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The Potted Blog
Notes from Robin on growing in small flats — opinions, mistakes, and what's actually worked.
- Seasonal
Small-Space Plants to Cut Back Now, or Lose Next Year's Flowers
Mid-July is the last honest window for cutting back a handful of pot-friendly shrubs and perennials. Miss it, and you'll be cutting off next spring's flowers. The plants worth checking, and how to do it properly.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE OutdoorDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
What to Plant in Pots in July
It isn't too late. What to sow and plant in containers this month — fast salads, a last window for carrots and dwarf beans, autumn brassicas to start now, and the flowers you sow in July for next spring.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE Outdoor · containersDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Houseplants
Keeping Houseplants Alive When Your Home Hits 30 Degrees
Indoor heat is a different problem to outdoor heat — no breeze, no rain, and a window that can magnify the sun like a greenhouse. How to keep houseplants alive when a room is genuinely over 30 degrees.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE IndoorDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
Do I Need to Water My Lawn in Summer?
Short answer: no. Why a brown lawn in a heatwave is dormant, not dying, what watering it actually does wrong, the one thing to do instead, and how to tell dormancy apart from disease.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE Outdoor · lawnDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 8 min - Plant Problems
Why Is My Hydrangea Pink? (And Can I Turn It Blue?)
Hydrangea colour isn't the variety — it's your soil. Why pink hydrangeas mean alkaline soil, the science of aluminium and pH behind blue flowers, and how to actually shift the colour if you want to.
LIGHT 2 of 3SPACE Border or large potDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
Should I Cut Back My Roses in Midsummer?
The short answer: mostly deadhead, don't hard-prune. What to actually do with hybrid teas, climbers and once-flowering roses in midsummer, the correct technique, and the mistake that costs you your next flush of blooms.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE Outdoor · border or large containerDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
How to Water Your Plants in a Heatwave
Watering in a heatwave done properly: when to water, how deep, why pots may need it twice a day, and the midday wilt that fools everyone. Plus what to prioritise when you can't save everything.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE All spacesDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 7 min - Edible
Why Your Windowsill Basil Keeps Dying
Supermarket basil is built to die — it's two dozen seedlings crammed in one pot. Here's how to keep windowsill basil alive: light, water, warmth, pinching, and the rescue trick that turns a two-week plant into months of leaves.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE WindowsillDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 8 min
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