You are here: Home

Over the coming weeks and months, join me as I develop our brand new garden. As a trained horticulturalist and garden designer, I'll be guiding you through the seasons ahead, sharing tips, successes and failures and exploring some of the new and inventive products on the market.

This year is the first spring season here at the Spear and Jackson garden, and I'm looking forward to cultivating a wide range of plants, flowers, vegetables and even some fruit.

Its a small garden, with a modern courtyard around one side, family lawn area with raised borders around the other and to the front, a modern take on a traditional cottage border.

Have a great gardening week.

Lee 'The Gardener'

Blog

How to divide herbaceous perennials

October 14, 2011 Posted by Jo in Grow Your Own

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/how-divide-herbaceous-perennialsTweet

0 comment(s)

This week I've been dividing up herbaceous perennials, including the over crowded Astilbes, Hostas, Lupins, Delphiniums and some of the grasses. When divided in autumn herbaceous perennials (those which die down to ground level at the end of each year) should establish a new root system over the next few months while the soil is still warm.

Read more
How to plant bulbs

October 14, 2011 Posted by Jo in Cultivating Tools

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/how-plant-bulbsTweet

0 comment(s)

Choosing and planting bulbs which will flower next spring and summer seems like ages away, and we haven't even put the garden to sleep. But planted now, you'll ensure you get some great colour in the garden, at a time when you'll really appreciate it.

Read more
Putting the garden to bed

October 14, 2011 Posted by Jo in Garden Care

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/putting-garden-bedTweet

0 comment(s)

Consider wrapping plants such as new Cordylines, but not with plastic or bubble wrap as these will make them sweat and rot. Firstly tie the leaves together with string or raffia and then wrap with horticultural fleece.

Read more
Autumn Lawn Care

September 12, 2011 Posted by Jo in Garden Care

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/autumn-lawn-careTweet

0 comment(s)

It seems to have warmed up slightly over the past week, but the rain we've had means that if you can cope with the mess, now is a great time to start your autumn lawn care programme.

Read more
Trimming Evergreen Hedges

September 8, 2011 Posted by Jo in Pruning & Cutting

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/trimming-evergreen-hedgesTweet

0 comment(s)

The next two or three weeks is the best time for cutting evergreen hedges such as yew, and conifers, to keep them nice and neat throughout the winter, but do it before the end of the month or they may well get scorched by the harsh winter.

Read more
Laying Paving Slabs

August 22, 2011 Posted by Jo in Garden Design

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/laying-paving-slabsTweet

0 comment(s)

This weeks video blog is how to lay a patio, and i had it easy as we called in an expert to show you how. He'll go through the necessary steps to constructing a well laid terrace, patio or in this case, series of transitional platforms (as the client likes me to refer to them as!).

Read more
Designing a garden

August 15, 2011 Posted by Jo in Garden Design

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/designing-gardenTweet

0 comment(s)

When it comes to designing and planting your garden, be brave. The more confidence you have in the design and the bolder you can be with colour or planting the better.

Read more
Plant Problems and Diseases

August 11, 2011 Posted by Jo in Garden Care

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/plant-problems-and-diseasesTweet

0 comment(s)

Its at this time of the year when most people retire to the garden after a hard days work, or at weekends, but this is also the time of year where garden pests like to bathe in the garden too.

Read more
Strawberry Propagation in the Woodland Garden

August 10, 2011 Posted by Jo in Grow Your Own

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/strawberry-propagation-woodland-gardenTweet

0 comment(s)

Now is the perfect time of year to begin the propagation of semi ripe cuttings. They sound complicated, but they are not really. They can be taken from any plant (normally a shrub) which has produced some growth this year which has started to harden at the base. Examples include Lavender, Box, Berberis, Potentilla and Fuchsia.

Read more
Lee visits a Woodland garden

July 26, 2011 Posted by Jo in Garden Care

http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/lee-visits-woodland-gardenTweet

0 comment(s)

This week we begin our tour of other peoples gardens, and the first stop for the next 3 weeks is Dawns garden. Set in a woodland environment, this north facing garden has pockets of special plants dotted here and there, with a wonderful use of colour repeated throughout each border. The rain makes it look like an autumn day, but it didn't put us off having a good look around.

Read more