By October, autumn is in full swing, with colours changing, daylight shortening and the first frosts on the way. A crisp, bright, autumn day is the perfect time to begin tidying up in the flower beds, vegetable patch and greenhouse. Continue cutting back herbaceous perennials that have finished, or, alternatively, leave dead foliage to encourage […]
Category Archives: Advice
As summer slips into autumn, the rich variety of colour in the garden ignites plants that may have taken more of a backstage role during the summer months. It is hard to beat the vivid colours provided by Japanese Acers; varieties such as Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ (coral bark maple) develop wonderful yellow leaves in autumn […]
The height of summer is a wonderful time to reap the rewards of all of your efforts in the garden over the past few months. There are, however, still a few jobs that need to be done to keep your garden looking its very best in what is often the hottest and driest month of […]
By June, the warmer weather has arrived and this, along with extra sunlight hours, means that there are lots of jobs to be getting on with in the garden this month: check plants daily during warm spells, particularly plants that are establishing, and water when necessary keep on top of weeds by regularly hoeing your […]
May is a fantastic time to be in the garden: the weather begins to warm up and the beds and borders respond to changes in day length and temperature, meaning there are many jobs for the busy gardener. Now is the time to begin hardening off tender, young plants. Place your plants outside during the […]
There are many plants that you can grow in your vegetable patch that will encourage beneficial insects, redirect the unwanted attentions of pests and attract pollinators that will feed on unwelcome visitors, as well as improving crop yields and the overall health of your plants. Some strongly scented crops, planted alongside one another can be […]
Here at Larch Cottage it is the time of year when we feed the vegetable patch and a number of borders with mushroom compost. Mushroom compost consists of well-rotted stable manure and, being high in organic matter, is very effective as a soil improver or mulch. ‘Spent’ mushroom compost, leftover from the mushroom farming process, […]
How long do Helleborus flower? The Helleborus Niger AGM One of the nicest sights in the garden during the depths of winter is the Helleborus Niger AGM or Christmas Rose. An Evergreen perennial – which holds The Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (AGM). bears flat, nodding, white flowers with golden stamens that can measure […]
The Larch Cottage Rose list 2018 is now available to download. Listing all the roses we currently have in stock the Rose List has information on the different types of roses available from Shrub roses to Climbers. Rambling Roses to Standards and Half Standards, as well as notes on fragrance, flowering times, roses that grow […]
The Crab Apple – one of the best small garden trees. Considered by many to be one of the best small garden trees, the crab apple provides a mass of late spring blossom which rivals that of the Japanese Cherry, with a variety of very attractive, often edible fruit. One of our favourites is the […]