Blog

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 […]

A lush, green lawn might seem like the ultimate goal for many gardeners, but maintaining turf can become a constant battle, especially if you want that bowling green lawn all year round. You’ll be left juggling with mowing, feeding, aerating, and watering your lawn on a near-endless rotation! Lawns demand time, energy, and resources from […]

Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) are one of the most rewarding cane fruits to grow in your garden. Their juicy dark pink berries and fuss-free growth raspberries provide an abundant harvest with minimal effort. They are the perfect soft fruit for beginner gardeners to grow even in smaller gardens. This guide will show you how to grow […]

Each month of the year has different lawn maintenance tasks; it’s not as simple as cutting the lawn once a week. There are plenty of other grass-related tasks needed to keep a lawn healthy! Whether it’s scarifying your lawn, feeding twice a year, or even aerating your turf, the timing with these activities is key. […]

With the rise of digital services, online garden design consultations have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional in-person visits. This approach allows professional designers like me, the Garden Ninja, to offer expert advice remotely via video calls, making garden planning more accessible and convenient. Finally, making virtual garden design via zoom or Google Meet […]

If you’ve ever thought about growing fruit trees, you’ve likely heard about rootstocks. Rootstocks determine how big a tree gets and enable you to work out the ultimate growth of any tree. Rootstocks are the foundation of your tree’s growth and play a massive role in how your tree will behave over time. If you’re […]

If you’ve watched any TV gardening shows, grown your own YouTube channels, or posted on social media about how to grow vegetables, you may be under the impression that you can’t grow anything in the shade. Well, I’m here to tell you that, yes, you can grow edibles in the shade! Plenty of easy-to-propagate fruits and […]

One question I get asked frequently on this site is, ‘Why is garden design expensive?’ and my answer is that garden design isn’t expensive; it’s good value for money given the vast multidisciplinary skills that go into making a successful garden design. Garden designers should not be cheap. Combining plant knowledge, design skills, project management, […]

Sometimes gardeners can get a bit trigger-happy when it comes to pruning trees, especially in winter when their actual shape of the tree is laid bare. However, did you know that cherry, plum and apricot trees (any in the prunus genus) shouldn’t be pruned in winter due to them contracting a fungus called silver leaf? […]

Living Christmas trees have long symbolised life, renewal, and resilience, not to mention yuletide cheer! Often accompanied by mince pies, presents and celebrations, the Christmas tree signifies that Christmas is here! Their evergreen foliage symbolises ‘eternal life’ and dates back to ancient European traditions, in which people adorned their homes with greenery during winter solstice festivals. […]