Apologies for the late arrival of May's to do list, but I have been busy catching up on things that I should have done in April. It is...

We are experiencing wonderful weather for early May. Sunshine, little wind and high temperatures - temperatures of 28C and 29C are...

First the shrubs - you can find space for some of these in your ornamental garden Rosemary - An ornamental shrub which loves a dry...

The hungry gap happens in spring. It is the period between the end of your winter vegetable harvest and the moment you can start eating...

It is a very sad morning here in the garden - Mrs Pookie, our bantam hen who has been sitting on10 eggs has disappeared and so have all...

One of our bantam hens has gone broody - she went missing on Easter Saturday and, after a considerable time hunting for her, Richard...

April is out to fool us - watch the weather. It is capricious at this time of year. It has been an odd start to the year - most things...

I love fritillarias, but have had difficulties growing them in France. This has been disappointing because although they look delicate...

March is busy and there can be a lot to do in your garden, depending on what you grow., so here is a selection of the most important jobs...

Dahlias are easy to grow, they come in a profusion of shapes, sizes and colours, flower from summer until late autumn and you can both...

Every year, in February, I feel compelled to start sowing seeds – vegetables and flowers – and I have to rein myself in from starting too...

At some point in February the weather starts to warm up and plants start to move - sometimes at a terrific pace. Crocus bulbs can develop...

January is the month for being kind to yourself - it is usually cold and dark and I am usually overweight and feeling broke, and I get...

Mysterious mistletoe is prolific in South West France, where I live, and is strongly associated with Christmas. But why? The history of...

A couple of days ago we experienced the first serious frost of the winter. It is always a turning point in the year. The proof is that...

It is getting a lot colder and I look for excuses to hide in the house rather than hit the garden, especially on rainy days. Here is a...

Plant of the month for November 2021 is the bleuet - or cornflower. It is not in bloom now, but is the flower the French associate with...

Using up some of the last of the autumn produce for lunch today - we are having melanzane parmigiana with some of the last of our haricot...

Not quite winter, but on damp dull days it feels like it - it is easy to imagine that now is the moment to down tools until March - but...

Lots to do this month before colder weather sets in. The soil is still warm but the dry summer months are behind us; it is a time of both...