Category Archives: Gardening

The Amazing Tresco Abbey Gardens – Bringing the Mediterranean to Britain

Destination Abbey Gardens – Tresco, Isles of Scilly

The Abbey Gardens have become a popular destination for Britain’s plant lovers and with good reason. A casual stroll through any part of the garden reveals a wealth of exotic plants from all corners of the globe. The temperate climate allows plants from Australia to the South Americas to thrive recreating the magical colours of the rainbow such is their vibrancy.

The various terraces of the garden lend themselves to various plant groupings. The higher most terrace takes full advantage of the sun and is home to plant-life originating from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Highlights include:

Aloe, Banksia , Callistemon, Cape heaths, Dryandra, Leucadendron and Protea.

Sheltered from the wind, the middle and lower terraced slopes are bursting with colour with an array of exotic plants clamouring for space.

The more protected areas once again contain interesting plant groups that are different to the higher terraces. Special plant attractions inlude:

Aeoniums, Agave, Bird of Paradise and Puya.

The amazing Bird of Paradise is always popular and stunning to look at being pollinated by exotic humming birds having made their long journey from the mountains of Chile.

Each path through the garden terraces reveals plants that create a special kind of wonder; mainly for their variety and eye-popping colours.

Tresco Abbey Gardens History

Augustus Smith arrived at the Isles of Scilly in 1834 as leaseholder and Lord Proprietor of all the islands. He chose to live on the island of Tresco and set down the first foundations for his new home near to the dilapidated St Nicolas Priory.

His house, named Tresco Abbey, was built on an outcrop above the ruins of the old priory. Almost immediately he began his plans for creating what was to become the Tresco Abbey Gardens.

Winds are always a problem on the islands so he began in earnest by protecting his first seedlings with an array of walls to surround the garden.

As time went on the garden gradually developed and grew in size. Many species were introduced and necessary shelter was provided by exotic palms and Cypress trees so that more delicate varieties could prosper.

The Abbey Gardens continue to grow and evolve today some four generation on from Augustus Smith.

Resources:

Information – Abbey Gardens on the island of Tresco with details of entry prices and 5 day holidays.

Garden Furniture – Benches supplied by The Garden furniture Centre Ltd (featuring the Classic Bench and the Malvern).

Choosing the Healthiest Foods to Grow in Your Garden

Start by Growing the Healthiest Foods

Knowing what to grow first or what to concentrate your efforts on from the outset means you’ll be getting the benefits sooner.

Fresh fruit and vegetables in general are good for your overall well-being and specifically:

Good for a healthy heart
A strong immune system
Reducing risks of cancers
Boosting essential vitamins

Of course individual vegetables and fruits have their own benefits. Beetroots and carrots, containing red-pigments, are especially associated with reducing the risks associated with some cancers.

Video – Growing Vegetables

If you have room in the garden this video gives some great information on what to grow, soil types and much more. Click the button below to play now…

For some great ideas on growing your own and selecting the ideal fruit and vegetables Click here >>

Which Type of Gardener are You?

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Whether you’ve just started gardening in the last twelve months, or have been growing your own veg on an allotment for years, you’ve already fallen into a certain type of category of gardener.

Over the years I’ve dabbled in growing fruit and veg. I’ve used raised beds and cold-frame set-ups and have acquired certain typical gardener characteristics.

Usually, just when I’m ready to psyche myself up for a day full of back-breaking digging, it all grinds to a halt – I forget to buy essentials like seeds.

Here are some ‘typical’ gardener types -

The “Oh, Crap!” Gardener, The Mad Scientist, The Accountant, The Dreamer, The Doomsday Prepper and The Librarian.

1. The “Oh, Crap!” Gardener: Basically forgets to buy stuff like the all important seeds just before starting to dig.

2. The Mad Scientist: Reads up on everything, has tons of gardening books and experiments in the garden.

3. The Accountant: Knows the costs of all the supplies, keeps records, shops around and chooses the most productive plants & shrubs.

4. The Dreamer: Is all caring about the environment and can happily while away time in the garden doing absolutely nothing like admiring the wildlife.

5. The Doomsday Prepper: Is totally practical and will find the most efficient way to complete a task even when fancy tools may not be to hand.

6. The Librarian: Likes helping others and very collaborative – definitely a community gardener. There’s book inside them for sure.

So which type of gardener are you?

Find out more about your gardening character from Damon over at http://www.greenhorngardening.com/six-types-of-gardeners-which-one-are-you/

Tell me your gardening character below in the comments now – Don’t be shy…

How to Give Your Garden a Winter Boost of Colour

Beautiful Garden Shrubs for Winter Colour

If you can stretch your budget a little, now that the holiday period is behind us, there are often shrubs that are often hidden away in the bargain corner of your local garden centre.

Plants and shrubs you should consider for their winter flowers and colourful foliage include:

Corkscrew Hazel – This plant can grow quite large but is relatively slow growing and is great for a beginner’s choice (Height 500 cm, Spread 500cm).

Glossy Abelia – This shrub has dark green foliage, pale pink summer/autumn flowers, and is available as an evergreen (Height 400 cm, Spread 400cm).

Heavenly Bamboo – Buy this plant for its all-year-round leaf colour; bright green then turning a purple/red hue (Height 150 cm, Spread 100cm).

Siberian Dogwood – Beautifully colourful winter foliage and lovely white flowers in spring/summer (Height 250 cm, Spread 250cm).

Sundance Mexican Orange Blossom – This is a low-maintenance shrub with lovely light coloured leaves and a distinctively fragrant aroma (Height 250 cm, Spread 250cm).

Winter Jasmine – Has pretty yellow flowers in February carrying on into spring and is relatively easy to grow (Height 250 cm, Spread 250cm).

Apart from traditional evergreens, you’ll need to get a little inspiration to cut through the bleak greyness that is often the traditional English garden in depths of winter. Seek out at least a couple of the winter shrub recommendations to brighten up your garden.

Resources:

Extensive Plant Finder – http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector

General Shrub Information – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrubsand there are some great value plants.