October marks the beginning of my favourite season. The days get colder, jumpers get woolier and drinks get warmer. It's perfect, then, that warming Marigolds are the birth flower for October. But what is a Marigold?
Tag: Grow and Tell
The birth flower of September: Aster
In the Northern hemisphere, September means welcoming Autumn back while still clinging to the last of the Summer warmth. This dazzling September favourite is the perfect transitional plant as we move into Autumn, with their colourful, summery petals and warm, autumn coloured inflorescences.
The birth flower of August: Gladiolus
With this August being the hottest the UK has seen for the last 17 years, it seems fitting that this fiery, energetic flower is its symbol. Gladioli have found worldwide fame and feature heavily in art, folklore and popular culture.
Cuckoo Flower
One wildflower with some of the most beautiful common names is arguably the Cuckoo Flower. Its other common names tell us about its habitat, uses, association with heritage, and also feature a little bit of rude botany.
Fruits of our labour: three homegrown fruit trees
Growing fruit trees can be a labour of love, but they are absolutely worth the effort. They also serve as a reminder of the thousands of years of agriculture our ancestors went through to produce these high yielding, delicious rewards.
Spider Plant
Many of us have the beautiful leaves of our Spider Plant elegantly draped off of shelves and cupboards around our homes. But how much do we really know about them and why have they been studied by NASA?
The Birth Flower of July: Delphinium
July, in the Northern Hemisphere, is associated with the peak of summer, so Delphinium seems the perfect choice to emulate a deep blue sky and endless ocean.
Feverfew
This beautiful, unassuming daisy is more than just an aesthetically pleasing little garden plant. Feverfew has been used to treat a list of ailments as long as my arm, with it's use in traditional medicine stretching back as far as ancient Greece. More than that, to me, Feverfew marks the beginning of my journey to becoming a Botanist.
Californian Lilac
When you plant a Californian Lilac, you're planting a shrub with a history tied to both native and colonial America. This fantastically beautiful plant is one of my favourite garden shrubs. An absolute all-rounder, it's aesthetically pleasing, versatile, and is bee and butterfly friendly.
5 houseplants you can propagate
Plant propagation is a really rewarding hobby that I find so fulfilling, and giving a gift that someone else can eventually pass on starts a really wonderful lineage between friends and family.
