Blog

Right, let’s be completely honest about this from the start. Beekeeping is not what you think it’s going to be. I’ve been keeping bees for four years now, and I can tell you that every romantic notion I had about gentle summer days extracting golden honey while wearing a fetching straw hat has been thoroughly […]

You’ve chosen beautiful plants, spent good money on quality specimens, and carefully planned your garden design. Yet something’s not quite right. The garden looks off. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone! Even experienced gardeners can fall into plant placement traps that sabotage their best intentions. Let me, the Garden Ninja, walk you through the […]

Learning how to grow plants from seed is one of the most exciting gardening skills you can learn. This guide will show you just how easy it is to grow almost anything in your garden from seed. It’s incredible to think that most plants in your garden can be grown from tiny, unassuming seeds. These […]

You may have noticed tall, thin, segmented green spikes emerging in your flower beds, driveway, cracks in paving or behind the shed and then realised it’s a mare’s tail. This weed is remarkably resilient and can survive in nearly all conditions and environments. But if mares’ tail or horsetail weeds are causing mayhem in your […]

If you spend most of your time trying to stop slugs and snails from decimating your garden’s plants, then its time you think about using slug-proof plants themselves as the deterrent! These slug-proof plants will have those slimy creatures crawling elsewhere! Slug proof plants doesn’t just mean boring evergreen blobs, shrubs or trees, there are […]

There are many guides out there on how to plant a hedge, some confusing and others too brief. In true Garden Ninja style, I’m going to take you through the process step by step. Allowing anyone to follow this bulletproof guide to planting a garden hedge. I’ll be guiding you through the various methods from […]

Knowing when and how to lift and divide spring bulbs is a common question that thousands of new gardeners have asked me, the Garden Ninja, over the years. The number of questions usually stops beginner gardeners from lifting bulbs and dividing them. Often, the fear of lifting already successful bulbs can scare new gardeners away. […]

Sometimes in gardening, even the best-laid planting plans don’t quite work out. Maybe that once-small shrub has become a thug in the border. Perhaps a new shed’s gone up and plunged your prized Calycanthus into shade. Or perhaps you’re redesigning your entire garden and need to start fresh with proper plant positioning and spacing. Whatever […]

If you’ve ever wrestled with ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria), you’ll know just how tenacious this plant can be. One minute, you spot a few innocent-looking leaves at the back of the border, and the next thing you know, it’s elbowing your perennials out of the way. Shoots are emerging seemingly everywhere in your flower beds, […]

There’s something magical about designing a garden. Whether you’re tasked with designing a cozy courtyard, a suburban back garden, or a sprawling multi-acre landscape garden, the same garden design principles will apply. Although the sizes differ, the creative process follows the same pattern, which is why some form of garden design training is essential to […]