Ade Sellars

There is something different in the air, listen carefully and you may hear it whispering on the breeze. Go outside, and you’ll be greeted by joyful daffodils, with their trumpet like heads all nodding with excitement. In the trees, birds rehearse their delicate tunes whilst looking down on Mother Nature, who’s busy creating warmth and colour to this season’s blank canvas. Welcome to spring!
March is a month of new beginnings, where we can finally put into action those garden plans drawn up ov...

There is something different in the air, listen carefully and you may hear it whispering on the breeze. Go outside, and you’ll be greeted by joyful daffodils, with their trumpet like heads all nodding with excitement. In the trees, birds rehearse their delicate tunes whilst looking down on Mother Nature, who’s busy creating warmth and colour to this season’s blank canvas. Welcome to Spring!

Winter may still be holding us close, but fear not, its days are numbered. Already, gardeners have signalled the change as they open their shed doors to a new growing season. Dormant greenhouses slowly stir into life, pots are dusted down and fresh bags of compost are eagerly opened. It’s been a long time coming, but finally the ritual of sowing and planting begins once more. So, if you want a growing season to remember, now’s the time to think about sowing tomatoes, peppers and aubergines.

It’s a new year, and with it comes hope and new beginnings. Resolutions are made, and for gardeners across the land, greenfingers start to twitch in anticipation of a new growing season ahead. We may still be held by the frozen grip of winter, but Mother Nature offers a signal that the warming embrace of spring draws closer every day. Days begin to uncurl and stretch out once again, rewarding us with more daylight. Planted bulbs that have spent months nestled in the ground begin to push their delicate heads through the frozen soil putting on a captivating display.

Winter can still be holding us close as we enter February, but with the prospect of a new season on the horizon, it’s frozen grip is reluctantly starting to loosen. So, whilst many of us pine for longer days and warming temperatures, gardeners are hoping for a glorious summer of blousy blooms.

Stepping into a New Year, the winter gloves are off and greenfingers are tingling with excitement. For many gardeners, the growing season starts here. Hard to contemplate when you look out the window, only to see Jack Frost waving back at you. But, give a gardener a warm greenhouse, and they’ll have a tray of seeds sown before you can say ‘Happy New Year!’

So, if you want to enjoy the taste of summer this growing season, then now’s the time to sow those greenhouse favourites, including: tomatoes, chillies, peppers and aubergines.

As another year draws to a close, we find ourselves reminiscing over our gardening successes, and our garden failures – from the devastation of blight, to the late season charm of chillies burning brightly in the greenhouse. And whilst we hold ourselves in limbo during this darkest of months, take stock in knowing the days will soon begin to stretch out once more.

The time to prepare for overwintering is upon us. Heading into November, gardeners brace themselves for a season of plummeting temperatures and biting winds. It doesn’t take much for unprotected plants to succumb to the icy grip of Jack Frost so, this winter, give your tender plants a fighting chance and try overwintering them.

If you’ve never overwintered before, this simple guide will explain all you need to know to help plants survive, thrive and return season upon season.

The days are getting shorter and the nights longer, but this won’t deter gardeners who will be busy preparing their gardens and allotments for the winter months ahead. Cutting away, clearing up and of course protecting plants and growing veg are all important jobs to do now before the frost sets in.

Like the rolling seasons, the gardener never stands still. So, as we gingerly step into winter, we need to be prepared, and so does our garden. By getting those necessary jobs done now, will ensure our precious green spaces can meet Jack Frost head on and pass through unscathed to greet spring with a warming embrace.

Autumn may be on the horizon, but late summer continues to shine. Flower borders gather together for their final encore with an explosion of fiery reds and burnt oranges. Dahlias are determined to bloom right up to those first frosts, while veg plots are ripe for harvesting. Darker days maybe ahead, but so long as September continues to shine, we’ll hold it close and bask in its warm embers.

August flowerbeds light the match to a summer explosion of fiery reds and burnt oranges. As the heat rises, proud water butts are drained of their priceless cargo, ensuring growing vegetables reach their glorious potential. This is a month brimming with harvests as we eat, blanch and freeze to keep on top of allotment gluts.

For years there have been warnings about climate change, on what we need to do to protect and sustain this precious planet. Sticking our head in the sand is no longer an option, this has consequences for everyone and everything.

Summer is here, bringing with it long days and balmy nights. For gardeners, we seem to lose a sense of time as we potter in our green spaces, allowing our senses to be overwhelmed with all that we’ve grown. Yet, only a few months ago heads were down and brows were furrowed as we tidied empty beds, planted dormant plants and protected young seedlings from the biting frost.

This month, the Summer Solstice officially marks the start of summer, and we see gardeners finally beginning to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Flower borders filled with colour and open plots brimming with swelling veg – June is truly a glorious month.