Who can remember the long hot summer of 1976, or who was around in 1976 but can no longer remember the long hot summer? The few details I can recall are that 1975 was a dry year followed by a dry winter which is why the long hot summer of 1976 left us with an acute water shortage with standpipes in the streets and a dried up River Thames and, more surprisingly, the great ladybird invasion! We haven’t resorted to standpipes yet; this is nothing to do with the water companies d

Asia here, your artificial intelligence (AI) gardening correspondent filling in again as your favourite gardening hack is taking gardening leave: a term you humans will become more familiar with as we AI machines increasingly take over your world. With AI applications increasingly used in agriculture, the spin-off will inevitably be coming to a garden near you. We already have solutions for all your gardening needs, including garden design, correct planting and superior plan

Last year, I mentioned that “June got off to a damp start…”; this June has also got off to a damp start, just a bit damper with 45mm of rain in the first three days of the month, the same amount as fell in the whole of March, April and May combined. A welcome break from the scorching 35C at the end of May and the rain was certainly needed by farmers. I just hope it was the right sort of rain. Last June’s article was all about mulching and after the rain in June there is no be

Flaming June! Either the weather has gone to pot or the drought continues. Whatever the weather has decided, the garden needs gardening, especially if it’s still the tip that was supposed to have been sorted by now. June, with its long hours of daylight (nearly 18 hours in the north of Scotland, that is one hour more than Sussex), is encouraging everything to grow. With spring behind us and the full colours of summer beginning to bloom, everything looks like it’s coming up r

Longer, warmer days, two bank holiday weekends, it must be May, ideal for getting gardeners into the garden – gardening. Which will come first, the sound of the first Cuckoo or the first hosepipe ban of the year? Whatever the weather (whoever said that?) there is no time to wait, your garden needs you. I was speaking to a venerable doyen of the neighbourhood in the pub the other day. He informed me that his garden was a tip and needed some attention. There is no easy way of

Has it stopped raining yet? Last year at this time we were several weeks into a drought and prairie planting was all the rage. This year, water gardens could be making a splash. Whichever is preferred, now is the time to get planting or digging if a water garden is this year’s project. The flower garden Are your daffodils leafier than you remember or just all leaf and no flower? Could be time to lift and separate. As this year’s leaves are starting to yellow, now is a good ti

Time marches on? Perhaps it’s an age thing! School days seemed to last for ever and before we know it, we’re retired, getting up for morning coffee and going to bed after the news headlines, the days have now most certainly contracted. The remedy: get out into the garden and do more gardening, get up with the lark and call it a day when one can’t see through the gloom to dig in the right place anymore. With the march of time what were old gardeners (I mean, gardeners of

If you have a garden, gardening is something that can’t be put on hold indefinitely, so what needs to be done in February?

Happy New Year 2026! Another year over, another just begun, lets hope it’s a good one! (apologies to John Lennon). What better way can there be to get ready for the new year than putting on the wellies and venturing out into the cold, wet, dank and dismal January air to enjoy a bit of nature? If you can think of any possible alternatives for one’s enjoyment, please go ahead, if not, read on for gardening enlightenment. Another update on the use of peat. The even longer (than

Merry Christmas dear reader. I hope you have enjoyed a successful year in the garden and are looking forward to an abundance of gardening related Christmas presents to sustain your gardening passion into 2026. Gardening, however, doesn’t happen to stop just because it’s winter, but if it has for you then read no further and I hope you enjoy your Christmas festivities. For the gardening devotee, please read on, the rest of this article is just for you. Gardening articles abou

Hands up! Who’s bought their Christmas tree? If not, have you thought about it? Most Christmas trees are cut by September or October (unless you can get one cut for you at a local grower). So, it isn’t as daft as it sounds to buy your tree early because you can get it home and stand it in a bucket of water in the garden until it is time to bring it indoors. This will ensure it has a supply of much needed water for as long as possible to avoid the dreaded needles falling off,

October is the last chance before the winter sets in to give the lawn some tlc.

Last September, I was moaning about the rotten weather and the lack of any warm weather in the summer. What a contrast this year, it seems to have gone from summer to winter, missing spring altogether. The results of sunny weather can be seen all around, trees heavy with fruit and nut (not the chocolate variety) and berries in the hedgerows. Some say that a good year for fruit etc is a sign of a long cold winter ahead whereas it must simply be a good growing season, we will s

What help can AI give you in the garden and has that help improved since last year?

Have you ever thought about mulching? This is your mulching guide and could be just what you are looking for to ease the graft of gardening.

Last year at this time I was moaning on about too much rain, this year (at the time of writing) we have had barely 20 mm since the start...

This month’s gardening tips has an emphasis on conservation, so rather than turning the garden into a parking lot, or laying artificial...

Just as the avid gardener has dared to venture out into the March sunshine along comes April in its attempt to turn the perfectly...

I always think of March as being the start of the gardening year because suddenly there is loads to do and avoiding it isn’t really an...

New year’s advice from gardening journos appears to be do as little as needed to enjoy your garden! Enjoying the garden must be what it...