Lavenders all summer long

Probably the easiest grown plants for sunny, well drained sites, lavenders are loved by gardeners and now with the right selection it is possible to enjoy them all summer long.

Lavender is evocative of warm summer days filled with heady scents.

Carry on reading about Lavender here

Jobs in the May garden

May is always looked forward to as the first month of summer but it also marks the end of spring. It is a month when gardeners can get caught out by mini droughts and heat waves and even the last, late frosts.

The biggest threat is young plants that have that have recently been transplanted into the open ground and any freshly emerging seedlings.

More jobs to do in your May garden

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Latest features

Beware birds nesting!

Mon, 14/05/2018 - 13:03

The nesting season for birds is in full swing so that calls for common sense and precautions from gardeners when it comes to cutting back hedges.

How to grow your own loofah sponge

Mon, 14/05/2018 - 12:57

If you are looking for something really different and fun to grow try loofahs, sometimes known as sponge gourds, best known for the bath sponges made from its mature fruit yet in some parts of the world prized as a vegetable.

Gardening with mindlessness

Mon, 14/05/2018 - 12:45

Grenville Sheringham believes there are many garden tasks which lend themselves to a spot of daydreaming …

There seems to be a fashion these days for doing everything with mindfulness, gardening included.

Latest news

Garden festival returns to The Bishop’s Palace

Post date: Mon, 14/05/2018 - 13:51

The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens in Wells will again host the popular English Country Garden Festival from Friday 22nd June to Sunday 24th June.

Broomhill going Coastal with May launch weekend

Post date: Mon, 14/05/2018 - 13:39

A special launch weekend held on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th May will celebrate the change of name of one of Dorset’s best-known gardening venues.

RHS Rosemoor launches summer long series of live events

Post date: Mon, 14/05/2018 - 13:36

RHS Rosemoor launches summer long series of live events

RHS Rosemoor, Devon’s award winning gardening venue has launched ‘Rosemoor Live’ to present a series of events live from the Torrington gardens.

Garden visits

Staddlestones

A cottage garden with colour themed borders, pleached limes and hidden gems, leading over a chalk stream to a shady area which has some unusual plants. Plenty of areas just to sit and enjoy the wildlife. Wire bird sculptures by local artist.

Open for the NGS: Thursday 7th September, 2pm-5pm. Admission £4, children free. Cream teas. Visitors also welcome by arrangement.

Wudston House

Nick Macer and James Hitchmough (who pioneered flower meadows at the 2012 Olympic Park) have been extensively involved in this developing garden, started in 2010 following completion of the house, with formal gardens, a perennial meadow, pinetum and an arboretum.

Open for the NGS: Sunday 27th August, 2pm-5pm. Admission £10, children free, with home- made teas included in admission. Pre-booking essential, please visit www.ngs.org.uk/events or phone 01483 211535 for information & booking. Partial wheelchair access.

National Trust Croome, nr Worcester open all year

Described as one of ‘Capability’ Brown’s finest English landscapes Croome is the perfect place to escape the crowds. Acres of parkland peppered with statues, temples and follies await your discovery with the lake a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the tranquility or perhaps enjoy a stroll along the river.

The court, the centrepiece of Croome’s great estate and seat of the Coventry family for more than 600 years, tells its story in new and inventive ways with exhibitions and installations.