Gardening by the moon? What on earth does that mean? Must I garden only at night? This was an honest question someone once asked me and while it seems silly it isn’t. Only this ‘Gardening by the Moon’ means something else entirely. Do you know which moon phase is best for which garden action?

Thank heavens for gardeners’ notebooks, stories, diaries, catalogues, and word of mouth sharing. Add to this experimental gardening; seasonal trials, gardening lore, trial and error conclusions and just plain common sense. Our first selection of snippets and tips for container gardeners follows.

Many plants and herbs share their fragrances readily with us which makes our container gardening efforts well worth it. Besides the many other uses of Lavender, the pleasure we get from this exquisitely scented group of plants makes them a real garden favourite! Plant a container soon, it's easy.

HYPERTUFA is home-made artificial rock that is versatile, pretty, and fun to use. You can make all sorts of things with it, your imagination rules. Need some custom-made pavers? Want a new bonsai pot? Want to make a Japanese lantern yourself? Here is a medium for great garden projects.

Poppy. When you say the word and think flower what comes to mind? Airy friendly waving-in-the-breeze thoughts? Flanders fields and Remembrance day? A meadow that poets speaks of? Then your question may follow … but can I grow this delightful flower in a container? Of course you can! Here’s how.

What is mulch? When to mulch? Why mulch? How does mulching help containers? Who should mulch? Which mulch is best? Believe it or not this subject is a simple one but oh so important for your containers. Want answers to these questions plus some sound advice without too much ado? Read on …

No container garden is complete without at least one rose, any style, any colour and any pot. Fragrance? Style and Elegance? Versatility? Celebration? You have all of that in a Rose – arguably a queen of flowers. Once you have the basics in place these beautiful flowers will give you much pleasure.

We invest a lot of ourselves in our gardens. Time. Imagination. Money. Effort. Our gardens become integral parts of our lives. Our flowers, our vegetables, our herbs, our trees. So how can we be sure of their good care when we go on holiday or away on business? More on watering? YES! It's important

Too much water and your plants will die … too little and your plants could die, a surface watering that starves the roots and your plants may die … for some plants having wet feet is fine, for others less is certainly more! How much is too much or too little or not enough? These tips will help.

Growing your own container lemon tree is a treat for many reasons – least of which is being able to have lemon tea! It's a versatile fruit with many uses in several arenas not the least of which includes the kitchen, for health, for homecare, cleaning and just for plain garden beauty. Here’s how.