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Category: Gardening Articles

In this guide, I share 10 of my favourite fast growing climbers including Fallopia (Mile-a-minute), Lonicera periclymenum and passion flowers.
Top 10 Fast Growing Climbers – When you need to cover an area fast!

Top 10 Fast Growing Climbers – When you need to cover an area fast!

Climbing plants or rather fast growing climbers as we know them tend to catch on anything as they grow towards the sunlight. They cover walls, fences and structures, and in so doing, they can help hide unsightly features in your garden as well as become points of interest themselves. Moreover, climbing plants require a small portion of soil space, allowing you to add more plants to your garden. With hundreds of climbing plants to choose from, it’s easy to get…

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in this guide, I look at some of my favourite bamboos to grow in containers including black bamboo & Fargesia nitida. See my recommendations
5 Best Bamboos for Containers

5 Best Bamboos for Containers

Bamboo is a fascinating plant and they are a great choice for growing in containers if you choose the right varieties. Among the advantages of bamboo apart from practical applications is that they offer aesthetic appeal. Personally, I love the black bamboo canes as they give a striking effect against the green foliage. If you plant bamboo, the stems together with the foliage create an appreciated compact aesthetic that can be used as a screen or even as hedging. Considered…

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Dwarf Buddleia Butterfly Bushes and recommended varieties, general care, pruning and more
Dwarf Buddleia – The Perfect Butterfly Bushes Ideal For Patio Pots and Containers

Dwarf Buddleia – The Perfect Butterfly Bushes Ideal For Patio Pots and Containers

Butterfly bushes have got to be one of my favourite shrubs but the usual common varieties have a reputation for being invasive and growing very large and are not always suitable for smaller gardens or growing in smaller pots. However, they are great for attracting butterflies and other beneficial insects into the garden. This is where some of the new dwarf varieties of buddleia are turning the tide by proving less invasive than their taller counterparts, as most of them…

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In this guide, i'm going to show you some of my best plants for pots all year round including azaleas, Agapanthus and hebes
10 Best plants for pots all year round – my favourite picks

10 Best plants for pots all year round – my favourite picks

In this guide, I’m going to look at some of my favourite plants for pots that provide all ready colour whether that be the sunning flowers followed by evergreen foliage or attractive foliage that changes throughout the seasons. I will start with one of my favourites for growing in pots and these are Azaleas, often the first to provide some colour in spring after a long winter. 1. Azalea japonica Those looking for potted plants with vibrant colours should consider…

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In this guide, I share some of my favorite evergreen grasses for containers and pots that are easy to grow and maintain
6 Must have evergreen grasses for containers and pots

6 Must have evergreen grasses for containers and pots

It is strange to think that grass can be ornamental, but you would be surprised that they create a worthy display. Their different textures, colour profiles, and height differences will brighten up your surroundings. Grasses are low maintenance; therefore, they do not need much attention and the evergreen varieties also provide some much needed colour in winter and grow well in pots. Some of my favourite grasses you can grow in containers include: 1. Festuca glauca Intense Blue (Blue fescue)…

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Learn how to grow and care for Cordyline Pink Passion cabbage palms. They prefer a sheltered site in full sun or semi-shade.
Growing Cordyline Pink Passion

Growing Cordyline Pink Passion

Cordyline pink passion is a variety of cordyline with such dazzling colour that it steals the show wherever it is cultivated. With the right conditions, this vibrant variety or cabbage palm will retain its vibrant colour year round with few issues but in colder regions, it may need some winter protection, more on this further down. Growing cordyline pink passion is no different from planting other varieties of cordyline, especially the more tender varieties, you just need fertile soil with…

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Buddleia is a strong hardy plant but some insects can take a liking to their leaves. These include the Mullein moth caterpillars and beetles.
What Is Eating My Buddleia leaves and How to Treat Them

What Is Eating My Buddleia leaves and How to Treat Them

Buddleia is one of my favourite shrubs and I really do enjoy the butterflies that sometimes arrive in their masses. If you’re lucky enough to have hummingbirds (I know I don’t as I’m in the UK) I know they also love butterflies bushes too. Buddleia is about as hardy as shrubs come but what I have experienced and been asked about is what is eating my buddleia leaves. For most people, it’s likely to be caterpillars, usually from moths including…

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In this guide, I'm going to explain why your buddleia leaves might be turning yellow before eventually falling off including iron deficiency.
Why Are My Butterfly Bush Leaves Turning Yellow and Falling Off?

Why Are My Butterfly Bush Leaves Turning Yellow and Falling Off?

Butterfly bushes are a favourite for gardeners seeking to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies and you don’t get much better than planting a butterfly bush or two. Healthy buddleia bushes display vibrant blooms and dense foliage, which can look amazing when cared for correctly. Something they can suffer from though is the leaves turning yellow and falling off so in this guide I’m going to tell you why this might be happening. Read on further for common issues…

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In this guide, I provide the most common reasons why your Buddleia is probably wilting including root rot to watering issues and root shock.
Why Is My Buddleia Wilting?

Why Is My Buddleia Wilting?

If you have a wilting buddleia it’s usually something I often see with newly planted buddleia and buddleia that have put on new growth in spring. Generally, it’s usually water related, either not getting enough, more on this below or drowning, often in clay soil with bad drainage. Various things are to blame for the wilting of your butterfly bushes, and I will cover them below starting with the most likely: Not getting enough water or to much water Are…

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In this guide I look at some of the best clematis for shade including some of my all time favourite varieties such as 'Nelly Moser.
10 Best Clematis for Shade

10 Best Clematis for Shade

Clematis are one of my favourite climbers and with so much choice in terms of colours, growing habits, eventual heights and when they flower, there are a lot of varieties to choose from. Clematis does best when planted in fertile soil with plenty of sun. However, do you know some varieties do just as well in more shady areas of the garden? In this guide, I have made a list of what I think are some of the best clematis…

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