I specialise in garden design in the Manchester, Liverpool, Southport and Cheshire areas of the North West of England. Specifically small, awkward or unconventional gardens. I love problem gardens and love to use my creative design and problem-solving to make incredible spaces for customers. I have a passion for good design with plants and I’m one […]

When I first started gardening many moons ago I never saw the importance of sharpening tools like secateurs. How bad can pruning cuts be from a less than perfect set of secateurs? Well pretty bad in my experience early on in my career. After using blunt snips on one poor shrub I subsequently lost it […]

Cornus is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods which is a common shrub here in the UK. In fact, you may have one and not even know as established Cornus lose their firey coloured stems as they turn brown and lignify over the years. […]

A gardens aspect is one of the first things I do when I’m working on new garden designs. If you ignore it you will struggle to find the correct plants, choose the best seating areas, plan paths that aren’t for example shady, damp and slippy. When designing and planting, you can accommodate virtually any aspect if […]

It’s really worrying times worldwide with the Corona outbreak but as gardeners, we know all too well that there’s plenty of tonics to be found in our gardens. This month I’m concentrating on a number of gardening activities that any gardeners, no matter how experienced can join in with. So if you’re stuck at home […]

Spring flowers show the first positive signs that spring is just around the corner. There is nothing nicer than getting through the winter and seeing a mix of spring bulbs emerging in the garden. Winter Aconites (Eranthis) and Snowdrops (Galanthus) are the very first early bird bulbs to spring up. However, both of these plants […]

Most gardeners would be hard pushed not to recognise a Hydrangea. The classic ‘Granny’s garden’ shrub with its textured leaves and massive blue, pink, white or mauve flower heads. They give a real show for months during the summer. Their flowers can then be left in situ to fade from their vibrant early summer colours […]

If you’re new to gardening it can feel daunting working out where to start and if you’re doing things the ‘right way’. It’s a process all of us gardeners, whether professional or enthusiastic amateur, can relate to. Tamsin Westhorpe is the head gardener at Stockton Bury Country garden in Hertfordshire and has written an account […]

I’m a glass half full kinda guy. I try to refuse, where possible, to let myself end up in negative cycles. The media, in particular, like to theme January as the month of personal debasement. To try and amplify the parts of your life you’re not happy with. So much so there’s now a Blue […]