Wildlife in my garden
I often stumble across wildlife in my garden and sometimes I’m lucky enough to have my phone with me. Click here to view or here
Molluscs Are Okay
The Enigma of Slugs and Snails. Today I act as defence counsel for the most hated garden creatures. Though it is probably not needed, let’s check out the slime brigade’s crime sheet. Slugs and snails eat seedlings. These never grow into mature lettuce, peas, cosmos, etc. They insert gashes and holes in the leaves of […]
What is a Garden? Part 1.
Some readers already think, “What a daft question,” but please hear me out. Nobody seems to ask this, just as no one says, “What is a tree?” People take the term garden for granted. Yet it’s harder to explain than appears. Many would say, “It’s space outside the house,” which means where it is […]
What is a Garden Part 2
What is a Garden? Part 2. Welcome back. In contrast, many humans live in flats with no outdoor space and nurture a brood of houseplants. Because they cannot enter gardens, nature comes to them. They lack outdoor space, but do they have a garden if their plants bring joy? Thus far, we agree gardens […]
Weather
I wrote this to a friend last summer. With the weather we have had since Christmas, doesn’t it show how we need to roll with nature’s punches? “Every gardener in the land is doing a rain dance inside their head, because most plants are struggling with four months of reduced rainfall. But when do we […]
Introduction to the Joyful Gardener’s Blog
Gardening is my lifelong hobby. Dirt first slipped under my fingernails when mum and dad trusted me not to lick them clean when weeding. I now rub soap under my claws before planting,though it never helps. Why worry? Dirty nails show a good day, well spent, and I tease the muck out with my wife’s […]