Kate's Cuttings

A lovely day in the garden at Charnwood today potting on penstemon cuttings for the plant stall when we open on 6/7 May. These are such generous plants, they flower and flower all through the summer and into the autumn. One of the best is 'Firebird' - the colour of crushed raspberries. Also Blackbird (pictured) - gorgeous pink/purple flowers, quite tall for a penstemon at around 90cm, but absolutely beautiful. I have it with Rose' Tuscany Superb, a similar colour and a gorgeous, fragrant companion. There is a bird theme going on here you may have noticed, Raven is another good variety. ... Read more…

I've just spent a lovely morning in the garden shed potting on cuttings and putting large dahlia tubers overwintered in the greenhouse into pots to encourage them into growth before planting out in late May. I have kept the dahlias fairly dry and frost free over the winter, so they are looking fine and dandy now and ready to come to life.I chopped off all the slimy or mouldy looking bits before planting, if they are bit shrivelled they will probably be OK after a few waterings. I have two old favourites, Bishop of Llandaff (pictured) a really elegant plant with bronze, ferny leaves and g... Read more…

Our snakeshead fritillaries are just coming through, they look like little tufts of coarse grass or tiny tulips emerging at first so we are having to be careful not to tread on them. Peter planted 100 little bulbs in Autumn a few years back and they have steadily got themselves established and are gently increasing in number by self-seeding. They are such beautiful flowers, worth getting down on your hands and knees to appreciate properly. You will then see how aptly named they are! Read more…

After a welcome downpour the sun is now shining and the garden looks all perky again. I've just counted 13 varieties of daffodils out and more to come. Five of the best, smaller varieties are pictured, from the top left: Jenny - creamy white perianth (outside) and soft yellow cup (middle), so pretty and tasteful, lovely in our woodland setting. Jetfire - a bit on the brash side for me I thought as I like my daffs fairly gentle and 'natural' looking - orange cup - noooooo. But I read that this was one of Christopher Lloyds favourites so I gave it a go - he was dead right as usual. It ma... Read more…

What a lovely day we are having in the garden today. This is such a good time to get the garden straight, especially for us as we are open to the public in 2 months time - check out 'Charnwood' in Nottinghamshire in the yellow book. Peter donned waders and did a pond tidy. We got covered in bullrush seeds. Making a note to cut them down earlier next year! Snakeshead fritillaries are coming through by the dozen, we are having to be careful where we tread. All kinds of daffodils now out or in bud, bees buzzing round the rosemary, birds nesting. Feels like spring is here. Read more…

Ooo-er! Has anyone seen the like? Might it die now? Read more…

Our book designer asked if me and Kevin could supply a photo of us for the book - panic set in. Both of us loathe having our photos taken. So we got together this afternoon and Peter got snapping away. Result above. What do you think? Need Rachel de Thame and Chris Beardshaw be worried? Read more…

I've just spent a lovely day in the garden digging up big clumps of snowdrops and re-planting them in bare patches of soil to get a bigger, better show next year. I put a load among my hostas as I don't move them around often, they are late to come through and they don't seem to mind the intrusion. Garden wisdom has always, to my knowledge at least, told us that we should do this at this time of year. But recent research now argues against it. Not suprising really; to dig up a bulb that has just flowered and expect it to carry on thriving straight after you've stuck it back in the groun... Read more…

It is ten years since the following words of mine appeared in our excellent village newsletter in Tollerton: ‘Call me sad, but I am an obsessive gardener and I have always wanted a gardening column. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Alan Titchmarsh or Pippa Greenwood but the chance to share my successes (few) and failures (many) with other gardeners and for them to share their experiences with the rest of us seems to me to be a worthwhile and harmless exercise in this increasingly complicated world’. In March 2002 our pond (pictured in 2011) at Charnwood had just been re-sited at the front of... Read more…

Had a great day yesterday in the garden in the sun with Lauraine and Alan. Lauraine used her designer's eye to make the stumpery look better - much more natural, less obviously 'placed'.We laid a path of wood chippings down to the bench and I have just planted Liz Wills' cyclamen and corydalis amongst the wood. Alan decked out the hut so we can now stand on it in comfort for a grand, quite different view of 'Charnwood'. Read more…