Following the huge success of my garden opening, when over 350 walked through my front door, we then had another visitor that got the neighbours talking. A few days before he created his beautiful Chelsea garden with Kate Gould, the gorgeous Mr Titchmarsh and his TV crew arrived to film my garden for a wildlife special for Love Your Garden next year. Imagine how exciting that was! I just about managed not to turn into a giggling teenager, but only just! And here are the pics to prove he really was here….

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This is the garden in the third week of April, just 10 days to go before my NGS opening on Friday 2 May (5.30-8pm) and Sunday 4 May (2-6pm). Hopefully, most of the tulips will be in bloom, and some alliums are just opening, as is one of my all-time favourite plants, the tree peony. Come along and take a look for yourself. My friend Glyn is also offering to do face-painting for small people on Sunday afternoon. See the link to the NGS website below.

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Exciting news everyone. I am opening my garden through the National Gardens Scheme for charity on Friday 2 May in the evening 5.30-8pm, with wine and nibbles, and on Sunday 4 May in the afternoon from 2-6pm for tea and cakes. I do hope you can make it. Check out the website for more details: http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens/find-a-garden/search-results.aspx?search=type:advanced-pc:al5+1ej-d:1-dr:4

 

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When it’s cold outside, the little pots of herbs in my kitchen really cheer me up. To plant one for yourself, choose evergreens, such as bay, rosemary, thyme and sage to make a pretty display for a sunny windowsill. But don’t be tempted to pick too many leaves just yet, as your plants won’t grow much in the depths of winter and they need some foliage to stay healthy. Give them a chance to bed down nicely in the compost and in a few weeks you’ll see new growth emerging and can start using the older leaves in your recipes.

To make this beautiful herb container, just follow these steps:

Indoor herb container

You will need

Container without drainage holes

Evergreen herbs

Violas

Horticultural grit

Plastic bin liner

Multi-purpose compost

Step 1

Check that the herbs you’ve chosen fit comfortably into your container and then water them well in the sink about 20 minutes before planting them.

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Step 2
Herbs will rot in waterlogged soil, so to prevent this from happening, create a reservoir at the bottom of your container by adding a layer of grit to capture any excess water.

Step 3

Cut off the bottom section of a black plastic bin liner and use it to line the container, trimming off the excess but leaving a couple of centimetres above the rim. Punch a few drainage holes in the plastic liner with scissors. Then add a thin layer of compost mixed with horticultural grit.

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Step 4

Plant your herbs and violas – the flowers will add colour to your display and the little flowers are edible too. Fill in between the plants with a mix of compost and grit, and firm gently.

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Step 5

Fold back any excess plastic liner that’s visible and tuck it into the container. You can also add some moss to decorate the top and hide the compost.

 

Aftercare

Water your herbs sparingly when the top of the compost feels dry – too little water in winter is less harmful than too much. You can harvest a few leaves from the herbs when you see new growth appear. These young plants will eventually develop into large shrubs and are best potted up into bigger containers in early summer, when they’ll grow happily outside on a sunny patio or in the garden.