Care Guides
Care guides by Rupert Foxton-Smythe
426 guides
Buying Healthy Plants
Houseplants have become so very much a part of our everyday life that they are now available from all sorts of retail outlets, florists’ shops, garden centers, specialist plant shops, supermarkets…
Choosing a Style of Rock Garden
Before outlining the actual procedure of rock garden construction, here is a word of advice to those who hand over this feature to experts.
Roses for Enthusiasts – Roses With a Difference
Whether old favorites or brand new hybrids, many roses have characteristics which are quite unexpected and make for a lot of interest in the garden.
Growing Herbs in Your Garden
Fennel likes any well-drained soil in a warm, sunny position. Sow seeds thinly in I cm (’/nil) deep drills in early spring, if you want seeds to ripen in early to mid autumn, or in mid to late spring…
Tulips for Bedding
Growing to a height of less than 12 in. this section is especially useful for bedding, though it must be said that as most varieties are suitable for forcing they are far more frequently used for…
Quick Growing Climbing Plants
Patience may be a virtue, but when it comes to garden plants, the quicker the results, the better, especially if you’re faced with a bare, new site.
Buying Seeds to Grow Flowers
The seed packet is one of the cornerstones of gardening and is the standard method for raising annuals and biennials.
Exhibition Blooms
When growing blooms for exhibition, the highest quality blooms are needed for a specific date. Various techniques, including disbudding, can be used to manipulate the flowering date.
Rose Growing Techniques
One of the attractions of roses is that they are normally healthy, trouble-free plants.
Outdoor Cultivation of Tulips
I have found that the tulip enjoys a rather heavier soil than most bulbs – this in no way means a sticky, badly drained soil, but one which may be described as a well-drained heavy loam.
Easter Flower Arrangements
After the starkness of Lent Easter provides a welcome opportunity to fill the church with flowers, representing the New Light coming into the world and the Rebirth of Spring.
Houseplants for the Bathroom and Kitchen
Growing houseplants for the bathroom and kitchen is a question of finding species that either tolerate or thrive in the specific conditions your house presents.