if your garden is bigger than a courtyard, but smaller than an acre

Answers to spring gardening questions

Answers to the 5 top spring gardening questions

Here are answers to the 5 most common spring gardening questions. I prefer not to specify a month, because the trouble with ‘Gardening tips for April (or whatever month)’ is…

Updated on December 5th, 2022

Posted In: Gardening Know How


Wild Your Garden book

5 easy wildlife garden tips – they’ll really make a difference

Easy wildlife garden tips – simple things you can do that will really make a difference – and your garden will look more beautiful, too

Updated on August 7th, 2022

Posted In: Wildlife & Eco


Naturalistic planting in a Michael McCoy garden

Naturalistic planting design – how to get it right in your garden

Naturalistic planting design is based on choosing plants that grow well in your area, then repeating them to create a natural rhythm. Because the plants grow easily, it’s low maintenance…

Updated on February 9th, 2025

Posted In: Garden Trends & Design


Sedum and succulents

Cottage garden mashup – how to adapt English cottage style to your own garden

A cottage garden mashup means taking the elements of English cottage garden style and mixing it with your own local plants to create a garden that’s unique to you. I…

Updated on February 9th, 2025

Posted In: Garden Style & Living


Persciaria 'Indian Summer'

5 top perennials you may not have thought of

When I was asked to name 5 top perennials by Rachel of the YouTube channel Gardening at Douenza, I decided they must be long-flowering and easy to grow. I decided…

Published on March 24th, 2022

Posted In: Gardening Know How


A succulent green roof

Don’t hide an ugly shed! Make it look beautiful instead.

Customers often ask plant grower Stephen Ryan for a ‘fast-growing climber to hide an ugly shed.’ His reply is: ‘You don’t need to have an ugly shed.’ He points out…

Updated on October 21st, 2024

Posted In: Sheds/Sanctuaries


Renovate a garden

8 important things to consider when renovating a larger garden

People often ask me what to do with a larger garden, especially if they’ve recently moved in and inherited someone else’s garden. And although this is the Middlesized Garden blog,…

Updated on September 14th, 2022

Posted In: Garden Trends & Design


Pruning hydrangeas - mopheads and lacecaps

The really easy guide to pruning hydrangeas

Confused by contradictory advice on how and when to prune hydrangeas? This post makes it easy to achieve beautiful blooms year after year.

Updated on December 24th, 2024

Posted In: Gardening Know How


Let go of perfection - some nibbled leaves are fine

Controlling slugs and snails – start NOW for summer success

What actually works to stop slugs and snails from eating your garden plants? The first thing to accept is that you will never get rid of slugs and snails permanently….

Updated on February 13th, 2025

Posted In: Gardening Know How


Garden tools hanging on a grid

Easy spring shed tidy up – what to keep and what to throw away

It’s time for the potting shed tidy up. While I’m sorting the tools and accessories, I’ll picking out which ones I want to replace or repair and which I’ll throw…

Updated on December 29th, 2024

Posted In: Sheds/Sanctuaries


How to avoid wildflower meadow mistakes

Top meadow lawn mistakes – and how to avoid them

We’ve made a few meadow lawn mistakes. We tried to create two mini meadow lawn patches. Last year, we stopped mowing two squares of meadow lawn in our front garden….

Updated on April 20th, 2024

Posted In: Wildlife & Eco


Late winter gardening jobs - what to do and what not to do

Late winter gardening jobs – what to do and what not to do!

Save time and effort in the garden! What to do in the garden as winter comes to an end – plus the ‘gardening jobs’ that you may not have to do after all!

Updated on December 10th, 2023

Posted In: Gardening Know How