Pots of delight - magical bulbs that light up the garden!!!

What a stunner!!!

Iris 'Katherine Hodgkin'

• Position: full sun
  Soil: well-drained, moderately fertile, neutral to slightly alkaline soil
  Rate of growth: average
  Flowering period: Jan-Feb
  Flower colour: blue, green and yellow
  Other features: sword-shaped leaves
  Hardiness: fully hardy
• 
  The great attributes of this plant have been recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society and they have given it the Award of Garden Merit.The flowers are breathtakingly intricate. Each bloom has a creamy-yellow base, overlaid with sky blue and a deep yellow centre, with green flecks and spots. These appear in January to February so they are up at the same time as the crocuses. They make excellent container and rock garden flowers.

All-In-One acquires land to expand

My old stomping ground All-In-One Garden Centre near Rochdale, has acquired land that almost doubles the size of the garden centre. Finance director, Jason Stafford, has engaged Ernest Wertheim to advise on extending the garden centre. This is great news for All-in-One as I remember how the massive expansion back in the early 1990s made a huge difference in the ambiance, shopping experience and merchandising expertise. Critically, the move comes at a time when spending on capital investment is at the mercy of the banks . I hear a 3-4 year development plan will be drawn up, a wise move in these credit-crunching economic times.
I wish it all the success, and knowing the team at All-in-One, it WILL be worth the wait!

Chris Day's Grow Your Own Talks at Buckingham Garden Centre

Grow Your Own Vegetable Starter: Part 1
Dates: March 18th and April 1st

Grow Your Own Fruit Starter: Part 2
Dates: March 25th and April 15th

VENUE: Buckingham Garden Centre, 10am-12noon. Charity donation to Greenfingers, the Garden Industry Charity, £1.00 minimum donation. To book call 01280 827910, http://www.hedging.co.uk/

Enjoy a great day out at Barnsdale Gardens in June

Join me on June 17th 2009 to visit Barnsdale Garden, the home of the late TV Gardener Geoff Hamilton (pictured above). Contact Buckingham Garden Centre on 01280 827910 for further details. Limited number of places are available so early booking is recommended.

February snow challenges

Over a week of snow, sub-zero temperatures and now, as I write this, heavy rain is bound to take its toll on the garden and its inhabitants.

Frozen soils, compacted by snow, will hinder moisture flow through the soil, so it is going to be essential to lightly fork over the soil to help benefit the soil prior to any planting or immediate soil preparation you may carry out.

Wilde about Gardening

Only the other day we were chatting about 1980s pop star Kim Wilde and literally the next day just walking into BBC Three Counties Radio studios in Luton, who should be getting out of a taxi to enter the buiding but Kim Wilde!!