I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon Wine Tasting in London at the weekend, it was great fun and I came back with slightly exaggerated ideas of creating my own vineyard!!



I learnt that many modern grape vines live very happily in our mild British Climate and now is the perfect time to plant them, so I’ve decided I am going to give a vine a go and trail it over an arch I have going into my veggie patch. It’s against a wall, away from the wind and will get sun all day long…. so you never know next year I could be treading my own grapes!! 

Lin 
Our keen amateur gardener!

I’m sure everyone's grass is looking slightly worse for wear after the consistent rain we had earlier and if you were unlucky enough to be flooded as our lawn was, I expect there’s rather large patches that will not be growing back this year.
Firstly I’ve sprinkled over the top a layer of builders sand to try and break up the sodden ground and have carefully raked it over, trying not to damage the few strands of grass already there! I’ve then used Evergreen multi purpose grass seed which is on offer at the garden centre this month and put a generous amount on the barer patches. Fingers crossed in about 3 weeks, I might see some green again rather than a brown muddy patch!! 

Lin
Our keen amateur gardener!

Driving to work over the past week I’ve seen some fantastic displays of Camellias in front gardens, there are such stunning colours and after the bleak winter we’ve had it’s a joy to see, and a forerunner to the blossom which is just starting.  

I’ve never been able to grow a camellia in my garden as the soil is not acidic enough. So I’ve decided to pot two up in large containers in front of my porch and fill them with ericaceous potting compost which I must remember to add a good acidic fertilizer to every year! 

The porch is in the shade which is actually ideal for these woodland plants and once it has stopped flowering in Spring the dark shiny leaves will be a stunning contrast against the stonework. 

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!

Unbelievably the weather has turned! It makes such a difference the sun shining and a break in the rain! It’s the time to clean and repair your garden tools, and check garden furniture for any rot. Now it is finally warm enough to brave the elements, treat sheds, fences and trellis with wood preservative; brushes and rollers are fine for most things, however a sprayer is well worth buying for tricky projects such as woven panels!

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!