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Last Few Days of the Year

hughe — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:59:09 +0000

Another Christmas has come and gone and we head towards the end of the year. As usual the children, or in my case, grandchildren had the greatest fun this Christmas. The adults exchanged gifts of the usual kind, chocolates and other fattening goodies to add to all the weight added by loads of turkey and mince pies. But my daughter gave me a little book called “50 Ways To Kill a Slug”. Most of the book describes the conventional methods of slug control, but there is a section at the end called “Simply Silly” with suggestions such as holding a slug race to making slug suey or sending them into orbit! All very silly, but quite amusing when you’re in front of the fire on a cold winter’s day.

As you see from the banner Gardener’s Supply Company still have their Winter Sale, but if you visit their site and look down the left hand menu you will find their After Holiday Sale where there are savings of up to 81% and prices start at just $2.77.

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Sky Planters, Christmas Trees and a Hori Hori

hughe — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:51:54 +0000

In general December is a quiet month for gardeners since most people are now concentrating on preparing for Christmas. There’s plenty of advice in the local papers on what to buy your gardening friends, but it’s mostly the same suggestions that we get every year. One headline that did catch my eye was “Nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ like a hori hori” by Mary Fran McClure. I had not heard of a hori hori before, but it certainly sounds like a useful tool that would make a most acceptable present. Read more..
photo credit: russelljsmith

When I first came across this site I had to check the date in case it was 1 April. While the practice of growing tomatoes in upside-down containers has been around for a couple of years, the idea that you should do the same with a collection of houseplants seems faintly ridiculous. While I can see that it is a way of saving space, the rsulting display is decidedly peculiar to me at least. See what you think. Read more..

Finally some practical advice on choosing a Christmas tree. Master Gardener Marsha Overton lists the different kinds of evergreen trees that are available and discusses the pros and cons of each. Read more..

Peonies, Tablecloths And Tumbling Tomatoes

hughe — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:44:51 +0000

I planted this peony in my garden last year and it has just come into flower for the first time. But if you want to see some spectacular peony pictures take a look at this piece about Cricket Hill Garden and Peony Heaven. Cricket Hill in Thomaston, Ct is the nursery where the owners have spent over twenty years growing hundreds of different varieties many of which are displayed in their seven acre show garden which they call Peony Heaven. Read more..

It seems that we cannot escape the upside-down tomatoes this year. Here’s another view from Carol O’Meara. Does the method work? Yes it does she admits, but then lists a number of problems that can occur. After you’ve read this you may decide that growing tomatoes in the conventional way is not such a bad idea after all. Read more..

Too often garden gadgets turn out to be more trouble than they are worth. Either they are not strong enough and so break the first time you use them or so fiddly that it is easier to do the job in the conventional way. But here’s a gadget that is both simple and practical. If you like to use a tablecloth when eating outside, you will know the problems caused by a gust of wind. Attach these clip on tablecloth weights to the four corners and you can dine in peace. Read more..

“In Which Urban Beekeeping Looks Like A Religous Experience” Couldn’t resist including a link to this photo.

Chelsea Flower Show And Peonies

Welcome to the New Look Garden Supplies News

hughe — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:39:09 +0000

Welcome to the new look Garden Supplies News. Following the transfer of the Garden Supplies Advisor to a new server I am now able to use WordPress for this blog which makes life simpler for me and should provide a better experience for the reader. All the previous entries in the old version of Garden Supplies News are still online and there is a link in the sidebar.

Welcome To The New Look

About

hughe — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:39:09 +0000

Hugh Harris-Evans

I have been interested in gardening since my mid twenties but my practical activity has varied in the different gardens that came with the houses in which I have lived.

The first garden for which I was responsible was a one acre plot on a hillside overlooking Blantyre in Malawi. I spent three happy years experimenting with various flowers and vegetables but leaving all the hard work to my gardener.

Following my return to England in 1972 I became enthused with the ideas of self-sufficiency that were current at the time but unfortunately my first house in Springhill Road lived up to its name with heavy clay soil that turned into a bog throughout the winter.

A few years later I was able to move to to a decent plot 270 feet long with space for all the veggies I wanted. There was also plenty of room for lawns with flower borders and even a small orchard at the end. The only drawback was the bungalow which was on the small side so that when my two children reached their teens another move was indicated.

This time it was to a large victorian house set in a quarter acre garden. The house was on a bend in the road so the plot was roughly triangular with the building standing well back thus leaving little room for veggies at the rear. Despite this I did manage to grow runner beans and a few other crops together with tomatoes and grapes in the greenhouse.

Now that our children are long gone, my wife and I moved to our present house five years ago. The garden which lies east-west slopes gently down to a small stream at the bottom. On the left is a large wooden shed which the estate agent optimistically described as a summer house but which was used by the previous owner, who was a kitchen fitter, for storing his timber. “The first few months have been spent waiting to see what would emerge in the borders and planning for major changes which will be carried out in the fall. High on the list are a wisteria and honeysuckle to cover the “summer house” was how I described the scene shortly after we had moved in. Five years on the garden is starting to look the way I want it, but the wisteria and honeysuckle both have some way to go.

Hugh Harris-Evans is a retired 67 year old who divides his time between building his gardening web site The Garden Supplies Advisor and getting his hands dirty in his real world garden.
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