The first time I met Penny Snell she handed me a glass of wine and a…
Living on a prairie (part 2)
It’s been two years since I started a prairie experiment in a small border on my…
Is this the year we fell in love with Symphyotrichum? Photos from Sussex Prairies
This Autumn everyone I speak to has discovered a love of Symphyotrichum. Or should I say,…
Power of propagation, Ulting Wick (NGS)
I don’t remember when I first started following Philippa Burrough on Twitter. Philippa is the owner, gardener…
Amazing scenes as Porto’s streets are swallowed by Ipomoea
Earlier this year Chris and I visited the cool city of Porto, Portugal. Within the first…
What’s wrong with Verbena bonariensis?
I was going to write about Verbena bonariensis to sing its praises in long periods of…
Allotment Month 34: happy herbal, apple disaster, persistent prairie
Often I beat myself up about the state of my allotment, it never quite looks as…
Pot’s Growing On: plant indoor bulbs for Christmas(ish) colour
It’s the time of year when you can sit back, put your feet up… and pick…
How established should a newly planted garden design be?
When you’re having your garden designed, it’s understandable to want plants to look as established as…
Can you ever have too many plants?
Gardeners are all dreamers, I’m sure of it. We look, we imagine and somehow we become…
Pot’s Growing On: addicted to crazy leaves
Hello loyal reader! (Ignore if first visit or you plan on never returning). In the run…
National Dahlia Society Annual Show 2018, RHS Wisley
Is it just me or are there fewer yellow dahlias at the National Dahlia Society Annual…
Inspiration at Scampston Hall, Yorkshire
Reuniting with a friend at Scampston Hall and being inspired by shrubs and views as much…
Control meadow grass using parasitic yellow rattle, Rhinanthus minor
Many meadows have one problem: overly vigorous grasses. If soil is even a little too rich…
Good husbandry goes a long way in small gardens – The Watch House, Broadstairs
A few weeks ago, the day before we jetted off to Portugal, Chris and I hopped…
Outdoor mini aubergines for pots and containers in small spaces
Here I show you the small aubergine plants I’ve been growing in pots at home and…
Video of giant dahlia ‘Emory Paul’
One of the first dahlias we grew was ‘Emory Paul’ and it’s come back every year…
Why I just chopped off every single dahlia flower
Oh no! What have I done?! Just as my dahlia trial beds on my allotment were…
The law of limiting factors
Everyone is talking about the weather as though we haven’t only just entered mid-Summer. Don’t allow…
Allotment Month 33: today is a good day
This was the best day on the allotment all year, a breeze and drizzle, the air…
From the streets: Porto – city of fusion
Chris and I have been staying in Porto, neither of us having been to Portugal before.…
Real millennial gardens
Some of my biggest gardening inspiration comes from friends who I wouldn’t have expected to love…
Pot’s Growing On: creating space, sunflower for foliage and ornamental aubergine
Stepping out into our garden one morning this week was different. Not least because we had…
Easily multiply your Solenostemon with midsummer cuttings
By July Solenostemon should be growing rapidly and, with the foliage types, it’s often useful to…
Allotment month 32: cool as a cucurbit, hot as a herbal
2018 will go down as one of the most challenging years for gardeners, the freezing late…
Fibrex Nurseries, Warwickshire
If you’re into ferns you’ll certainly have heard of Fibrex Nurseries, they also hold the national collections…
Sir Harold Hillier Arboretum and Gardens
Last week Chris and I popped to the New Forest for a couple of days and…
How to grow Monarda didyma
Monarda didyma ‘Cambridge Scarlet’ can be seen flowering in our garden in the above photo (2015)…
Bombay Sapphire Distillery: making gin from herbs and other botanicals amidst jaw dropping design
Chris and I popped to the New Forest for a night and stopped at the new…
How to make a micro wildlife pond in a pot
When we open our garden for charity on the National Garden Scheme one thing people always…
10 no nonsense tips to jazz up your small city garden this summer
Ah, waking up to summer in the city. The sound of sirens and drunk people ringing…
Allotment month 31: here come the crops – gherkins, kohlrabi, edible flowers and more
After months of hard work, today the allotment is starting to give up its bounty with…
Gutted Clandon Park house open again to the public
“It’s the most real National Trust we’ve been to,” Chris sums up exactly how I felt…
1 Trend at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018
This year Chelsea actually felt slightly out of sync for me, so much was right but…
11 Chelsea plant combinations you can try at home
Like my 15 Sensational Plantings to Recreate from Chelsea article last year I’m hoping to breakdown…
26 things at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018
The consensus so far from people at RHS Chelsea? “This is a good ‘un”. Variety is…
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018 – first impressions
This year I’ve spent a couple of days mooching about RHS Chelsea Flower Show during construction.…
Review: Stihl FSA-56 strimmer
My review of the 36V Stihl FSA-56 strimmer, currently available for between £130 – 170 online,…
Allotment Month 30: a close look at 2018’s plan
How I’m into month 30 on my allotment blows my mind. I’ve made reasonable progress in…
Pot’s Growing On in May: self-seeding, hardy outdoor cactus and propagating tricky seeds
If I did nothing to our garden this year it would become an Echium, Allium, Ricinus,…
50 Dahlia photos from my garden and allotment
As you may have heard, I love Dahlias (see more Dahlia posts here), they rock my…
The 99 Topiary Yew Trees of St. Mary’s church in Painswick, Cotswolds
At the weekend Chris and I attended the most beautiful wedding of our friends George and…
Copper tape – it works
People who’ve been to our garden always ask how I keep my Hostas safe from slugs…
My garden, my lifeblood
I’ve just stepped back inside from the first quiet couple of hours in our garden this…