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Dyeing with Nettles: The Alchemy of Green
The highs and lows of creating colour from plants.
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When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d
Gardens, memory, and nostalgia.
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The Old Man and the Garden
When I was young, gardeners were old... now I'm in my 70s, am I over the hill?
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A paradoxical appreciation of the ordinary
Life lessons, and a garden through the eyes of the extraordinary Mary Keen
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Hundreds and Thousands
Fast forward from my park department days to now. How gardening has changed?
Edibles
Enchanting Potato Lore: From Devil's Apples to Lunar Planting
The traditional day for planting your potatoes is coming up: Good Friday. But how did this lore appear and what is behind it? And how does it tie very neatly into lunar gardening...?
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Don't be a plant hypochondriac
I am consulted on a daily basis by people who are concerned about the health of their plants. It's time to stop worrying.
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The Unacknowledged Alan: A British Horticultural Hero You Should Know
We already have one great Alan who has stolen our horticultural hearts, but I am proposing there is another one, little known, whose legacy deserves to be celebrated.
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A Parallel World
The nature outside our windows is the perfect antidote to the daily sequence of grim and depressing news stories from around the globe.
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The Good of Small Things (With Apologies to Arundhati Roy!)
It is the unexpected, unplanned and unplanted treats that draw my eye in the month of April.
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Garden Therapy: Prospect and Refuge
Why does your favourite space feel just right for you? I might just have the answer for why the secret to a garden feeling perfect is in your mind.
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Companion Planting and Why I Ignore It
Companion planting is popular, but much of it is built on myth, not science. Here’s why trusting nature - and a little intuition - might be the best planting guide of all.