“The best solution to tedious harvesting chores,” says a lazy gardener, “is to have lots of kids! Corral them to shell the peas, cut the beans, husk the corn, and skin the beets.” Family bees can be fun.

But, alas, the kids grow up. Lacking a crew of children, plan a social occasion to mesh with the height of raspberry, pea, or bean season. Bill it as a harvesting party, and have a gay time with picking, shelling, and freezing in the same way that folks had with husking bees in times past. It works best with friends who have no garden. Read the rest of this entry »

Snap beans are the first beans to give me a harvest, about 45 days after they come up. I plant them early and often to get a continuous supply of fresh, tender pods. From early summer to the first fall frost, snap beans are ready to pick in my garden. I plant them every 2 weeks until about 8 weeks before the average first fall frost date. Snap beans are a good succession crop because they are so easy to plant and they sprout quickly in warm soil. When my spinach starts to go to seed in early summer, I till it under and plant a wide row of beans on the same day. A couple of weeks later when some of my early peas are finished, I till them in and plant another row of snap beans. Read the rest of this entry »

These roses are remarkable for producing clusters of blooms, and flowering freely and continuously on hardy bushes. Although Floribundas are planted particularly for their colour display in the garden, the clustered stems can also be cut for informal flower arrangements.

The shape of the flowers may besingle (five-petalled), semi-double (two to three layers of petals), star-shaped (firm petals reflexing from a pointed bud) or cup- shaped (numerous petals from a dense, quartered centre). The forerunners of this group of roses were known as Polyantha roses and the next generations resulting from cross- pollination became known as Polyantha Hybrids. In the 1950s, well- known American rose breeder Gene Boerner coined the catchy name ‘Floribunda’ for promotion purposes, and it was soon adopted worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the most expensive and finest paving available. It can be found in a vast range of types, colours, shapes and textures, looking superb in any well-designed garden.

As with all surfaces, it should be used within the overall context of the setting. While fine, old, second-hand sandstone flags would naturally look out of place adjoining a high-tech steel-and-glass facade, the same stone would look superb laid as a terrace in a more traditional situation. Read the rest of this entry »

In tropical and subtropical countries the light is far brighter than in temperate zones. Garden designers in places such as the Mediterranean and the Middle East have understood and exploited the juxtaposition of light and shade for centuries, making full use of the high drama that is available in such situations. You have only to walk along a Spanish street or through an Italian garden to appreciate this, not only in tonal values but in terms of temperature, shade offering release from the sometimes overpowering heat. Even in more northern countries, where the sun is lower in the sky and the light is altogether softer, the juxtaposition of sun and shade can still be used in rather more subtle ways to contribute to the design and charisma of a garden. The placing of a tree part way down a lawn, so that a long shadow is cast across the area, tends to increase the

feeling of space, the shadow acting as a threshold between two different areas. If those areas are handled in different ways or styles then the effect is reinforced. This is a visual division but with no physical barrier whatsoever. Read the rest of this entry »

Ponds can come in all shapes, sizes andcontainers, and need not necessarily be confined by conventional criteria. Having said that, the smaller the pool the more difficult it will be to maintain a balanced combination of plants and fish. Maintenance is often higher, particularly if fish are omitted, as unchecked weed and algal growth will need removing from time to time. It is worth remembering that even pools like this should not be completely emptied on a regular basis. What you should do is drain off about a quarter of the water each year, which will remove a percentage of the toxins, and replace with fresh. Lose any more than that and you will upset the ecological balance that has built up. Read the rest of this entry »

After the seed is sown it must be raked well so that it is covered with earth, and then the surface has to be firmed again. After that we require gentle rain but, if it is not forthcoming, artificial watering must take its place, using a spray or a fine rose. The idea is to have the seed as closely embraced by damp earth as possible so that when germination takes place there are no air pockets to discourage the tiny thrusting roots. Birds sometimes enjoy a meal of grass seed, so it is really safest to cotton the ground after sowing.Once a lawn is made it really should not require a lot of attention if it is cut regularly. To keep it in good condition a light dressing of _granulated peat mixed with a little bonemeal and dried blood should b_e given in the winter. If there are weeds a selective weed-killer is used at the end of March, and in April a dressing of lawn sand will encourage new growth. Moss can be removed by raking and if rolling is done a spiked roller should be used to aerate the soil. Rolling with an ordinary roller does more harm than good, particularly with very heavy soils. The use of a lawn mower regularly gives it all the

rolling it needs. Read the rest of this entry »

Indigenous to North America and introduced to gardens all over the world, bergamot has long been cultivated for its bright flowers, ranging from deep magenta to cerise pink, and deep scarlet to pale pink, as well as its arresting fragrance and taste similar to that of the Italian bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia). The Oswego Native Americans used bergamot — Oswego tea — as a cure-all for centuries for treating colds, coughs, bronchitis, sinus, nausea, indigestion, colic and even kidney ailments, insomnia and backache.

CULTIVATION An easy-to-grow perennial, bergamot needs full sun and rich compost-filled soil. It forms a cushion of vigorous stems that flower from midsummer until late autumn. The plant dies back in autumn and needs to be tidied up. It takes frost and heat equally well but, in some humid areas, has a tendency to form mildew on the leaves. New varieties are mildew free and well worth growing.

PROPAGATION Each clump needs to be divided in July, every second or third year. Replant the little tufts 30 cm apart in full sun, in a different part of the garden in well-composted soil.

HARVESTING AND PROCESSING Harvest the flowers and leaves all through summer.

COMPANION PLANTING Plant with beans, beetroot, carrots, peppers, tomatoes. Read the rest of this entry »