Blog

No-dig gardening works with natural soil processes rather than fighting against them, meaning more successful planting without the hard work of constantly digging over your garden. Traditional digging might look productive, but it actually creates a destructive cycle that damages soil biology, breaks down structure, and actually reduces long-term fertility. I’ve been a fan of […]

When most people think about growing fruit in the UK, they immediately jump to apples, pears and maybe the odd Victoria plum if they’re feeling adventurous. I’ve been designing gardens for over 15 years now and presenting on BBC1’s Garden Rescue. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into a garden where someone’s […]

Artificial turf is now a serious competitor for real lawns in our gardens. One installer has seen a 200% year-on-year increase in the demand for artificial turf compared to living grass. A visit to a ‘Garden & Landscaping’ exhibition recently gave me first-hand experience of the sheer amount of artificial grass being pushed to consumers, […]

When it comes to garden design for children, you may have seen gardens turned into playgrounds with wood chips everywhere or worse, fake grass and the obligatory swing set. However, there are many better ways to subtly design a garden that makes it exciting for children without completely removing the attraction for grown-ups! Usually, people […]

Today, let’s dig deep into the fascinating world of allotment crop rotation. If you’re an avid gardener or someone just starting to get their hands dirty, you’ll quickly learn that successful gardening is not just about what you plant but also where you plant it each year. Enter the magic of crop rotation. The practice […]

This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about starting a vegetable garden from scratch, based on my years of experience as an award-winning garden designer and what I’ve learned from growing my own veg. I’ll share the mistakes I’ve made (so you don’t have to repeat them!), the techniques that […]

Staring at your modest garden, wondering if there’s room for those magnificent trailing vines you see sprawling across allotments? Perhaps you’ve been put off by tales of pumpkins requiring acres of space, which only the hugest of pumpkins actually need. You might be concerned about whether the British weather will provide enough warmth for these […]

I don’t know of any gardener who likes cleaning up leaves, but in the autumn months, it is something that most gardeners need to tolerate. Our deciduous trees drop their leaves each autumn, providing a golden opportunity to create a soil improver by making leaf mould. Leaf mould compost is an excellent way to rid […]

After months of watching your pumpkins and squashes swell from tiny green marbles into impressive specimens, that crucial question looms large: are they actually ready to harvest, or will premature picking leave you with disappointing, watery disappointments? The difference between a perfectly ripe specimen and a disappointing watery mess often comes down to timing, and […]

If you’ve got a bare fence line or row of fence panels in your garden, you will know just how depressing and frustrating the view can be. Let’s discuss one of the most overlooked opportunities in garden design: the humble fence line. I see it time and time again in my design consultations, gardeners treating […]