Garden Advice

Now that your seeds have germinated you may suddenly struggle to work out what to do next. Well, the next stage in growing your own plants is what’s known in the biz as ‘Pricking out’. This is a term used to describe separating your seedlings and potting them on into their own individual containers. It’s […]

It’s been a pretty erratic few months weather-wise here in the UK. Going from a heatwave in April to then Storm Hannah battering gardens. Not exactly ideal for tender plants and pricking out seedlings. However, by growing in a greenhouse and gardening without plastic I have at least managed to avoid any casualties so far! […]

Gardeners are a patient group. After sowing seeds you need to wait and let mother nature take over. Constantly tapping your toes, staring longingly at those seed trays for any signs of life waiting for seed germination. For some annuals its relatively fast maybe a week, yet for other herbaceous beauties, they make you wait […]

The Exploding Atom Garden is based on a concept of the layers of an atom firing out from a red hot core. To symbolise these layers I’ve decided to use Gabions to represent the shards of this Garden Explosion. Given this garden is using very soft landscaping techniques for the borders and grass pathways; I […]

Sowing seed is probably one of the most exciting parts of gardening. Ask any gardener or allotmenteer and seed selection then sowing is high on the list of favourite gardening activities. I’ve recently written a handy guide on how to sow seeds, so if you’re new to the seed sowing party maybe read that first […]

It’s amazing to think that most of the plants in your garden can be grown from tiny unassuming seeds. These little pods of life allow plants to propagate themselves and spread joy with us gardeners wanting to grow our own. The beauty of sowing seeds is the sheer variety of plants that you will have […]

I’ve already detailed the issue with plastic plant pots and containers in the garden. Even when conscientious gardeners pop them in their recycling bin, more often than not councils won’t recycle them. In fact 87% of those councils that could recycle plastic plant pots don’t. Frustratingly most of these items then become ‘single-use’ and end […]

Herbaceous perennials don’t require the care and attention of annuals or bedding plants as the majority of them are fully hardy (there are exceptions as with anything). Meaning they will happily survive underground during the harsh winter frosts. Arising again in the spring to dazzle us with their offerings. However, most people struggle to know […]

Roses are the quintessential English garden plant. You would be hard pushed to find someone who doesn’t have a fondness for the Rose. Whether it be that bridal bouquet, valentines day or visits to English country gardens; the Rose is one of the most iconic garden flowers. However, the beauty of Roses also comes with […]

High impact borders can bring the wow factor to your garden. It doesn’t matter whether you have a postage stamp sized garden or a few acres, the principles are the same. Here in the Exploding Atom Garden, I’ve been planting up what I’ve nicknamed the ‘Moody Goth Border’. The aim for this border is to […]

I started this blog to help people make the most of their outdoor space by sharing all of my garden design and horticultural knowledge in easy to digest blog articles. It’s grown pretty rapidly and is now listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Gardening Blogs! All thanks to you; the keen gardener who […]

I get a lot of emails and comments from new gardeners that they really want to garden but have no clue where to start. That they don’t know what they’re doing and panicking that they will mess it up! This is known as the fear of failure in gardening. So I thought it about time […]

Starting to garden as a beginner can be a daunting process. You search the shed and find a rusty trowel maybe a wobbly handled spade that has seen better days. They may have even been left by the last owners, too ashamed to even take them with them. You have a go at using them […]

If you’re like me and have a nightmare garden border that’s both shady and awkward then this guide is for you! I’ve recently been planting up my driveway to mixed success. It’s shaded, dry, windy and has competition from both a hedge and mature trees. It’s enough to make you give it up and simply […]

I’m going to be brutally honest in this blog post, in that I’ve wanted a greenhouse for so many years but never had space for one. I’ve wanted one so much that when I bought one a year ago it languished behind the garage, unpacked for over 12 months. The irony of getting what you’ve […]