Some 400 years ago in 1618 a cow discovered Epsom salts when it refused to drink from a spring in what is now the middle of the Wells Estate on Epsom Common, the water tasted bitter and was tested and found to contain  Epsom Salts. Epsom became to the first public Spa in the country [...]

The caterpillars of the oak processionary moth can affect the health of people and animals (and oak trees). A protein in the caterpillars' tiny hairs can cause skin and eye irritations, sore throats and breathing difficulties in people and animals who come into contact with them. This invasive species has been identified at sites in [...]

Daisies are out in force this time of year. Daisies were once used to treat wounds, probably because, like self-heal, they soon flower again after cutting, quickly healing their own wounds. The juices from the flowers and leaves were used to treat ulcers in the mouth and sore or runny eyes, and a brew made [...]

Thin and stake out Herbaceous Perennials. Thin out rose growth and watch out for Greenfly especially on the young growth of roses and fruit trees. You could also spray roses early to prevent black spot and apple trees against scab. Kill slugs, these will eat your tender seedlings, but if you are a dog owner [...]

The dandelion is usually regarded as a nuisance but in the past has been used for the treatment of the liver, kidney,   blood disorders and some older country folk say that it will ease rheumatic pain. In medieval Latin its name was dens leonis ( lion's tooth) and this became dent-de-lion in French. It [...]

Now is the time to begin to cut the lawn and to get into a routine. Scarification this is a great time to prune your grasses and remove thatch and moss. If you do this apply a good balanced feed afterwards, if you are doing renovation or maintenance scarification, apply a moss treatment also. You [...]

  You should graft apple and pear trees. Prune roses. Clip ivy growing on walls. Protect  early fruit blossom. Sow lettuces outdoors. Sow broad beans and peas outdoors. It is a good time for turf laying. We can help you with any or all of these jobs

While working in gardens, we come across many old bygones and objects from all periods. Here are just a  few of the Victorian jars and bottles we have discovered, which in the past had been throw away, at the end of the garden or buried as rubbish.  We always show what we discovered to our [...]

My great grandmother would never take less than 13 primroses into the house for fear that this would stop the hens laying! Once you have a enough flowers they can be chopped up  and mixed into boiling mutton fat to produce a soothing ointment which healed cuts and bruises or anyone with a sore eye [...]