Outstanding Outside
Now more than ever the value of having a garden or outside space is being realised. From landscape projects to smaller updates, 2021 is all about maximising our outdoor spaces.
Whether you are looking for a total landscaping overhaul or more tailored tweaks The Bath Gardener is here to help with garden design ideas to inspire you whatever your budget, garden space or experience, each one guaranteed to add that wow factor, increase your curb appeal and almost definitely add some value to your property. Win, win, win. … continued
This time last year thousands more people discovered the sanctuary of their gardens and experienced the soothing balm of nature as an antidote to lockdown.
The astronomical rise in seed sales saw many having a go at “grow your own” whilst others found a new space for physical activity. Add to this the well documented mental health benefits and its no surprise that last year gardening came in ahead of cooking, exercising and reading as the second most popular lockdown activity! …. continued
February started with my first real bit of gardening of the year. Yesterday I was pruning the first Wisteria (Remember Feb is the best time to ensure you have an abundance of flowers that aren’t obscured by growth).
After a few months of fencing and landscaping it was a welcome change and I was reminded that quite a few of you have asked about receiving regular gardening tips and advice … continued
If we had known the weather at the start of 2016 was an early indicator of the year ahead we could have told you we would be in for a bumpy and unusual ride.
The cold weather didn’t arrive until well in to January but by then many of the plants we rely upon to track through the seasons were showing up when they really weren’t supposed to.
Tomato plants were still giving fruit in January, daffodils beat the snowdrops and the talk was all about how early lawns can be cut. Spring had sprung early.
Then along came the Mad march Hair with buckets of rain. New records were set and spring was washed out along with many of the plants…. continued.
Bath’s community focussed food growing plot
If you have spent any time on the London Road of late, heading in or out of town, our guess is that you will have been stationary long enough to spot the evolution that is happening in Hedgemead Park.
Brilliantly named ‘Vegmead’, the patch of flourishing land central to the green open space is Vegmead, a community focused food growing plot run by volunteers producing organic fruit & vegetables. Less of the manicured lawn and more organic free flowing bounteous growth we are more likely to see on an allotment… continued.
Your garden and the daily caffeine hit
Imagine if you could combine one of your favourite pastimes with your horticultural aspirations! Yes ladies and gentlemen, your daily caffeine hit will not only give you a ‘pick me up’, but picks up some of the slack out doors too, because coffee grounds, the bit that generally gets sent to landfill can indeed assist you in adding another layer of nourishment to your soil. Continued
Good Honest Graft or just pottering it all helps
There is a growing body of research that suggests a whole range of social and practical activities can improve our physical and mental wellbeing. This includes our great love; gardening.
The King’s Fund, who champion ‘ideas that change health care’ recently published a report extolling the virtues of gardening.
The physical benefits of any hard graft are well known and well documented. We have long known that heart-pumping, sweat inducing exercise can help reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity and cancer. But here’s the really good news; digging for 30 minutes requires as much energy as a 2 km run, and in so doing, totally justifies that soak in the bath! … and continued.
It’s the horticultural hot topic and quite rightly so; the decline of the honey bee should be everyone’s buzzness. Why the decline? Researchers don’t yet have all the answers.
Why should we care? Well if you swear by your family getting its five a day you’ll probably already know that farmers rely on bees to pollinate more than a 100 different fruit and vegetables. We exaggerate not.
Plus, we have learnt that the well loved and much celebrated insect contributes more annually to the British economy than the Royal family! … continued
Largely for the sake of ensuring my blog writing doesn’t become as erratic as the current weather, but also because I’m being asked a fair bit here are five tips to help you get the best from your bulbs. … continued
If you didn’t already know, it’s National Gardening Week April 11th – 17th. The National Gardening Week website is full of nationwide gardening events and ways to celebrate gardens and gardening. We encourage you to take a peek, especially if you are contemplating a new project and are looking for fresh ideas to get re-energised about your outside space.
For those of you that think your fingers aren’t green enough and therefore the invite doesn’t extend to you, you couldn’t be more wrong. It’s the perfect place and time to get inspired and make that alfresco dream a reality, however limited you think your gardening capabilities are. … continued.
Longing for the perfect lawn. …article on Bathmums.co.uk
The symphony of sound coming from the garden now includes the low whirring hum of the lesser spotted lawnmower. Yes it’s officially Spring – hibernation you are so last season!
You may be feeling smug having squeezed in the first cut of your own lawn utilising your bank holiday like some time management guru! Or perhaps like me the lighter nights are now highlighting a once prized bowling lawn and showing it up for what it really is – a mass of bare muddy patches from my over-zealous pooper scooping mixed with some slightly frazzled bits where I set the rockets off on bonfire night.
Added to that, are some crazy tufts desperate for a mow mixed with leaves in various stages of decomposition all of which is interspersed with enough moss to thatch a small roof.
But fear not ‘tis the season for lawn resurrection and to help you on your way to owning your own little bit of Twickenham / Wimbledon I thought I’d debunk a few of the myths surrounding this dark art.
I give you The Bath Gardener’s top lawn tips! … read the full article on:
https://bathmums.co.uk/posts/view/longing-for-a-perfect-lawn
Given the extra day yesterday and the promise of spring with its lighter nights, I felt compelled to start this new blog!
This winter delivered record wet weather but was so mild the daffodils beat the snow drops in the race to the top!
As we curiously look ahead wondering what spring will bring (there are even rumours of a white Easter!) Here are a few suggestions of things you can be doing as you venture back out into your garden… continued here
thebathgardener 