From the seven grape vines varieties that I grow `Canadice` is the one, which really stands out. Firstly, it is very suitable for vertical gardening – this is a very fast-growing and completely cold-hardy vine. Secondly, the grapes are seedless. They are small, yellowish red when ripe (bright red, if autumn has been long and [...]
Pineapple guava (also known as feijoa) is a compact tree, reaching 2-4 m in height, with irregular crown. Its bark is light green, leaves are ovoid, dark green and glossy above, and silvery on reverse. It flowers on the current year’s growth. Flowers are very beautiful, with fleshy red and white petals and long red [...]
Lewisias (Lewisia) of various species interbreed easily. This accounts for the multitude of magnificent hybrids, which have become so popular in the gardens all over the world. Their flowers come in a range of rainbow colours, decorated with brushstrokes of different hues or brightly outlined veins. The most popular lewisias are those with blooms of [...]
A good choice for planting near the very fence is Cornus alba `Elegantissima` , weeping silver pear (Pyrus salicifolia pendula) or profilic spring bloomers such as Spiraea cana `Grefsheim` or Spiraea x vanhouttei, while smaller Abelia grandiflora `Confetti`, Buddleja davidii `Harlequin` and cultivars of `Zebrinus`, `Strictus` miscanthus would look great planted in the middle of the border. Euonymus fortunei [...]
Whether you are a real pro or just a beginner, there comes a time when every gardener embarks on a new project – something more exiting or more challenging. As experience, expertise and confidence grow, projects that seemed interesting a year ago no longer keep their hold. A novice gardener is usually busy getting to [...]
Japanese spiraeas tend to form round or sometimes oblong mounds, which are not completely tidy. If left unsheared, they can expand up to metre tall and wide, therefore I suggest – be ruthless and shear them back on a regular basis. As a result their foliage will be brighter, while flowers will be larger. I [...]
May is brimming with warm weather, sun and the promise of summer. It is also the time when nasty blankets of green filamentous algae appear on ponds. The mere sight of these algae drives into desperation owners of water features, and especially of the smaller kind. The green algae are not all bad – they [...]
