Scott

A garden in northern England on a warm late spring morning. In the foreground there is a rose bush in a blue ribbed pot. The dark green foliage causes the cream flowers to pop. They are lighter towards the outside and darker almost yellow in the centre. There are cascades of branches and flowers over the sides of the pot, and a number of blooms growing straight up giving the impression of a just-uncorked champagne bottle. The pot is sat on a gravel path, behind it bright green wisteria leaves contrast with the darker foliage of the rose. In the distance there are bushes and trees framing a blue sky with scattered clouds.

This one’s called Champagne Moment #rosewednesday 🌱

Sitting with the bees on a sunny day is the most relaxing thing I could possibly do 🌱

Spring flowers in a garden in the north of the UK. Purple hyacinths in the foreground with bright yellow daffodils shining in spring sunshine just behind. There are pink and blue hyacinths in the background.

A bed of spring flowers in the north of the UK. In the background is the trunk of a beech tree, surrounded by green stems flecked with dappled sunlight. A shock of bright yellow daffodils at the top of the picture obscure some purple hyacinths. Close to the soil are some tiny pink muscari or grape hyacinth.

Spring is springing everywhere in the garden. The pollen is clobbering my hay fever, but given the choice I’d rather have scratchy eyes and sniffles if it means I get to enjoy the flowers and sunshine. 🌱

A blue stoneware bowl with flowering daffodils. The variety is smaller than the usual size, only reaching 15cm in height. The flowers are bright yellow typically with 6 straight petals in a star shape framing a long narrow trumpet-like tube.

Three pots with spring bulbs in various stages of development sitting on a stone patio. One of the pots contains a variety of narcissus called tête-à-tête, which is shorter than the usual type seen in the uk. A few have flowered, showing yellow petals and pronounced trumpets.

We are so nearly into spring. A few tiny daffodils are braving it!🌱

A single snowdrop growing in front of a limestone wall

A clump of snowdrops growing in a moss-covered patch of ground

Sometimes it’s the smallest of things that bring the joy 🌱

A larch tree with a light covering of snow. In the foreground bushes are also lightly covered.

A garden after a nights snowfall. In the foreground a lawn covered with about 5cm of snow. Behind the lawn are some bushes, their tops also white with snow, but the sides are clear. Behind them a mature Japanese Maple or Acer looks petrified. Snow is stuck to every branch and twig. Behind it are a Beech tree and very tall Scots Pine

A garden in northern UK after a nights snowfall. It isn’t too deep, maybe 5cm but it blankets the paths and borders. It’s difficult to tell where the paths, steps and borders are. It is already starting to thaw, helped by the rain that is starting to fall. You can hear the melting all around

A bit of overnight snow. From the cracking and dripping sounds in the air it’s already starting to thaw so I’m glad I managed to catch it. The cold will help the garlic bulbs divide and make the carrots and brassicas taste sweeter! 🌱

🌱

A garden in Northern UK on New Years Eve. A bare tree trunk is illuminated from behind by lights. Shadows from stones are cast onto gravel covering the ground. Bamboo, Azalea and grasses are illuminated by yellow light at a low level.

A path through a garden in Northern UK on New Years Eve. The path tracks into the distance illuminated by yellow lights. There is a holly bush in the foreground on the right hand side

A very Happy New Year to everyone! Ours is very mild but we’re going to get hammered by the cold weather in the coming days…

A garden in the Northwest of the UK at sunset in December. The backdrop is a dramatic sky with the sparse clouds illuminated red and orange by the setting sun. The garden itself is bisected by a damp flagstone path passing under a pergola and into the distance. The garden is further sectioned by bushes in various hews of green. There is an ornamental rose bush in the right hand garden and lawns on both sides. The scene is finished off with mature trees. Sycamore, scotch pine, Acers, larches and beech trees are silhouetted by the sky.

We’re loosing the light so early at this time of year, but only a week before it begins to return 🌱

A garden in northern UK in December. In the foreground a patio rose called ‘for your eyes only’ is still producing blooms. To the right and across the damp path is an agapanthus. The path leads down to the rest of the garden and a background of tall trees with the winter sun peeking through the branches.

It’s lovely and warm today, an unexpected treat stolen from winter. I’m getting a bonus gardening day in today which is less glamorous than it sounds as it’s been mainly spent washing down the slippery steps, composting the last of my chilli plants and tidying the greenhouse ready for next year.🌱

It’s got to be worth a try right? I’ll report back in 6 months…

Have you had good results from doing that? I’ve always made a (possibly untrue) assumption that unripe chillies would mean immature seeds.

I’ll string the stragglers up into a ristra so at least they can hang around looking decorative.

Two bowls filled with chillies grown this year. The bowl on the left is Carolina Reaper, and on the right are Heatwave. Both sets are ripening and are various colours as they turn from green to red. The majority are yellow and orange, with a few red. The dark green ones probably won’t ripen at all.

I’m playing a game of cat and mouse with these chillies. How far to let them ripen, at the same time risking decay. Holding my nerve for a few more days before they get turned into something delicious…🌱🌶️

A garden in northern UK on a mild day in November. The leaves have fallen from the Acer tree creating a golden carpet on the ground. This section of the garden follows a Japanese style, with boulders representing mountains, and loose slate in place of water. There is an ornamental bridge crossing the slate river, and a single chair for sitting and contemplating, or just sitting.

I’ll enjoy the way the leaf fall makes the garden look for a few days before lifting it. 🌱

A garden in the north of the uk after light overnight snowfall. The small amount of white dusty snow contrasts with the autumnal foliage. There is an olive tree with dark green leaves in the foreground, an Acer tree with bright orange foliage behind. Both trees and the surrounding bushes have a very light covering of white powdery snow on some of their leaves.

A road in the north of the UK lined with mature trees. The trees, nearby bushes and fences have a light snow covering but the road itself is clear of snow.

Just enough snow to look nice, not so much that the roads are affected. 🌱

A garden in the north of the UK in November. In the foreground there is a Fatsia Japonica with white flowers. Behind it is a Seiryu variety of Acer with golden almost ginger leaves. There is a Scots pine in the background.

Even at this time of the year the garden keeps on giving 🌱

Don’t share the whole thing, but a teaser would be good!

A wooden sign with the text ‘first floor, the useless wooden toys society’ including an etching of a crocodile. Or maybe an alligator. I don’t know I’m not a herpetologist.

Sign me up!

I love a romanesco but find them so hard to grow! If the treatment has worked it won’t get any worse, but it looks like the leaves might have some sort of mildew so the growth is going to slow. I would just harvest it, cut around the black bits and enjoy it.

They’re Carolina Reapers. I’ve been growing them since February, but the poor summer we’ve had meant that that they’ve taken this long to produce anything at all! It’s not that warm here, but the plants are in a greenhouse so I’ve been able to protect them from the worst of the rain and wind.

Carolina Reaper chillies partially ripened on the vine

I’m starting to think that not all of my chillies are going to ripen before the first frost comes…🌱🌶️

They are proper weapons grade though. I might have to stuff them with ointment for the inevitable burns.

A close-up of lots of red chillies. They are Moruga variety but more elongated than typical.

My Moruga chillies. One plant produced these elongated peppers. They look nothing like a typical Moruga but they taste the same, and they are very hot! 🌱🌶️

Last of the lemon drop chillies. They are quite floral, so I’ll ferment this last batch for a few weeks and make a yellow hot sauce with them. 🌱🌶️

A photograph of a garden in the UK in front of the setting sun which is lighting up low clouds with an orange glow. In the foreground there’s a euonymous bush and a conifer next to a low wall with some small plant pots. Behind them is a small lawn, bushes and some large trees including Scots pine, leylandii, Beech and a Larch.

Last few things to harvest and finish getting things ready for next year 🌱

#addmepleasechef

Add gardener