This is such a stunningly beautiful little plant which deserves being viewed from down on your knees.. as I lift up its incredibly delicate flower heads to take in their beauty, they tremble on their wiry stems. The heart shaped leaves flush from green to red as spring develops and by autumn turn auburn red. These plants are perfect for shady borders and give every reason to be discovered in the cooler shadows of your garden. Continue reading
I love this little plant and only recently discovered it whilst working on a planting plan for clients with brick raised beds. Of course, as in other aspects of life, I now see it everywhere and I can’t understand why I hadn’t spotted it sooner. Is it just me or have plantsmen and women in London decided this is the plant of the season.. I guess it helps that it is hardy and evergreen, a real keeper. Continue reading
What a fantastic start to the spring term.. seeing everyone again was very moving and the delight at discovering the seedlings’ was clearly evident on all our faces. During the Prospects Project Easter break, I was worried that the sewn seeds might stumble but to our collective delight the results so far are fantastic or should I say “plantastic” as Elz, one of the group proclaimed!
I welcomed both returning and new group members, as our little band of allotmenteers is growing, I find it so deeply rewarding to see people light up at the prospect of growing both edibles and ornamentals on the Welcome Centre’s allotment. Our thanks goes to the generous donations of seeds and weed control membrane that has really helped get this project underway.
So far we have had appearances from cucumbers, tomotoes, lettuce, spinach and runner beans.. we are so looking forward to discovering which of the seeds will reveal themselves to us next week!
I write regularly about my horticultural endeavours and if you have any questions or fancy a chat with me do please feel free to get in touch, always happy to talk about plants..
Happy gardening!
I love this plant, especially because it has endured so much in the way of harsh weather this unending winter, despite it officially being spring.. Still the will is within it to make an appearance up out of the soil and I am instantly all the happier for it. Not only does this plant have the most delicate pale purple and pink flowers, but its leaves host striking white spots and splodges that make it look even more charming. Continue reading
My thanks to Anna B from ‘dig the outside‘ for finding me on WordPress, following me and inviting me for an interview about my work. I loved it and I hope you enjoy the read. Anna B is a very accomplished allotmenteer and blogger. http://www.digtheoutside.com/2013/03/23/meeting-the-people-judi-the-gardener/
Happy gardening!
How absolutely thrilling to spot the first seedlings pop their heads up out of the compost and they are (drum roll please).. Tomato ‘Gardeners’ Delight and Lettuce ‘Toothed Crisphead’ both packets of seeds were very kindly gifted to the Prospects Project by Tim Palmer of Palmer Permaculture.
So not only did we see the arrival of our first classroom sown seedlings but we also took delivery of our outdoor shelving unit with cover to protect our little ones during the coldest days of early spring. It was great seeing the construction of the unit going on in the Welcome Centre’s garden and moves us on to the next phase of our project.
.. more next week. Until then, happy gardening!
I love these beautiful little plants which look perfect at the front of a cottage garden border. Already in flower in late February / early March. The delicate white flower heads, with their green mound and stamen shimmer up from winter’s residue. Plant them where they meet the sun and you shall enjoy them for years to come.. Continue reading
Great to be back outside on the allotment site after a good few weeks of doing practical workshops inside. What a fantastic day, not only did we start on divvying-up the plot into mini-plots, but the sun came out too! We actually worked on the soil in full sun and made all the warmer by the digging, raking and weeding. Continue reading
What a fantastic workshop we had this week.. not only did we get all our pots scrubbed, but we actually got to sow our first seeds, hoorah! The group were palpably happy to be getting to this stage and we began with our inside seed sowings of ‘Early’ Jalapeno Peppers, ‘Gardeners’ Delight’ Tomatoes, ‘Toothed Crisphead’ Lettuce, ‘Thai Long Green’ Aubergines and Spring Onions.. These are just some of the seeds we have been so generously gifted! Continue reading
My love affair started when Carol Klein enthused about these plants on Gardeners World some years back. Her beautiful Glebe Cottage garden has an abundance of them and I instantly loved them and had to have them in my own garden. Continue reading