Blog

Planting in pots is a fantastic way for newbies to make their first steps into the gardening world. Time and time again though, I see new gardeners filling pots with a mix of annuals (plants that live for one season before dying) and hanging plants (ivy and Fuschia are classics). The classic combinations being Fuschia, […]

As a garden designer, Chelsea flower show is usually on the dream wish list, that one day you’ll get to showcase something there. Though that day always feels like lightyears in the future, given that most designers work tirelessly for years to build a reputation, strong solid horticultural network and hone their craft. That and the months […]

As a garden designer, who specialises in awkward and overlooked gardens, I use pleached trees a lot in my designs. This is not because I’m lazy with my tree choice, but because they really do offer a host of benefits to a small garden. Whether it’s politely blocking out nosey neighbours, adding some contemporary drama […]

Henchman tripod ladders have been designed typically for pruning trees, topiary and hedges they allow you to work at heights without wobbling about. Designed for when you need to be at height for a while without needing to hold on for dear life.  I find that standard ladders have a habit of wobbling about and […]

The fruit tree grafting course was run at Ordsall Hall in Salford, a Tudor hall and knot garden here in Manchester. Peter Nicols from the Northern Fruit Group led the grafting workshop in showing us how to successfully graft some apple trees. The session was aimed at getting us from grafting zero to heroes! We […]

Planting the Trees Winter is the perfect time for planting bare root and root balled trees. Now don’t roll your eyes, its the truth. This is the time when most trees are dormant and can be lifted safely as root balled trees or bare root. The benefits are they are far cheaper and easier to […]

It’s not often that I blog about my own personal thoughts, but after meeting some of the Garden Bloggers at last weeks Garden Media Guild awards, I started to wonder why not? Agents of Field were as friendly and fun as their blog, and there were some newcomers I finally got to meet such as […]

Marking out the Garden Design on the ground The next phase is probably the hardest in terms of skill and accuracy with such a geometric design. Marking it on the slightly sloping lumpy field surface. I won’t lie, the marking out of any garden always starts out with bags of enthusiasm and excitement before slight […]

The Exploding Atom garden has been my muse since moving house from the non-stop Manchester Cityscape to rural solitude in Lathom, a 6 square mile sleepy historical village. Talk about juxtaposition! The move brought a new perspective on my garden designs. Rather than small awkward city spaces with multi-functions, what would I design for a […]

Green roofs are incredibly versatile and beneficial to any garden. This guide on how to fit a green roof will show you how easy it is to green up your back garden shed. What has caused the increasing popularity of green roofs though? Green roofs can slow down the flow of torrential downpours, enabling sewers […]

This Orchid care guide will provide you with all the detail you need to keep your orchids flowering for months at a time and stop the unsightly yellow or black leaf problems. Orchids are now propagated on an industrial level in factories around the world and have been bred to be super resilient but whilst […]

The Hayter Osprey 46 is a rotary lawn mower designed for residential use. Hayter has been hand making mowers for the last 70 years and are renowned for their craftsmanship when making lawn mowers. They have a Royal Warrant which kind of says it all. They recently got in touch to see if I wanted to […]

This guide will show you how to make a compost bin from Pallets. This is by far the easiest method I have used over the years. Even with a small garden, if you have enough space for a palette it’s worthwhile creating a compost bin. You not only save on those dreadful green bin charges […]

There are usually two types of dog-friendly garden design customer. The one who has just welcomed a dog into your family and realised their garden is getting ruined with puppy excitement. Then there is the super forward-thinking soon to be dog owner who wants to dog-proof their garden to have the best of both worlds! […]

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 […]