GARDENER'S WORD - IDEAS AND TIPS

I have six Japanese maples (acers) in my garden.  Katsura and Jordan are planted in borders but the others (Osakazuki, Orange Dream, Moonrise, Sango-Kaku) are in pots, still small. I plan to root prune them in the future, if and when necessary, to restrict their growth in the way that bonsai trees are restricted.  The latest addition is Acer shirasawanum 'Moonrise' which I have now planted in its plastic pot inside a heavier terracotta pot, surrounded by Melcourt Sylvagrow Pine Bark Mini Mulch for stability. Right now it is huddled in a little corner of my garden, safe from the icy winds and the blasting sleet and hail which we are getting here today high on the Pennines of West Yorkshire.  Acer shirasawanum Moonrise in a Fiora frostproof terracotta Moonrise arrived like a small tree although I had hoped for a more shrubby formation so I could easily grow it as a multi-stem tree.  I can still do that but it means dealing only with the growth above the graft. Below th...

I recently bought an Acer palmatum Osakazuki which is about six feet high with three main stems.  I have transferred it into a slighter larger plastic pot than it came in and planted the pot inside a heavyweight Kitchen Garden Terracotta Pot (made in Turkey by Argun and Son, sold by the RHS), and then surrounded the plastic pot with Melcourt Sylvagrow Pine Bark Mini Mulch. In total it weighs a lot!  I needed to be able to easily move the container  around on my little garden's top patio. 'Kitchen Garden Terracotta Pot' on an eight-caster plant caddy I bought a strong plant caddy with eight-castors, made from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) which is a durable and rigid thermoplastic polymer known for its high impact resistance and toughness. The plant caddy is marketed as being able to tolerate a 230kg weight.   Eight caster ABS plant caddy with wheel locks The assembly was a little fiddly but easy to do and it has a bit of weight which makes it feel strong...

I want to share a couple of photos I took this morning of Acer shirasawanum Jordan. Every spring it puts on a fabulous display to match any golden daffodil, and it is pure magic. I now have six Japanese maples : Jordan, Moonrise, Sango-Kaku, Osakazuki, Orange Dream, and Katsura but right now, mid May in West Yorkshire, Jordan is the attention grabber.  Acer shirasawanum Jordan - 13 May 2026 Acer shirasawanum Jordan 13 May 2026 Jordan is being trained as a multi-stem tree which is the way to go when you only have a small garden and limited space.  Jordan gets scorched leaves every summer, unfortunately, and due to the fact that it has pushed its roots under rocks, under the lawn, it cannot be moved without the likelihood of killing it, so I have bought ollas pots which are mentioned here on my post about training acers as multi-stemmed trees to save ground space in a small garden. The RHS says " Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan' should be situated in a sheltered spot prefe...

About 16 years ago I bought a Hozelock Compact Hose Reel and hosepipe which was attached to my home's wall. It is still as in good condition as it was when I bought it but I started to find it problematic having to pull the hosepipe out of the reel and haul it through my small garden without knocking down plants with it in the process. As I have a balance disability (sorry, I don't mean to harp on about it but it is important for those with other challenges to know), it wasn't ideal for me struggling with the hosepipe which kept kinking as it came off the reel, or ideal to be lugging a watering can around either.  Then I was mooching around a garden centre with a friend recently and spotted the Hozelock 'Wonderhoze'.  Hozelock 'Wonderhoze' It is simple to use. You attach the Wonderhoze to a tap (you will see I have white plumbing tape on my tap as that tap connection always manages to drip whatever I attach to it) and you turn on the water, The Wonderhoze wo...

I am all for making life easier in the garden and as a rather 'mature' gardener with a balance disability, I decided to add the 'Hozelock Watering Lance Spray Plus 90' to my garden tool collection. What prompted me to buy one right now?  Well, I thought it would be a wonderful idea last year to pack several very large and heavy terracotta pots full of spring bulbs close together on the patio area, between the garden room and the shed to create a glorious spring display. Then, later, I realised that not only could I not get between the pots to water those farthest away, I also couldn't water them with the hosepipe nozzle/gun without giving them a good old hit and miss blasting which is not ideal.  I can imagine the sorts of things that you are thinking.  Hozelock Watering Lance Spray Plus 90  Hozelock describe the watering lance as 'ideal for watering plants at different heights, 90cm long wand, adjustable multi-jet head, locking function, and flow control with 5...

I've grown a lovely blue Veronica gentianoides in my garden for a very long time. Just from the one original single plant it has slowly spread over the ground while thrusting elegant spikes about 60cm into the air.  It's great for the front of borders and easy to propagate by division.  Recently I bought a white version, Tissington White, and mistakenly thought it wasn't much different to the blue one I have but I was wrong, when in full bloom it is strikingly white, and I wanted to share the difference with you.  Veronica gentianoides 'Tissington White' Veronica gentianoides - blue 

I first planted the Anemone sylvestris that I have in my garden in 2014 and yet each year it appears again.  I have moved it once or twice but it has been in its present position, right next to a path leading to my garden room, for years and years. It is looking fabulous right now and so I thought it deserved another mention on my blog. It has flowers in abundance right now and will provide flowers more spasmodically through summer as long as I keep dead-heading.  Anemone sylvestris May 2026 The label said that Anemone sylvestris is a clump forming herbaceous perennial with divided green leaves, fragrant white cup-shaped flowers with yellow anthers, on upright stems.  It should be grown in well-drained soil in full sun and achieves a size of 40cm x 40cm (18in x 18in). The RHS webpage indicates that it is unfussy about soil, aspect, exposure, tolerates full sun or partial shade, and is hardy at H6 (down to -20c).  Anemone sylvestris May 2015 Apparently it spreads...