The Great Dixter Plant Fairs are a brilliant place to buy the best and most unusual plants. And they are also where professional horticulturalists and amateur garden lovers connect. Even…
Growing hydrangeas is a no-brainer if you want a garden with year-round interest. They flower from mid-summer until the end of the year. And in autumn, some hydrangeas have brilliant…
The worst gardening mistake you can make is not about planting. It’s not about pruning wrongly. Nor is it about failing to do something, like aerate the lawn or net…
Answers to questions about growing dahlias from dahlia expert Steven Edney, head gardener at The Salutation Hotel & Gardens. When to plant dahlias, how to look after them, how to plant them, which plants grow well with dahlias and how to choose dahlias.
Small garden planting ideas that really work! How to choose and place plants to make your garden feel bigger and more beautiful. And why planting that works in larger gardens sometimes doesn’t work in smaller ones.
Border planting ideas for small gardens. What works well in a limited space and why it’s often different for larger gardens. How to choose and combine plants to make your garden gorgeous.
Plants that spread can save you so much time and money. And they’re the plants that create colour in my garden from July to the first frosts. My top 10…
Here are five effective – but easy – homemade fertilisers for your garden from the organic Abbey Physic Community Garden in Faversham. Comfrey or nettle tea, made in a water butt Concentrated…
A sustainable garden is increasingly important. We urban gardeners manage a substantial chunk of the outdoor space in any town or city. So what we do impacts our air quality,…
Why do you need water saving garden tips? You probably have rain drumming down on your roof at this very moment. However, we use 30-60% of our household water in…
‘Give it a root prune every two or three years.’ I was given this advice when I bought my beloved topiary spiral. It is the most significant plant in my…
Cannas are one of the most tropical-looking plants. They tap into today’s trend towards exotic gardens. But they can be grown in quite temperate climates. I asked Stephen Ryan, Australian…
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How to find a gardener who’s perfect for your garden
What’s the first thing you think about when you decide to find a gardener? Is it ‘how much does a gardener cost?’ Or ‘how do I find a gardener who…
The best plants for amazingly low maintenance garden pots
What are ‘low maintenance garden pots’? After all, how low can you go? Can you go away on holiday for a fortnight without asking anyone to water your pots? Er,…
8 steps to the long thin garden of your dreams
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…
Fences for privacy – 9 great ideas for garden screening
Are you making the most of your fences for privacy and screening? Privacy is a big issue for middle-sized gardens, because high hedges and fences block light. But low hedges…
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…
