We often get caught out with our onion and garlic by not getting them ordered and in the ground until well after Christmas. Last autumn was an exception and we managed...
The front of the cottage at Genus HQ faces north, looking across the orchard lawn and into the surrounding fields. There is a border adjoining the cottage on this side...
Drier, hotter weather has thankfully reduced the vigour of the lawns at Genus HQ. Less cutting means we’ve been able to attend to other jobs around the garden and with...
Foxgloves have been a real hit in the garden at Genus HQ this year. From time to time we’ve had the occasional self sown specimen that has popped up in...
Alliums are great additions to any garden. Taking up little space their tall slim stems can be squeezed in between most plants and their umbelliferous flower heads make a real...
Many gardens have key plants and top performers. Location, aspect, and soil type can dictate what grows best and sometimes it is only trial and error that will pin down the lead role for...
We’re very lucky to have three Aesculus trees in the Genus garden. One, Ausculus x carnea the red horse-chestnut is a hybrid between Aesculus hippocastanum and A. pavia and is...
We don’t need to tell you that last winter was tough on our garden plants. We’ve had colder winters. We’ve had wetter winters. But a combination of factors meant that...
Everything seems to be going on in the Genus garden this week. The lawns, bright green and lush, are growing at such a pace that if a weekly cut is missed...
There’s always a few loafers. You’ve seen them: the seeds found in your old gardening jacket, those at the bottom of the kitchen drawer, those free packets still stuck to...
We’ve experimented with various methods of planting broad beans over the years in our bid to achieve a successful crop. An early winter sowing is often very successful. Sown very...
Two years ago we planted several hundred Snakeshead fritillary bulbs in the Genus meadow. Unfortunately they’ve always proved to be a disappointment. With very few flowering we assumed that they...
We decided not to plant any tulips last autumn, waiting to see if any from previous years would put in a repeat performance. The thing about tulips is that some...
It feels as though the plants in the Genus garden are synchronised with the Greenwich Clock. No sooner had we adjusted our clocks for British Summer Time than the garden...
One of our annual jobs at Genus HQ is reining in the ever enthusiastic ivy that scrambles over the garage on the west side of the garden. We originally planted...
It's always cause for celebration. Last Wednesday we spotted half a dozen toads skulking around in the bottom of the pond; shifting plant life and occasional movement in the murky...
It might seem early in the year but this week we decided to plant out our potatoes and, upon checking our diary, we were surprised to see we had planted them on exactly the...
Several weeks ago regular readers will remember we removed our snow-battered and disfigured Lonicera hedge from outside the cottage front door. The resulting area, approximately 5 metres by 2 metres...
Since last summer we’ve been making a concerted effort to keep the climbers on the south wall of the cottage under control. A major trim and prune last year took...
Two years ago we planted several hundred crocus bulbs in the area of the Genus garden that we call Cherry Tree Corner. They’ve performed well and each plant has slowly...
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The Genus Garden - Musings From Joff, Our Head Gardener
