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Quick Answer The best ornamental grasses for UK gardens are clump-forming varieties like Stipa tenuissima for small spaces and Miscanthus or Calamagrostis for larger borders. Most need full sun and free-draining soil, need very little feeding, and want cutting back hard each February before dividing overcrowded clumps every three to four years in spring. I […]

Quick Answer Sharpen secateurs and shears with a whetstone at a 20 to 25 degree bevel, working only the outer edge. Spades and hoes take a metal file, mower blades come off and go in a vice, never sharpened in place. Clean and oil every tool afterwards, and do a full service each autumn. Sharp […]

I’m an award-winning garden designer specialising 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 alongside […]

Quick Answer Box hedges die or deteriorate mainly from two causes: box blight, a fungal disease causing brown leaves, black stem streaks, and bare patches in damp conditions; or box tree moth caterpillar, a pest that strips foliage and leaves distinctive white webbing. Both can kill established plants if left untreated. Correct diagnosis is essential […]

Quick Answer Flamingo trees usually die from overwatering rather than neglect. Standing water around the roots, especially in pots without enough drainage, causes root rot far more often than drought does. Too much intense afternoon sun can scorch the variegated leaves, and a pot that is too small will leave roots circling and starved of […]

You’re staring out at your garden right now, aren’t you? That rectangle of lawn, those overgrown borders, that wonky patio that the previous owners slapped down in 2003. Maybe it’s a brand new build with nothing but builders’ rubble and a token bit of turf. Either way, you’ve got absolutely no idea where to start, […]

Quick answer: Free and paid garden design templates are a genuinely affordable way to get started, from around £30 for a set of professionally drawn options, but they’re generic by nature and won’t account for your garden’s specific soil, aspect or shape. A bespoke garden design starts from £2,500 and is built entirely around your […]

Quick answer: Professional garden design starts from £2,500 for a typical small garden and increases with size and complexity. An online video consultation is £250 per hour, my day rate for planting and styling is £650, and hard landscaping materials typically run £100 to £150 per square metre, with planting-only schemes closer to £30 to […]

Quick answer: Becoming a garden designer means building real plant knowledge, choosing formal study or self-teaching (ideally a mix of both), building a portfolio through real projects for yourself, friends or family, then gaining experience through work or volunteering. There’s no single required qualification. Many designers, myself included, learn through practical courses and hands-on experience […]

Quick Answer Prune apple trees between November and late February while they are dormant. Remove dead, damaged or crossing wood first, shorten this year’s new growth by a quarter, take out any double leaders, then thin congested growth back to an outward facing bud to keep an open goblet shape. Every garden should have at […]