Spring Gardening

Quick Answer For most UK gardeners, bypass secateurs are the best all-round choice. The Felco Model 2 and Okatsune 103 are the two professional benchmarks. If arthritis or grip is a concern, go straight to ratchet secateurs. The right pair for your hand size, maintained properly, will last years rather than months. What frustrates me […]

Quick Answer Crop rotation means growing a different plant family in each bed every year, usually on a three to four year cycle, rather than growing the same crops in the same spot repeatedly. It stops pests and diseases building up in the soil, keeps nutrients balanced, and improves yields. Group vegetables into families such […]

Sowing seeds is an activity that brings joy and smiles all around to gardeners. Each year, gardeners and allotment holders around the country eagerly sow seeds of both flowers and vegetables to grow in their gardens. Sowing seeds is really cost-effective and offers gardeners an unbelievable variety of plants that you simply can’t buy from […]

Every year, right around the time the weather turns and clients start ringing me about getting their hedges sorted for summer, I have some version of the same conversation. Someone wants a hedge cut back hard, right now, and I have to explain why we’re either waiting a few weeks or checking very carefully first. […]

Quick answer: The best garden plants for shade in the UK are Hostas, Epimediums and Pachysandra for deep shade, Hellebores and Tellima for dry shade, and Astilbe, Ligularia and Hydrangea for damp shade. Shade lovers cope with less light thanks to larger leaves and slower growth. Match the plant to your exact type of shade, […]

Quick answer: The best evergreen shrubs for a low maintenance UK garden include Sweet Box, Skimmia and Winter Daphne for small spaces, and Fatsia, Photinia and Pittosporum for bigger structural planting. All hold their leaves and shape year round, need very little pruning, and give a garden winter interest without the upkeep of a mixed […]

Quick Answer If you have inherited a garden or never quite got round to your own, start by assessing aspect, drainage and soil, then audit what is worth keeping before you remove anything. Spend on safety and soil first, learn your garden’s seasonal rhythm, and buy the handful of tools that actually earn their place. […]

Quick Answer Hostas need moist, fertile soil and partial to full shade, with spring or early autumn the best time to plant them. Water consistently through the growing season, mulch each spring with peat free compost, and protect young shoots from slugs in April and May, since that’s when the vast majority of hosta damage […]

Quick Answer No dig gardening means covering weeds or grass with cardboard and a thick compost mulch instead of digging or tilling the soil. You plant straight into the compost, top it up once a year, and let worms and soil life do the cultivating for you. It is quicker to start, kinder to your […]

Quick Answer Buy plants online from reputable, UK-based nurseries with detailed descriptions, clear real-life photographs, and genuine reviews. Check the plant’s exact size (plug, P9, 1 litre or larger) before ordering, avoid buying in extreme weather, and inspect roots and foliage as soon as the box arrives. A seller who won’t say where a plant […]