“We plant all our snowdrops in aquatic pond baskets. We're in the middle of the countryside, so we get bothered a lot with moles, bank voles, and mice which go burrowing through the borders and tip the snowdrops all up onto the surface, and then they move around and you lose them. So if you definitely want that snowdrop to stay put where you plant it, it's quite handy if you plant it in a basket.”
“Don't plant snowdrops anywhere that's too wet. If anything, it's better to plant your snowdrops where it's a bit drier and free draining. People associate them with damp ground, but they don't necessarily like that – they'll dwindle away, and won't thank you for that. If it's an area that is a bit free draining, that's the best place to plant them.”
“When you go out and buy new plants, lots of people stick the labels next to the plant in the garden, but if your garden is anything like mine, the blackbirds come along the next day and pull them all out and you lose them – and then you can never remember what that plant is. Instead of sticking those labels in your border, stick them in a scrapbook, it’s a really good way of remembering what you've got in your garden for the future.”
Hear Helen’s full chat on the Scotland Grows Show HERE!
"The best gardening advice I would give to others is to join local gardening groups. That’s what I did when I was a youngster and I benefited from the knowledge that was passed on by people in the gardening club and the local flower show. Join specialist societies like the Scottish Rock Garden Club, The Caley, the Scottish Rhododendron Society, and so many others. They are full of keen amateurs who just love growing plants and who want to share their passion. People are so kind at sharing their wonderful knowledge.”
"Throughout Scotland, the climate varies. In a garden, try to create a microclimate. Plant a tree and plant some shrubs beside them. When they get established, you then maybe have conditions for growing something else. We can create these little microclimates within gardens which allow a wider range of plants to be grown.”
"It’s all about experimenting and just having fun. If I look at the number of plants I have killed – killing plants is a wonderful way to learn and I’m still killing plants probably 40 or 50 years after I started gardening because you have to experiment, you learn from where you make mistakes.”
Hear Colin’s full chat on the Scotland Grows Show HERE!
"The best piece of advice that I would give is one that my boss, Simon Jones, gave me, which was always to ask why. The reason why that's so important is because anytime you're gardening, wherever you are, that question will always come up in different ways and different shapes. “Why are the trees there? I found out that the prevailing wind came from the northwest, so in order to have better windfall protection, and that's why they were originally planted there. “Why is the soil like this? Why is the grass that green? And then from all that information, asking why so many times, I found the best places to grow climbers, and the best places to plant new trees and shrubs.”
“The dream is to be self-sustainable in the garden where we're doing proper composting, using wormeries, have no pesticides, and are able to create our own natural fertilisers. We want people to understand that if we can do it, you can do it in your back garden, and we urge you to give it a shot.”
"Go with a few safe bet plants in the garden that are really nice, appreciate that, and build your love of gardening from there.”
Hear Andrew's full chat on the Scotland Grows Show HERE!
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