Horticultural

The Alwych: the garden writer's notebook of choice?

My sister always has a laugh at my expense at my obsesssion with notebooks, which dates back to childhood. But now - ha! - notebooks are deeply cool, and fellow notebook obsessives blog about the best pads and pens they've tried.

I am never short of notebooks for different purposes, but a notebook for taking along on garden visits has been a bit of a dilemma over the years. I've rather fallen out of love with Moleskine after my address book fell apart after light use - no good for something that needs to be toted around in all weathers, and probably dropped in the mud. And I have a lovely purple leather Aspinall notebook for my desk, but it is too chunky for the pocket, and looks rather like a teenager's confessional secret diary when carried under the arm.

So my heart leapt when I read an old Christopher Lloyd column that recommended the Alwych notebook (A38/90 feint) with its all-weather cover. Perhaps I am way behind the curve and all the cool gardening journalists already use these, but I'd never heard of this brand before.

Anyone else got a suggestion before I splash the cash on an Alwych?

Hand in glove: luxe garden wear for the confident woman

Anyone who has seen me at work in the garden will know that fashion and my workwear are not happy bedfellows. I tend to go for the "dragged through a hedge backwards" look, and seem to get far messier and muddier than anyone else I know when digging.

So  Ethel's 'Expression' gardening gloves made me laugh. Apparently they are for "the woman who wears red stilettos to a black tie event and a polka-dot dress to a business luncheon. You believe in your own abilities. You make a statement when you walk into a room. You are confident, and you know without a doubt that Ethel Expression gloves will never let you down."

But even if you are that stiletto'ed woman, would you be seen dead in claret and raspberry dogtooth checks? And why did they call them Ethel, which conjures up images of old ladies in frilly dresses to me?

If you're looking to buy gloves up in the "luxe" end of the gardening attire market, these Gold Leaf gloves (pictured above) are all the rage. Does anyone have a pair? Are they any good?

Can't get enough of you

List, to be continued, of the stuff I just can't get enough of ...

1. Crocks
No, not your folks, the bits of broken pot you chuck in the bottom of containers to aid drainage. I find it a nice way of holding onto favourite pieces of china that I manage to smash now and again (why is it always the good stuff that breaks?)

2. Buckets
I currently have at least four buckets kicking around (fnar ...) Two are full of stinking comfrey tea. One is empty and the other one has pea netting in it.

3. Compost sacks
Empty, they're great for lining pots to help slow down evaporation.

4. Cardboard
Useful for oh so many things. Current pile being ripped up to put just under the surface of the soil around my tomatoes in containers to help keep moisture in. Ingenious eh?

Ageing pots with yoghurt

I am not one to try out many tips and tricks loved by Chelsea exhibitors - I don't really have time for putting bulbs in the fridge etc - but a brand new terracotta pot that's badly clashing with my more weathered containers has forced me to try the old natural yoghurt ageing trick (organic Yeo Valley yoghurt, of course).

At present the pot looks like my daughter's highchair after a particularly messy breakfast, but within weeks the yoghurt should have encouraged mosses and lichens to grow apace, banishing the current shade of orange which is the plant pot equivalent of a rather badly-applied spray tan. I'll put up the before and after shots in a fortnight or so.

Fans of Felco

Just arrived in the post ... another birthday gift, this time from my sister. A set of Felco no 4 secateurs. Now anyone who knows anything about gardening equipment knows these are the King/Queen/democratically elected president of the secateur world, as used by "pro" gardeners in their droves.

They seem to be very well constructed, and according to Felco, "Every Felco secateur is subjected to more than 100 quality control processes before leaving the manufacturer", which certainly sounds impressive.

I have some very fine Black and Decker ones that have never let me down, but tend to lose their sharp edge rather quickly, and some cheapo secateurs that usually end up doing all the horrible jobs like snipping up slugs, but I have never invested in a Felco before. Now I just want a leather "holster" so I don't leave them lying around all over the place while I am in the garden.

I'll report back on how I find them. Interesting to note there's a tree surgeon on the Amazon reviews page for these secateurs who swears by them, saying confidently "there is no alternative to Felco" ... we shall see!

How did you spend your Sunday?

I had a productive day in the garden, which has been sadly neglected for the past few months. I did loads of tidying, pruning and maintenance, including restaining the garden bench (the weather really was that good!), adding mulch to the borders and chopping away at some overhanging branches (I am really hoping someone in my family is going to heed my request for a pruning saw for my birthday so I can finish the job).

I also spent part of the weekend feeling very envious of blogger Lottie's new quails, and cracking on with the patchwork quilt that, I am ashamed to say, was meant for my newborn baby to lie on (she is now nine months!).

This evening I have been extremely virtuous, pottering in the garage listening to Alan Bennett on Radio 4 and sharpening, cleaning and oiling my tools. I am even thinking of doing something that's been on my mind for literally years - setting up a bucket filled with sharp sand and a little oil - after a day's work in the garden, the tools are plunged in for a quick clean.

How did you spend your Sunday? Do share in the comments below.

Never trust anything made from 'finest waterproof polyresin'

Following on from a very occasional series of posts about dodgy garden ornaments, this post from Little Red Boat, one of my favourite bloggers (who also just happens to be a very fine work colleague) made me laugh and laugh ...

Having said that, I have to admit to have wavered for a microsecond (yes, that is a unit of time, honestly) over some rather winsome pottery hedgehogs. Ah, what motherhood does to one's brain doesn't bear thinking about.

My trowel dilemma

One of my favourite gardening tools, my bronze trowel, is no more.

Not stolen, no, but damaged beyond repair, which is rather sad - one of my early blogposts recorded how excited I was by its purchase, and it's been a faithful companion on the plot.

But what do I do - invest in another one, just the same, or try a different make? I do love the bronze tools - so light, easy to clean and lovely to use. But is there a better alternative? Not this, that's for sure ...

A new trug

I treated myself to this rather lovely willow trug with a bit of the money from the advance on my book.

I bought it online from Great British Baskets, a Somerset-based company that makes willow baskets, trugs and other items. It took what seemed like ages to arrive, but I was delighted with the final product. Here you can see it stuffed with produce from the allotment - some oversized courgettes, French beans, red onions, carrots, potatoes, magenta dahlias and several pounds of tomatoes.

I'd gotten sick of having to put everything in plastic bags, which inevitably get filthy and are hard to reuse. This basket should keep me going for years. I've lined it with some old tea towels, which I can wash if they get muddy.

Jam today, and tomorrow, and tomorrow ...

I've just invested in a small piece of kit that should make my jam/chutney making a lot easier - a jam funnel. No more sticky jars and lids, no more juggling with a ladel of hot syrupy stuff and a hot glass jar, no more puddles of jam on the counter.

In caseyou've not seen one, it's like a regular funnel, but the opening is wider and should fit inside the rim of most jars. It's metal and there's a handle to hold to prevent sticky burns from the hot jam.

I suspect I'll soon be wondering how I did without it before.

Have you got a priceless piece of kitchen kit? And do I need it in my kitchen too? Answers below, people.