Author Archives: mercyjm

Between Christmas and Easter is the time that you are most likely to overwater your houseplants. The central heating is toasty, they may be showing signs of growth, you are stuck indoors with not much to do. But be careful, they can’t cope with extra water at this time of year. The light is notContinue reading “Watering”

A quick plea if I work for you and you have visiting cats and dogs. Most of the time I have no problems at all, but when I am cutting lawns I have occasionally found my mower covered in dog muck when I’ve put it in the car. I don’t have facilities to clean eitherContinue reading “Cats and dogs”

There are no markets scheduled until March, but I am speaking at Whitstable Horticultural Society on the 11th February on Houseplants and Air plants, so I will bring plants to sell there. I am hoping to expand the amount of markets I do this year so I will keep you posted here. While I propagateContinue reading “Markets, sales & talks.”

A lot of your tropical houseplants will have started into growth after Christmas. They may be encouraged by your central heating, or they may have been woken up by the minuscule increase in daylight hours. Unfortunately, there is not quite enough light to sustain this growth well, so your job is to politely ignore themContinue reading “My plants are growing!”

From March 2020, I am opening my home by arrangement under the National Garden Scheme. I am really lucky to be opening as the first person with just houseplants, not a garden (although I do have a garden). I don’t think that I am the best, or that I have the most plants; I amContinue reading “National Gardens Scheme”

As a self-employed gardener it is sometimes a bit of a gamble as to whether I can work in the rain or not. These are the things I have to weigh up as I gaze out into my garden: Where am I working ? Some gardens drain very fast, some have heavy clay and remainContinue reading “Rain”

Winter is often the busiest time in the garden, when it is prepared for spring and summer growth. This is the time to address perennial weeds like brambles and bindweed. Cut back and mulch perennial borders; clear and edge paths and beds. Smaller shrubs and perennial plants are often best moved when dormant, and ofContinue reading “Winter jobs”

Green waste bins are not being emptied between January and March 2020. If there is an overflow of rubbish and you can’t get to the tip, I  will take it away or arrange a temporary compost heap in your garden. The rubbish can sit in a corner out of sight or in a tip bag.Continue reading “Bins”

April 10th -13th (Easter) August 24th -31st inclusive December 25th – January 1st inclusive