Brilliant gardening trousers and other useful kit
I had never considered buying gardening trousers. Because I work from home, I garden in short snatches and stolen moments. I didn’t think it would be worth changing trousers just…
I had never considered buying gardening trousers. Because I work from home, I garden in short snatches and stolen moments. I didn’t think it would be worth changing trousers just…
Autumn trees are the stars in my November garden. If I didn’t have trees, there would be very little to look at. And trees improve air quality and support wildlife….
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,…
‘So how many people in this room have done a soil test?’ This question was asked by garden designer Adam Frost at a recent talk at the Painters Forstal Gardening…
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…
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 we…
I sense that the September garden isn’t anyone’s favourite. Vita Sackville-West abandoned Sissinghurst for the Mediterranean in September. Alan Titchmarsh refers to ‘the depths of September and October’. There’s a…
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…
I’ve just visited a dramatically gorgeous garden for entertaining – and it’s also a plant-lover’s heaven. The garden belongs to Dan Cooper, who blogs about urban and coastal gardening in…
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…
Do you fancy a mini meadow garden? I’ve seen several beautiful strips of wildflower meadow in show gardens this year. And also in friends’ gardens. Ever since the 2012 London…
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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 on the 10th June 2018 for the NGS 10am-5pm. 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
There are essential garden tools. And there are useful garden tools. Then there are useless garden tools. This post will show you how to invest in the first two, and…
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…
