Alys Fowler
Alys Fowler is a horticulturist, garden writer and Guardian columnist.
Recent articles by Alys Fowler
'We've lost so much': The seed saver fighting back against industrial food
The head of the Heritage Seed Library, Catrina Fenton, on why she jumped at the chance to help preserve the seed and stories of more than 800 historic veg varieties.
How to plant amaryllis bulbs
Garden writer and expert Alys Fowler shares six tips for planting amaryllis, or Hippeastrum, bulbs indoors
Discover the tough plants that flourish in walls, pavements and wastelands in this fascinating new book
Alys Fowler is beguiled by an illuminating account of the ecology of plants that thrive against the odds in the walls, pavements and wastelands of our urban environments
'We must put ecology at the beginning of all our thoughts' - Alys Fowler on peat bogs and animism
Gardener and writer Alys Fowler on her new book, why she can’t grow carrots and why we need to value our peat bogs more
“It’s evolved into a giant birdhide”- This modernist house is surrounded by a magical wildlife garden
Frothy perennials, lacy ferns and drifts of native wildflowers create gentle waves in this wildlife-friendly garden where water is key
Peonies that can last for 100 years: the remarkable plants that can come with a high price tag
At Primrose Hall Nursery Alec White specialises in breeding rare and desirable intersectional peonies – plants that can last for 100 years.
The Bear Grylls of gardening: a cliff-hanging botanist with a head for heights and a penchant for pet toads
The deputy director and head of science at Oxford Botanic Garden on his early obsession with squirting cucumbers, his detailed botanic art and clambering over cliff edges
These teeny tiny daffodils are a spring delight - here's how to grow and plant them for cuteness overload
From her small nursery in a North Yorkshire back garden, Anne Wright grows the most exquisite tiny narcissi. She gives her expert advice on how to plant and care for these miniature daffodils.
Do this now to seed potatoes to help get a healthy spud harvest
Writer and expert grower Alys Fowler explains everything you need to know about chitting potatoes and how to get the most from your potato harvest
Discover the biodiverse, brilliant and beautiful garden that features on Monty Don's British Gardens this week
The garden of designer Nigel Dunnett, who worked on the planting at the Olympic Park, is brimming with a harmonious and joyful mix of naturalistic and biodiverse planting.
How to grow pumpkins and squashes
There is a huge variety of winter squash and pumpkins out there, all easy to grow in an allotment or garden if you know how. If you want to grow pumpkins for next year, here's a few of our favourites, plus some extra advice on sowing and planting. Illustration Kerry Lemon
Meet the former Blue Peter gardener who is now a guru on organic gardening
The former Blue Peter gardener, and now head of horticulture for Garden Organic, on his colourful CV, selling roses to the Japanese and the perils of living next door to hungry gorillas. Portrait Charlie Hopkinson
Richard Mabey's new book is filled with musings on his first garden to call his own and his remarkable life with plants
Part memoir, part rumination on the relationship
between humans and the natural world, this new book
from Richard Mabey is a delight, says Alys Fowler
This former brownfield site has been transformed into a natural managed meadow garden that's a haven for wildlife
Out of the rubble of a former brownfield site, Jo McKerr has
created a beautiful and natural managed-meadow garden.
Reducing plastic in your garden and allotment
The invention of plastic changed how we gardened forever. Now it is everywhere, here's why we need to deal carefully with our plastic usage and how to get closer to a zero waste garden. llustration Vicki Turner
Let’s talk about grex: Alys Fowler explains why we shouldn’t just grow our own veg, we can breed our own too
Don’t just grow your own – breed your own too, creating ‘grexes’ bespoke to your garden and resilient in our changing climate, says Alys Fowler. Illustration Rosanna Morris
How to forage in your garden
Discover how you can forage and pick things to eat that will be growing wild already in your garden with our expert guide from forager and garden writer Alys Fowler
What to plant for an edible hedgerow
Planting an edible hedgerow provides flavours you can’t buy in the shops and rich pickings for the larder
Wildegoose Nursery: restoring a walled garden and Georgian glasshouses
At Wildegoose Nursery in Shropshire Jack and Laura
Willgoss specialise in growing choice hardy perennial plants. Words Alys Fowler, photographs Jason Ingram
How to care for your edible hedgerow
Alys Fowler explains how to care for your edible hedgerow
Ozichi Brewster on developing a love of nature and putting people first
The gardener helping people to better health on developing a love of nature at her grandmother’s knee, the pleasure of finding a purpose in life and the importance of putting people first. Portrait Jason Ingram
Book review | The Science of Compost
Writer Alys Fowler reviews Julian Doberski's book about the science of what's in your compost
Tijana Blanusa on green façades and the science behind the best hedging plants
The head of the RHS Ecosystem Services Research Programme, on identifying the plant traits that can benefit the wider environment and why you really need to plant a hawthorn hedge. Portrait Jason Ingram
Living Dream – Behind the scenes at Mynd Hardy Plants
Mynd Hardy Plants in Shropshire is everything Jill and Richard Rallings could wish for – a thriving nursery awash with superb perennials in a lovingly restored walled garden. Words Alys Fowler. Photographs Richard Bloom.