Kate's Cuttings

The unpredictability of the weather can make it hard to decide what particular gardening task to do:  is it too wet to mow?  Is it too dry to plant my new tree?  Will there be a frost soon so should a bring my tender plants inside? Climate change has impacted on us gardeners in so many ways: I noticed that several nurseries where you can order online extended their delivery season to include November as it was so mild and the soil still warm, Beth Chatto and Sarah Raven included. One of the best survivors of floods that sat for several days last year with their feet in water on some beds... Read more…

Autumn can be such a grey, depressing time so some good colour at this time of year is well worth investing in. One of the best plants to deliver colour here now at Charnwood is Euonymus alatus, a member of the spindle family.  One of its other names is ‘Burning Bush’, unsurprising as the leaves this month turn the most vivid red, and it is one of those easy to grow small trees or large-ish shrubs. It has grown quite slowly here and it is not spectacular over the summer months but now it comes into its prime. For vivid colour in Spring nothing much beats tulips.  They need really good dr... Read more…

This always seems to be a good time of year to stop and have a think about what has worked and what hasn’t in the garden over the spring and summer seasons.  In many ways, it feels like the start of the new gardening year as now is a good time of year to plant trees, shrubs, bulbs and  early flowering perennials, as long as isn’t freezing cold that is!   So what has worked at Charnwood this year: I have actually grown a successful crop of tomatoes, the first time for several years. The little plants came from Moore’s and, on a recommendation from a pal who is a much better vegetable gard... Read more…

The alstroemerias have been wonderful this year, they seem to have love the wet weather. Mine are ‘Indian Summer’ with fiery reds, yellows and oranges that go well with day lilies and red crocosmias and a little purple salvia for contrast. As you may have guessed, I love the bright colours and especially this time of year! I’ve been taking some cuttings. It’s really satisfying to get more plants from you own garden for free and now is a good time to give it a go. Make sure you find a good healthy plant and try and find a non-flowering shoot if you can, but it’s not crucial, just nip the ... Read more…

One word:  slugs. I can’t remember a worse year for them. Yes, we do have a healthy population of toads, frogs and birds and other invertebrates that like them for dinner, but they have nowhere near kept up with the sheer quantity of the slimy little beggars. A while back Peter kindly made me a cage to put pots of tulips in to prevent the squirrels from munching them.  So this year it has had a second use:  to house trays of tender perennials so I can use those horrid blue slug pellets without fear of harming the other wildlife.  However after a few weeks of nurturing the very special an... Read more…

It’s blossom time again!  You really can’t overdo blossom, Monty Don says it best in ‘The Ivington Diaries’  ‘Here to a blossomy infinity would not be too far’. To have a beautiful tree close by that you can admire all year round that also flowers is for most of us I guess one of the real pleasures of living where we do. Of course some have already done their thing: the earlier cherries, the native blackthorn and the Mahonias that bless us in winter and early spring. And aren’t they a welcome sight on a grey day and some bring a lovely scent to awaken our senses too. Flowering early Apri... Read more…

I can’t imagine a Spring without primroses. As far back as the Middle Ages they were clearly much loved and praised.  Both primroses and cowslips have been used medicinally from way back. Leonardo da Vinci reckoned they were good for stones in the bladder but I’m not suggesting you try that! We lived on the Isle of Wight for a few years until we moved to Charnwood  in 1987, and I brought a few primrose plants with me.  These are of the pale creamy yellow kind, not the more vivid colours frequently on sale now;  I know they are all loved by someone and I have indulged in a little multi co... Read more…

Looking out of our study window as I write in mid-January, the view at long last looks less like a swamp and more like a garden. So, I can soon get onto the borders and clear them of the claggy mess that the storms bequeathed us to let the spring bulbs come through.  One good thing I guess is that at least everything has had a good water! I will still be leaving some of the old stems and seedheads for the wildlife. Last time our garden was under water we eventually lost several trees that presumably had had their roots in the suffocating wet for too long, preventing them breathing and th... Read more…

When we were moving back up to the Midlands in 1987, the housing market was such that we were struggling to find our perfect home.  The house was important of course, but the garden was too.  When we drove into the garden at Charnwood we pretty much knew straight away that this may well be the one for us. Hard though it is to say exactly why we had that emotional connection from the start, I think the beautiful mature trees were the main reason. Wandering round the garden now it still brings me joy.  We have had to say a sad goodbye over the years to some of the old trees, but we have pl... Read more…

I’m writing this in mid October and the garden looks as well as it has almost all summer.  It’s hard to imagine that winter is on its way but certain as death and taxes, winter will come, so it’s worth getting ready for it. As much as anything else a bit of planning and toil now will not only get your garden looking tidier, but it can also make sure you have a good show next year. Having said ‘tidier’, one bit advice I’d give is don’t be too tidy! It’s a well -rehearsed mantra that wildlife likes a few weeds, leaves and general messiness to eat and live in.  Apart from that, if you are t... Read more…