Kate's Cuttings

The soft fruit has been amazing this year. Greengages were delicious and redcurrants hung like little translucent red jewels in their thousands. Courgettes are currently  in full swing, we’ve taken to picking them small, cutting them in half lengthways and marinading in a little oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs on the barbeque.  I couldn’t get a decent crop of tomatoes ripe for love nor money but the few we did get were tasty.  I’m going to be making a load of chutney by the look of it, the apple trees are laden! Salvias are still the star of the show and have been throughout the summe... Read more…

If you want to make some more plants for free, now is a good time to take cuttings. Penstemons, Rosemary, Lavender, Geraniums (pelargoniums, not the hardy herbaceous ones), and Salvias all root really quickly at this time of year and it’s not difficult.  If in doubt, have a go, it really is easy and fun! All you need is a pot of free draining compost and a small pot. Add plenty of grit if your compost is on the heavy side, especially for geranium cuttings as they hate damp, claggy soil.  Cut a piece off around 10 or 15 centimetres long, chose a stem with no flowers if you can, cutting ju... Read more…

Many years ago I bought a little Paulownia from an open garden plant sale. Also known as the foxglove tree because of its gorgeous flowers, I waited and waited… the tree grew to about 4 metres tall, shading everything out of the border but no flowers.  Eventually, and with a heavy heart, we cut it down.  I never like to cut a healthy tree down but this was really adding nothing to either the garden, or the resident wildlife. However the tree was not going to give up. Last year some huge grey felted leaves (see photo)  started to emerge across the whole width of the previous tree canopy. ... Read more…

The June garden speaks to me in roses. My new favourite rose is ‘Champagne Moment. This has large, creamy white flowers all summer blooming elegantly on a really healthy bush. I’ve seen it listed both as a shrub rose and as a hybrid Tea, but whichever it is, it is a lovely thing. Peter and I visited Biddulph Grange, a National Trust property famous for its dahlias in 2011. The rose that carries its name is a shrub rose with bright red single flowers with white centres and yellow stamens. A repeat flowerer and still going strong after rather a savage prune last year, it stays really healt... Read more…

We’re lucky enough to have a spacious garden, but if I only had room for one fruit tree it would be a greengage.  Not just for the delicious fruit that you don’t often see in the shops, but because the blossom is exquisitely beautiful.  Not in an in-your-face-look-at-me kind of way (although I like those too!) but for its simple, graceful presence. I love this blossomy time of year when everything is bright green and fresh, even in these tough times I find it’s hard not to feel hopeful and happier, I hope you do too. Many years ago (10?  15?) time flies) we decided to have a go at making... Read more…

April is the month things really get moving in the garden.  With daylight hours now longer than night, and (hopefully!) the weather warming up it’s one of the best times to get out there, fork in hand and wellies on to sow, plant, weed and prune. If you’re a better vegetable gardener than me (not hard!) I know you will be sowing like mad, including  lettuce, peas and beans and perhaps thinking about planting your seed potatoes that have been chitting gently in a cool , frost free spot.  Any leafy vegetable is pretty much out at Charnwood because of the rabbits.  I know it’s said you plan... Read more…

March is the best month to get out into the garden. Time spent now will pay huge dividends later in the year. Halt your gym membership, don your wellies and pick up your border fork!  Here are a few suggestions: ·         Weed your borders. Perennial weeds such as dandelions and bindweed need to be dug up carefully and put in your green bin or burned.  If you leave a tiny bit of root, they will come back. Annual weeds such as chickweed are a pain, but are easy to pull up or hoe. Once clear, give the area a good mulch with bark chippings, gravel or better still compost  to prevent seedlin... Read more…

You no doubt will have seen that grasses, the ornamental ones, not the plant that make up our lawns, have been in vogue for a while now.  In my humble experience, they are hard to place in a border, especially among the shrubbier plants like roses and hardy fuchsias.  The so called ‘prairie style’ of planting seems to suit them best; particularly accompanying umbellifers. This is a large family of both perennials and annuals that have flat topped umbels made up of hundreds of tiny flowers that gives them a soft, gentle look.  The family includes astrantias, sedums and fennel. Much garden... Read more…

Walking round the garden last month, I was struck not only by the colour still present – the dahlias look better than they have looked all summer – but also the scents.  Winter can be a depressing and dull time for many I know, so for me a lovely fragrance is the best thing in the garden to lift my spirits. One of the best is Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’. For most of the year, she makes little impact, but she will grow in gentle shade and is no real trouble so that’s acceptable in my book.  Its long stems and upright but bushy habit make it perfect for birds’ nests.  Pruning is dead eas... Read more…

If you want a job to get you outside on a decent day over the winter, how about giving your compost heap a turn?  It’s surprising how much difference it makes.  Ours wasn’t working well, it just sat there, unmoving and dry. So I set to last month with a large fork, some cans of water from the rainwater butt and some comfrey leaves chopped up a bit.  I gave each forkful a shake to get some air in and break up the clods of grass clippings, then tipped it into another pile, watering if dry.  Comfrey leaves in shallow layers throughout will get some heat into the heap, it really does work li... Read more…