Articles & News

Bamboo is one of the most versatile plants on our planet and has been used by humans since prehistoric times. Many gardeners hesitate to grow bamboo, fearing it will become invasive. This guide aims to dispel those fears and recommend a few varieties to try. Why Grow Bamboo? Bamboo is an architectural plant that can...

Horticulturalist, plantswoman, gardener, garden writer Sara V from The Physic Garden recounts a visit to Swines Meadow. When I first joined Twitter, one of the first people I started to follow was @rareplants, who runs the wonderful Swines Meadow Farm Nursery in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire, along with his wife, Karan....

Could you tell us about how you came to run a nursery? "I've always had a keen interest in nature and plants. The nursery essentially started from gate sales and gradually grew into what it is today." You always have new plants and some real gems that I only ever find by visiting, such as the Viburnum awabuki. What are...

Colin Ward from Swines Meadow writes... A little while ago on Twitter I was asked what some of my favourite trees were. This has to be one of the more difficult questions asked of me. Why? For those of you who do not know me I am a complete and utter Plantaholic and favourite plants can be a tricky subject because I can always be tempted by something new...

Hostas have become such popular herbaceous foliage plants in UK gardens because of their versatility, diversity of size and leaf shape and, in the case of variegated cultivars, the range of colours and patterning. With more than 3,000 registered cultivars a huge choice is available...

Gardens evolve, just as the interests of people with a passion for plants and nature do; one thing I have found in gardening is that you never stop learning. My own garden in Lincolnshire was once an open site with a traditional lawn and narrow borders. Hostile, freezing winds are a problem in this area, so sheltering bamboos were among the first plantings I made, which allowed me to grow the trees and shrubs I could not live without.

Several years ago, on concluding a lecture in Welwyn Garden City, I was approached by a man carrying a plant of Zantedeschia ‘Hercules’ which he presented to me as a gift. His name was Colin Ward and he invited me to visit his nursery to see the many other plants he was growing.