My best autumn trees for small gardens
Autumn trees are the stars in my November garden. My top five trees are: Smokebush (Cotinus coggyria Crab apple trees (esp Malus ‘Gorgeous’) Heritage fruit trees such as quince and…
Autumn trees are the stars in my November garden. My top five trees are: Smokebush (Cotinus coggyria Crab apple trees (esp Malus ‘Gorgeous’) Heritage fruit trees such as quince and…
Many people are now talking openly about their physical and mental challenges and how their garden or gardening has helped them. I want to talk about my story of trauma,…
This year’s autumn garden has taught me a lot about choosing plants for late-season colour. I’ve always thought of trees and leaf colour as the defining element of an autumn…
Does an accessible garden only matter to people in wheelchairs? Or to the partially sighted, or to someone with a chronic illness? What about mothers with small children, or grannies…or…
I asked garden designer Adam Frost about garden redesign. Especially if you have a middlesized garden and have recently moved in. ‘Recently’ in garden terms can be years, as you…
How to choose the right garden tree? I think we all dither over this because trees seem like such a big purchase. More like buying a sofa than buying a…
Have you run out of gardening steam by the time you get to the late summer garden? I know I do, which is why it’s so inspiring to visit a…
I’ve always wondered about ‘no dig flower borders’ for annuals, shrubs and perennials. Not that I ever do much digging. But I wondered if the principles of no dig veg…
August in the Middlesized Garden is a bit of a mixed bag. August has been called ‘the Sunday of summer’, and there’s a lazy, idle feeling about the garden at…
Garden seating is so much more than just a place to sit. A bench can be a focal point, work like a piece of sculpture, can punctuate a hedge or…
A small garden needs a big idea. You can let a larger garden evolve – and by ‘larger’ I mean any garden more than about 100ft long or quarter of…
Beautiful plants and stylish garden screens to make your windy garden look stunning. And you’ll really enjoy being in it!
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How to find a gardener who’s perfect for your garden
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The best plants for amazingly low maintenance garden pots
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Two years ago Emma and Mel moved to a house in Whitstable with a long thin garden. It’s open during Whitstable Open Gardens every year for the NGS. They came…
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7 essential garden tools to make your gardening life really easy
Invest in good quality versions of the 7 essential garden tools. Then build up more useful tools gradually as you find you need them. The 7 essential garden tools a…
The 8 best perfect-for-privacy garden trees
Do you need trees for privacy? Perhaps you have a neighbour’s window over-looking your garden? An ugly view or a street-lamp? The days of planting gloomy conifers to prevent people…
