Welcome to my garden
A garden is made for sharing — and the gate is always open here in the Dales.
I am Dot Hawkins, and I live in the Yorkshire Dales. For over fifty years I have grown vegetables, roses and windowsill plants on stony hill soil, with wind and rain for company. Here I share the planting tricks that really work — no fuss, no fancy words, and always a flask of tea within reach.
In the garden this month
My three little obsessions of the moment, to put into practice without delay.
Explore the garden
Choose where to begin the stroll.
Latest posts
The posts I have just added here, still warm from the oven.
9 April 2024
Sweet Success: 8 Essential Tips for Growing Strawberries Successfully at Home
9 April 2024
A Guide to Growing Lemons in Banana Plants
5 April 2024
How to propagate Geraniums very easily from Stems (cuttings)
4 April 2024
Cultivating Grapefruit: A Guide to Growing Juicy Citrus Delights
3 April 2024
Blueberries – how to plant and what fertiliser to use in autumn so that they bear abundantly
3 April 2024
How to propagate chrysanthemum? THIS is the best way to get QUALITY and TREAT seedlings
About us
A life spent with my hands in Dales soil
I was born and raised in the Yorkshire Dales, and for over fifty years I have tended my family’s garden behind a dry-stone wall. I learned from the grandmothers who came before me, from the seasons and from many a good neighbour, and today I share here every no-fuss trick that thin Dales soil has taught me.