Chillies are a fun crop to grow. They are very decorative and don’t take up a lot of space, so it’s easy to grow a selection of different varieties in a season. Chillies originated in South America, and have spread throughout the world in the last 500 years or so. They are now an integral...Read More

A few weeks ago, I came across a reference in a magazine to what looked like an intriguing book about edible flowers. I explored it further on the website, but then got distracted and didn’t take it any further. Then last week, Linda Brennan, the author, just happened to pop into my nursery. I was...Read More

Many people who like growing plants have at least some growing in pots. Very few of these, though, grow water lilies. Perhaps we just don’t think of water lilies as being good pot plants, and think that we have to have a dam or a lake or at least a pond to grow them. But...Read More

In dry times, it’s really important to be conscious of how we use water. This should be something we think about all the time, but of course it becomes an even more serious when rain is scarce and water supplies are running low. Frankly, I think a lot of us use too much water, in...Read More

It’s time to pull out pansies and violas and other winter flowering annuals and replace them with something that will put on a show through summer. One of my favourite warm season annuals is Vinca. This tough little thing looks very much like a New Guinea Impatiens, with smallish, glossy green oval-shaped leaves and masses...Read More

Blue flowers always add a sense of calm and coolness to a garden. While red, yellow and orange accentuate the heat, blues and purples seem to moderate it, especially when complemented with some white. One way to get purple, lavender and white tones in the garden is to plant Brunfelsia latifolia. This clever shrub gives...Read More

Late spring is hydrangea time. With their lovely neat mounds of lush green leaves, topped by clusters of little buds that grow plumper by the day, they are a highlight in semi-shaded situations from now through to the end of summer. In full bloom, the large, striking flower heads in shades of blue, purple, pink,...Read More

Spring is here, and garden centers everywhere are a riot of colour. You’d have to have a heart of stone to be able to resist the brilliance of the plant kingdom! Geranium ‘Big Red’, released a few years ago now, has proven itself to be a great plant, thanks to its deep red blooms and...Read More

Gardening is one of life’s simple pleasures, and gardening with children is particularly special. Their natural enthusiasm and curiosity are infectious. And every little garden excursion will yield new wonders, as you closely observe the incredible complexity and beauty of the natural world. Give the kids their own pot or space in the garden to...Read More

Daisy-like flowers always look so cheery; it’s almost impossible not to feel just a little bit happier every time you look at one. The daisy family (Asteraceae) is huge – there are almost 24,000 different species. It includes many garden favourites such as ageratums, asters, chrysanthemums, cosmos, dahlias, marigolds, sunflowers, zinnias and gerberas. Gerberas occur...Read More