The Genus Garden - Musings From Joff, Our Head Gardener

At busy times of the year it’s easy for us to forget to enjoy our gardens and spend time simply sitting and looking.  Having done just that, we're happy to...
Read More

Ode to summer

Was it just us or did the subtle scent of mists and mellow fruitfulness pervade the Genus garden a few days ago?  A cooler start to the day, a few...
Read More
We spent some time in the vegetable garden this week.  Comprising more than twenty small raised beds, it’s taken a bit of a back seat in recent weeks and needed some...
Read More

Mothy memo

As we mentioned last week, some time in the borders tidying, dead heading, and tieing-in would be the order of the day.  Many of the dahlias had broken loose from...
Read More

Paying the price

We’ve paid the price again for having a few days away from the garden.  The lawns are now meadows, the weeds are appearing everywhere, and the perennials in the flower...
Read More

Old clothes for new

Do your gardening clothes look like this?  We're fascinated by what people wear when they're gardening.  Email us your images and tell us what you like/hate about your clothes.  Send...
Read More

A new winter diet

This picture of leaves may seem unremarkable but it shows encouraging signs for those of us with who enjoy the glorious sight of a horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) in flower...
Read More

Hampton Hack

Fans of alliteration will enjoy recent posts from the Genus garden.  Last time The Chelsea Chop.  This week The Hampton Hack!!   Quite where that name originated we don’t know but it...
Read More

Scaling the North Face

We’ve written before about the range of climbing plants that envelop the walls here at Genus HQ.  One such plant that we rarely see in other gardens is Schizophragma hydrangeoides...
Read More

Hot moves

Just like everyone else we’ve been experiencing extremes of heat in the Genus garden over the last week or two.  Heavy rains before it all started have meant that soil...
Read More

Primping and preening

We spent some time in the Genus greenhouse this week.  Early mornings are always best for this operation before the sun creeps over the trees and makes temperatures under glass...
Read More

High stakes

Another lovely week in the Genus garden and once again we're talking staking.  Dahlias in particular have reached a point where they could quickly become a mess if high winds...
Read More

Bad hare day

We’ve been having suspicions for a few weeks.  Bark stripped off a pair of Magnolia stellata, a ground cover rose relieved of all its buds, little scuffs dug out around...
Read More

Enjoying the colour

Some time was spent in the flower garden this week dealing with plants knocked by the previous week's rain and wind.  Tidied up and staked where necessary, we managed to...
Read More

Holiday perils

One of us had a week off recently.  It coincided with the start of the lovely weather and was the perfect time to unwind by the sea.  Unfortunately the garden...
Read More

Euphorbia euphoria

We don’t have a huge collection of euphorbias here at Genus HQ but those we do have are cherished for their contribution to the beds and borders.  In spring visitors...
Read More

Candles in the wind

In the Genus garden Malus, cherry, Sorbus, and Amelanchier are trees with exceptional blossom but a favourite on a totally different scale are the Aesculus trees - the horse chestnuts. ...
Read More

Working around

This week was particularly busy with an upcoming photoshoot looming and everything working around the unpredictable weather.  With heavy rain from the start we spent time in the greenhouse potting...
Read More

Under pressure

We’re under more pressure than usual to get the garden looking nice due to an upcoming photoshoot at the end of the month.  Looking at pictures from this time last...
Read More

Sowing and mowing

More sowing and more mowing were on our list of jobs to get done this week.  Cool mild weather has kept the grass growing and with one large orchard lawn...
Read More

Potting on

Our attention was focussed in and around the Genus greenhouse this week with our seedlings getting either potted on or hardened off.  The sunflowers ‘Ring of Fire’ and ‘Buttercream’ have...
Read More