preventing Problems: Floating row covers (fleece) are an effective way to prevent egg laying by adults. Damage: When young onion plants wilt for no apparent reason, pull up a sample plant to check for legless worms (maggots) feeding on it roots.

They are also much loved by cats and dogs. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. Often planted with low, mound-forming herbs and flowers.

Harvesting Gather sprigs as needed in the kitchen. Feeding Not generally required. Lemon balm can be transplanted from early spring to early summer. You also can start seeds in late winter, and set out the seedlings in spring.

Planting tulips behind daylilies or other summer-blooming perennials hides the fading foliage from view. Most tulips are hardy to -35F (-37C); cold tolerance varies with species. Tulips bloom at the same time as dogwoods and other spring-flowering trees...

Tall varieties make great cut flowers. Most gardeners buy ageratum seedlings, but only dwarf varieties are widely available as bedding plants. Companions Thyme and Osteospermum. Notes Blue ageratum provides excellent contrast when combined with flowers...