Thursday, February 18, 2010

Thinking about mother's day


As gardeners we might well be thinking about mother's day which will be heading our way 14th March. If you are thinking of sending flowers then you might like to consider the gardening charity Thrive who will receive a £10 donation for every bouquet you order from expert florists, Special Occasions Flowers. Thrive is a small charity that uses gardening to help disabled people. By ordering a bouquet you will help someone recovering from a stroke or accident, coping with dementia or perhaps sight loss or mental health issues.

You can choose from four beautiful bouquets designed exclusive to Thrive, hand-tied and presented in an aquapack - The Secret Bouquet, the Tranquil Bouquet, the Oriental Bouquet or the Butterfly Bouquet. They can be delivered anywhere in the UK, same day or next day delivery. If you want to know more log onto www.thrive.org.uk or call Thrive on 0118 088 5688.

Another present which would really be appreciated by a gardening mother would be RHS Membership for the year. For just £39 per year members enjoy free days out at RHS Gardens, the Garden Magazine, access to 140 RHS recommended gardens and one-to-one gardening advice.

There is also Special entry member days at RHS Shows with reduced priced ticket entry on public days. For more information about RHS membership log onto: www.rhs.org.uk and follow the membership link on the home page.

The Inchbald School of Garden Design, London, have a number of interesting courses coming up in their 50th anniversary year. Information on courses can be found on: www.inchbald.co.uk

As the weather continues cold I confess to having done little in the garden. It will all need its pre-spring clean-up shortly so I will have to sort myself out. Getting rid of winter weeds now saves a lot of hassle later on and can cut down on weeding in the spring.

Don't forget to log onto our new re-designed website at www.recklessgardener.com for all your gardening news. We will soon be starting our Chelsea coverage so don't miss out.

Monday, February 08, 2010

Planning Days



Just to cheer us up during the continued long cold spell I thought I would post a pic taken at last year's Chelsea Flower Show. Brings back warm memories eh! What we must do during these long cold days is start to plan for the spring and summer. A good place to start is Gardening Which? The Jan/Feb issue has good advice on seed compost and new flowers for 2010.

There is also a test on gourmet potatoes and advice on hiring a contractor for your garden.

I've started some initial planning for the new season but will have to take into consideration this year, any plants which we might have lost due to the severe winter. Not only have we had snow and prolonged ice/frost but also quite a bit of water during November, so there are bound to be casualties.

We are continuing to be busy getting the website back up to strength and of course planning for the major flower shows now starts to get under way. All this planning and dare I say dreaming will help to chase away the worst of the cold and wet and may bring spring that little bit closer. I need more than a lovely burst of snowdrops to convince me that spring is just around the corner! At the moment my garden looks like an untidy mess but I have to say that the moss on the dry stone walls has come on a treat with all the rain we had in the autumn. Take a look.

Spring will also bring a bust of new gardening books so we will be bringing you news of the latest publications. Don't forget to check out the interactive section of our website, we have some really excellent videos and podcasts with all manner of advice and help for your garden and allotment through our collaboration with www.thegardenchannel.tv

Hope the sun shines for you just a little while this week and if you manage to get out and do some tidy work - enjoy.