Great, isn’t it, when you see colourful and cheerful photos of crocuses, daffodils, and tulips appear on social media in March and April? Do you want that same early flowering in your garden next year? Then plant your spring flower bulbs now! I tell you how, and share some secrets from a famous Dutch bulb […]
Gardening
Weeding for pesto is so much more fun
In my garden after winter, suddenly some weeds have totally taken over the hidden corners. I did not pay attention. Elder, cress and dandelion leaves are growing exuberantly. Normally I would have been a grumbling gardener about that fact. Now I am a happy gardener. Because I am weeding for pesto! See how you can […]
Add an artistic schwung to your garden
In the tiny village Witharen, there’s a artistic statue garden. The site is a beauty in itself, but the real surprise is the art that is displayed in all corners. The exhibition is constantly changing, because the art is for sale. This year there’s new artists displaying their work, with about a hundred items. To me […]
How the French spice up life with the ‘ville fleurie’
It started about 60 years ago, the French label of towns and villages in bloom – the so called ville fleurie. It now mobilizes almost a third of the French communes. More than 4.700 French towns have the label ‘ville fleurie’, which comes in a ranking from 1 to 4 flowers. As it started with the […]
Plant a dahlia to make your garden smile
I am a huge fan of dahlias. You can put them on any spot in the garden to fill empty spaces and gaps, and they bring lots of joy with tremendous flowers, that also do well in a vase. They make your garden or balcony and your home SMILE. I talked to Marlies and Linda, […]
Steal green ideas shamelessly from your neighbours
One of the advices I got from a dear old gardener was: “look what is growing well in your neighbours garden and plant that too.” See this in a wider perspective. Not only your direct neighbour could be your source for green ideas, but there must be some community or botanical garden in your area […]
Peak into the sweet Weleda garden in Zoetermeer
Cosmetic brand Weleda owns gardens where devoted employees produce the ingredients for the oils, shampoos, soaps and creams. I visited the one in the Dutch city Zoetermeer. Some days it is open to a select public. It is interesting to visit this green spot in the middle of buildings on an industrial area, and hear […]