Whinfell Quarry Garden is Sheffield’s own secret garden. Despite being on a main road a few miles from Sheffield city centre and next to some popular footpaths, I never see more than a handful of people there. It’s a magical place and well worth a visit. A potted history. The garden dates from the turn … Continue reading A garden visit: Whinfell Quarry Garden
Category: Nature
Sheffield’s bluebell woods
There is no better place than an English woodland in May, and I’m lucky enough to live in a city with some of the finest bluebell woods I know. Sheffield is a famously hilly city. Around a third of the city lies within the Peak District National Park and the western suburbs sit high up … Continue reading Sheffield’s bluebell woods
Growing mistletoe from seed
Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis have put paid to much gardening for the last few weeks. The garden is sodden and storm battered. But in a brief calm spell this weekend I have been having a go at propagating mistletoe. I didn’t think it grew in the north of England, having only seen it when … Continue reading Growing mistletoe from seed
New Zealand flatworms in Yorkshire!
Last spring I picked up a bag of compost from the side of the shed and found a couple of New Zealand flatworms underneath. Yikes! These horrors are invasive species, and they eat earthworms so are not very welcome. They are about 5-10 cm long when stretched out, although they are normally found curled up … Continue reading New Zealand flatworms in Yorkshire!
Signs of spring
What a treat to have this taste of spring right in the middle of February. My bank of crocuses have opened their faces to the sun every day this week; hellebore, snowdrops, and catkins have all been shining out; and bulbs are peeping through. I’ve even been happy to see the weed seedlings emerge as … Continue reading Signs of spring
New shoots
This is a story about creating a garden in Sheffield. Its a personal blog for me to keep track of how the garden evolves over time and to see the progress of planting combinations and different garden projects, but you're welcome to join me along the way. I'll aim to do a monthly update, and … Continue reading New shoots