The Tillandsia is quite an interesting tropical treat.  Most have only a few or no roots at all, but gather their nutrients from the air through their leaves. It is therefore that Tillandsias are also known as ‘Air Plants’. Most Tillandsias are epiphytes or lithophytes: they grow on trees or rocks.

National Gardening Week this year is from 27th April to 5th May and it is the nation’s biggest celebration of gardening. This great week is to encourage everyone to share the love and enjoyment of growing home-grown produce in the garden or down the allotment. The Royal Horticultural Society has set the theme as Edible Britain and will be celebrating all things grow your own throughout the week. But what can you do to help spread the word about the benefits of growing your own?

I like asparagus. In fact, that's a shame faced lie - I adore asparagus. Last April I planted 300 one year old asparagus crowns  (which look rather like undernourished octopus) and I was delighted to have a 100% take, despite the dry summer. I will need all my powers of self-control to wait a further 12 months before I start cutting and consuming, as the experts recommend that newly planted crowns are not cut for the first two years to ensure that they prop...

A gardener's best friend. Well rotted horse dung - whether it comes from a plough horse or a Gold Cup winner matters not a jot, will turn the vegetables on your allotment into Olympic athletes. I have a sizeable pile of it awaiting application, delivered by Eddie whose dearly beloved has two ponies producing on a regular basis. The well rotted manure has been judiciously placed at the highest point of my allotment to allow for gravity fed leaching into the soil...

I arrived at the garden centre this morning and decided to take a wander around the outside plant area, to take in some of the early spring colour.  I walked past a trolley full of gardening tools and was surprised to see that it also contained a biscuit tin. Exciting news as no-one likes a biscuit more than me. The tin, however, contained meal worm, at which I draw the line no matter how hungry I am. I called over to Tess who was already hard at work and who...