Gardening

'If garden tools really count as weaponry, I’m in command of a small arsenal'

Since when were secateurs ‘a bladed weapon in a public space’?

An overabundance of fruit in the allotment leads to a failure of restraint

The allotments are drowning in fruit right now, and I will take every apple offered

‘Community gardens meant I was late to the library’

The literary life can be highly demanding, but the allure of a mystery garden proves an easy distraction

A chance to grow: the women learning to garden in prison

The Glasshouse offers horticultural training to incarcerated women, nurturing a more hopeful future

‘To a lesser gardener, a trip to Cork could be a washout’

When it rains in Ireland, it really pours, but our columnist had important work to do…

‘I always thought roses were the absolute worst – until…’

Roses encompassed everything off-putting about gardening. But then an upsetting thing happened… I began to care

‘I love plants, but didn’t want to spend the night in a garden centre’

I found empty baskets, downed secateurs, and not another living soul

Tomatoes are sexy, difficult plants. But I love them

Our columnist is wooed by the joy of growing tomatoes, the more challenging the variety, the better

Growing your own veg can make you a bit self-satisfied

Luckily, I’ve found the antidote in a corner of Reddit called Mighty Harvest

‘I was lifted, distracted and full of brave ideas at Kew’

The writer’s mixed memories and envious misgivings vanish in west London’s lush green riverside paradise

‘Spring has sprung – and I’m in a plant panic’

In the first of her new fortnightly columns, author Charlotte Mendelson gets to grips with the seasonal rush of new growth