Here’s a fireworks display of rare foxgloves that will leave you crying ‘ohh!’ and ‘ahh!’. This month, we’re sneaking around the national collection of Digitalis, held by The Botanic Nursery in Wiltshire. First up is the strange and beautiful Digitalis campanulata ‘Alba’ (above). ——————————————————————————————————————————- Fennel & Fern readers can get 10% off on flower, vegetable [...]

Did you know that the conventional globe shape of beetroot is a modern development? In the Victorian kitchen garden, you’d have been more likely to find beetroot long and cylindrical, even carrot shaped. Some of these old cylindrical varieties are still available, and one which is worth seeking out is a French variety called Rouge [...]

Image by Claire Sutton Click here to visit the Fennel & Fern Flickr group and upload your own photos. ——————————————————————————————————————————- Fennel & Fern readers can get 10% off on flower, vegetable and fruit seeds and plants at Victoriana Nurseries. Just click here to claim an automatic discount. Subscribe to F&F updates ——————————————————————————————————————————-

The first peas in the garden are finally ready, and I’m so excited. They’re rather late this year as the weather has been so terribly slow to perk up. These are ‘Ambassador‘ peas, which can be grown as a second early or a maincrop. They’re smooth-seeded, which means they are hardier than wrinkled peas, such [...]

Which roses would you like to grow? Too many names, don’t know which to choose? There is such a big difference between a small rounded rose that might only grow one metre high or wide and a rampaging rambler which will romp away to maybe 10metres. And it is even more confusing when the same [...]

Foraging for elderflowers is one of the loveliest things to do on a summer’s day. It’s the sort of thing that makes you want to dress up in a white floaty dress and clutch a wicker basket. Unfortunately, I gathered this large bouquet of flowers on my way back from a run, which rather spoiled [...]

This month we’re giving away something that’s almost priceless. It’s a handmade gift, lovingly crafted by a mother for her baby. And it’s all about gardening. As she started to teach her young son Jackson about the delights of homegrown vegetables, Gillian Carson was inspired to write and illustrate her own children’s book to help [...]

I love using home-spun potions in my garden. They’re cheaper than sprays from the garden centre, and they are normally far better for the ecosystem in the garden as well. This cheeky little lemon spray will send the pesky aphids in your garden running for the hills. I picked this idea up from Tom Brown, [...]

{Weekly wrap-up} Hot posts, stories and images from the web this week. ——————————————————————————————————————————- Fennel & Fern readers can get 10% off on flower, vegetable and fruit seeds and plants at Victoriana Nurseries. Just click here to claim an automatic discount. Subscribe to F&F updates ——————————————————————————————————————————-

…this marvellous vintage French bench from The Best Dressed Garden. I feel a little bad for introducing this one-off piece to readers, as there’s only one on offer. So if you’re as smitten as I am, run all the way to this lovely website to snap it up. ——————————————————————————————————————————- Fennel & Fern readers can get [...]

The meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense) is one of the very best summer flowers. It looks fabulous close up, but also has that effect of holding a whole border together. Planting a cranesbill is bit like a wrapping a really marvellous belt around a slightly messy dress: your borders will look ever so stylish for it. [...]

Image by stillriverside Click here to visit the F&F Flickr group and upload your own photos ——————————————————————————————————————————- Fennel & Fern readers can get 10% off on flower, vegetable and fruit seeds and plants at Victoriana Nurseries. Just click here to claim an automatic discount. Subscribe to F&F updates ——————————————————————————————————————————-