Spring 2022

Apologies for my absence. 

I wanted to say a big thank you to 

all my thousands of readers.

I hope you continue to read 

my blog and 

hopefully interact and 

leave comments in the box below. 

I would love to get to know some 

of you and find out 

where you garden and what 

your story is too. 

Can I please share a wonderful 

product that I have been using 

for gardening hands that dry out a lot!

It is made by Vitali-chi 

VGenere Hand and Foot cream. 

How to plant for new build properties

I want to share with you some 

simple things you can do

that will not cost the Earth.

The secret of creating a beautiful 

planting display by your front door.

gardening-fairy-maple

I would like to share with 

you what I feel is

a very important gardening 

issue in 2021.

gardening-fairy-camellia

I recently was on a vacation 

and came across some very 

unattractive looking 

huge brick,newly built 

properties.

Of course they will take 

time to blend into the 

landscape. 

See the steps below. 

gardening-fairy-camellia

1.Think about the position, 

is it sunny or shady?

2. If there is space you 

could have tallish planters

with summer flowers

like 'verbena bonariensis', 

poppies  and 

grasses perhaps.

gardening-fairy-climbing-rose

3. Stand outside the front 

of your property and

see what it looks like 

with no greenery.

4. As there is not likely to be 

a lot of space, think about 

a few 'standard' trees or 

roses either side of 

the front door.

gardening-fairy-alliums 

5. Something like bay 

trees, known as 'standards' 

look like 'lolipop' shapes. 

They always looks very 

formal if well pruned into 

a nice ball shape.

gardening-fairy-pine-tree

6. Something that is symmetrical 

would look really good 

and break up the colour 

of the red bricks.

gardening-fairy-azaleas

7. These 'standards' as mentioned 

 at point 4 above, are 

grown for some years

so you will need to 

pay more for them than 

you might think. 

gardening-fairy-yew-hedges

8. Do you want 

something scented?

9. Do you just want 

year round colour?

10. Do you want to share the 

cost with your neighbours

and spend a bit more?

Follow these tips and 

ask me if you need 

any more advise.

Happy Planting.

Please dear readers of 'new builds', 

tell me if you enjoyed 'shopping' for 

plants and what you did

 with them and where you planted them.

Or may be describe your journey 

in the comment box below. 

Please follow me on twitter:

Gardening Fairy

@Gardening_Fairy

Garden aspects

I want to share with you some 

of the challenges I have faced in 

creating my garden.

  One, it is in a valley

and two, how to garden on 

a slope.  

Choosing the right plants for 

the soil conditions

and being aware that the 

ground is not level.

gardenig-fairy-solomonseal

I wanted to share some of the things 

in my garden I have had to contend 

with over the years I have lived here.

I have a north facing garden (which 

had I realised at the time), I would not 

have taken it on.

Also it is very steep which makes for

 a challenging way of gardening.

gardening-fairy-daffodils-narcissus-

aubrietia

As this is the case, a lot of plants 

are in pots and containers

which makes it supposedly 

easier to manage. 

So when you take on a new 

garden project think about the 

aspect (i.e. the direction it faces). 

Is it south facing etc?

Where does the sun shine

in your garden? 

Where do you want to sit?

 In the sun or in the shade?

Where with your plants 

be happiest?

gardening-fairy-epimedium

As it is north facing, 

  there is less sun 

and there are areas where it gets

cold and can trap frost, (like here behind 

this wall below).

As it is cooler and in the 

shade the daffodils opened 

very late,

in the middle of May. 

gardening-fairy-daffodils

gardening-fairy-winter-flowering-jasmine

I just wanted to share this with you 

so you don't make the same mistake

when starting your new planting scheme.

At the very top of the steepest part 

of the garden 

there is a boundary fence

so the plants that I chose were

suitable for a north facing 

aspect. 

That means they would not get 

much sunshine there

so it would be quite shady.

This plant here is a yellow 

winter flowering jasmine. 

 but it is hard to access it.

So the lesson is best not to plant 

things that you can't easily access.

Also it is somewhat confused as it 

is flowering in June not later in the year. 

April Jobs

 

Spring is really here 
in all its beauty. 

gardeing-fairy-actinidia

It is time to think about the 

season ahead and plan 

what you want to 

achieve this season.

As the leaves start to unfurl, 

we watch the changes 

every day and revel 

in its spendor.

gardeing-fairy-buddleia



1. Look at any large shrubs
you have and decide if they
need to stay or if they
need to go. 



2. Any shrub or plant you
don't like can be dug up.



3. If it is necessary,
then remove it and later
you can see what
you could put in its place. 



4. Look around your space
and see where there
may be gaps to fill.


5. But take notes always
or you will forget.



This shrub above,
is a buddleia
 which you may know
grows absolutely
anywhere it can.



I started to prune
it on Easter Sunday
and this is as far
as I got. 


I will continue to
cut it down a lot so
that it will grow better 
and have a nicer
shape. 

gardening-fairy-vinca




6. Observe any flowers
that are coming into flower
and decide if you like them
or you don't.



This is a dainty 'purple
vinca' which is really a
ground cover plant and
very useful.


But as you can see
growing up towards
the light. 


It likes growing up
into the large
rose bush above it.

March tips in your Garden

March Jobs 

See my blog on my website 

www.gardening-fairy.co.uk/

my-blog-gardening-fairy

"Whether you tend a 

garden or not, you are the

gardener of your own 

being, the seed of your

destiny."

The  Findhorn Community

Days are starting 

to get longer 

which is truly wonderful.

  

Gardening-fairy-clematis 

1. If you don't currently 

have a garden

but desperately want 

to grow something

get some old egg boxes, 

buy some seeds like cress

or parsley and plant 

them in some 

compost on your window sill.

2. Cover them over 

with some cling film 

idealy and leave them 

in the light.

3. Leave them alone 

apart from a little water 

and wait until some growth 

starts to appear 

through the compost. 

4. It is pure delight when 

your little seeds start to show 

through the compost.

Gardening-fairy-sarcococca

Some helpful tips 

for beginners

Snowdrops, crocuses 

and daffodils 

grow from bulbs.

 

They have to be planted 

during the autumn

 so they will flower 

in the spring.

Gardening-fairy-hypericum

5. This is just an example 

of a shrub that I have just 

pruned in my garden.

By this I mean, cut off 

its dried seed heads

and cut it back so

 it looks tidy and

ready for the new 

growth to start over 

again. 

So the leaves you 

see is the new 

season's growth.

Gardening-fairy-winter-savoury

This is a winter herb 

which is healthy but needs 

to be cut back, removing

 the old dead growth

 so it will keep growing well. 

We gardeners like a tidy plot.

Gardening-fairy-sage

More gardening tips for March

6. As it is still early in the year

if you can't wait any longer,

then buy little vegetable

plant plugs to grow indoors.

Gardening-fairy-miniature-daffodils

They can be peas 

or broad beans.

But they need to be 

in direct light on 

a window sill 

where they can keep 

growing evenly.

gardening-fairy-compost-containers

7. We need to start 

thinking about

using our home made 

compost around our plants.

Here are two compost 

containiers 

which I have in 

my garden. They are just 

for woody stems and 

bigger garden compostable 

branches, raked up grass etc.

gardening-fairy-daffodils

Composting is a really 

importatnt part of 

having a garden.

gardenig-fairy-composter-bin

If you do not have 

a lot of space you can

 buy large composter bins. 

Like these ones here. 

I have two large 

composter bins which 

I fill up with vegetable 

scraps,egg shells, 

cardboard etc.

gardening-fairy-fig-tree

What to do in February?

February Jobs

See my blog on my website

www.gardening-fairy.co.uk/

my-blog-gardening-fairy

Tidying up your garden 

is a job that feels a bit like 

hard work at this time 

of the year. 

It is cold and not usually

 very inviting. Try having 

a warming ginger tea 

beside you.

 

1.So wrap up well and 

try to keep moving. 

2. If you have bulbs 

you previously planted, 

clear away the leaves 

and twigs around them 

so you can see them

as they push up through 

the earth.

3. Keep watching out

for new shoots as 

they appear. 

Be gentle when clearing 

so you avoid snapping off 

any new growth.

Gardening-fairy-cyclamen

New cyclamen 

leaf I just found in the ground.

4. Keep pots well watered 

as they will always dry out. 

5. For some seasonal 

colour find some nice 

small pots and fill with 

primulas and violas.

Without a doubt 

it will lift your mood.

Buy from any good garden 

centre, not online as you 

can't see the quality 

of the plants

Or a good market stall.

6. Tidy around pots and 

sweep up any remaining 

leaves.

7. Make sure your plants 

are protected from frost 

and cold winds 

by using horticultural 

fleece or place in 

the shelter of your 

door step.

8. It is a good time 

to look at seed 

catalogues
to get some 

inspiration for the 

year ahead. 

Find out more about me at

www.gardening-fairy.co.uk

Gardening-fairy-geraniums  

and nasturtiums

February is the month 

that starts us thinking

about the gardening year. 

I look out at my garden 

sometimes and think 

how sad it looks 

but as the days go by 

there is a glimmer of hope. 

Planning is the key to 

any garden space.

 Have a good look 

at your space.

While there is a 

skeleton of a garden 

go out and take

some notes

of what you see and 

what you would 

like to create.

Today's haiku

Winter's garden 

Ah, the moon, 

a silvery thread

As insects hmmm

Matsuo Basho

fuyu niwa ya

tsuki mo ito naru

mushi no gin

More jobs for February

Gardening-fairy-daffodils

1. Make a note of bulbs 

you would like to plant 

next season.

2. Think  about 

the colours 

you really like 

Gardening-fairy-primulas

3. Cut back any dead twiggy 

growth on shrubs 

4. Remember to 

clean your tools with a 

safe disinfectant spray.

Gardening-fairy-bamboo

5. Clear pathways of debirs 

and old leaves

6. Cut back any 

dead flowers,

berries

you have left

from the autumn.

Gardening-fairy-hypericum

Depending on how tidy 

you are, you could 

leave berries

for the birds to 

feast on.