Growing in the Border
a hands-on approach to gardening

So here we are in the New Year and the month named for Janus, the two-faced Roman god. Like many people my thoughts at this time of year...

As a Christmas treat this year we wanted to send you all a step-by-step for making a 'dry' wreath, one without any need for a moss or...

Thinking over last Friday's Willow Weaving Course I thought it might be interesting to see how material from the garden is used at this...

Well November is here and it's come around quick. Despite the gloom of this week winter is still holding off, and much of the garden...

This month started with the air smelling of autumn, and the temperatures having noticeably dropped. It can feel strange to be starting...

This month I want to look at dahlias in depth. For a long time out of fashion these plants are now very much loved. I don't tend to place...

Well August is here, seemingly a little too quickly. It's been a strange year so far promising to turn to summer on many occasions before...

In the garden here at Blackbrook, the month of July often feels like a scene change between different acts. The story of spring and the...

Well the summer is here and that means that we are surrounded by roses! Their colour fills the garden and their scents the pathways....

This month as we reach the end of spring I wanted to take a look at the palette of this season. Come the summer the deep reds, oranges...

As we work our way through April the spring blossom of the Magnolias is in full bloom, the rain and the warmer temperatures have...

Spring is here and the plants are stretching their limbs, head’s up, ready to get going for the year’s growing. There is much to be...

February is the month where winter starts to fall away. There will likely be cold stings in the tail, but the new leaves are starting to...

Let’s start 2024 with a focus on apple tree pruning. Winter is the main season in the year for pruning trees, shrubs and woody climbers....

People often ask me, ‘what do you do in the garden in winter?’ I think it must be imagined that the garden gate is locked, all disappears...

The change from October to November brings a shortening and a shifting of the daylight hours, cooler temperatures and the first light...

Though we are some distance from winter, September always feels like the change of year in the garden. As the temperatures lower and the...