Spring Gardening

I started recommending spreaders to every client asking about lawn care about ten years ago, after watching too many autumn lawn renovation projects produce disappointing results when clients were scarifying or de-mossing their lawns but not overseeding. Once I made a spreader part of the standard recommendation alongside the seed and feed, the difference was […]

Lee Burkhill, RHS-qualified horticulturalist and BBC Garden Rescue presenter, explains exactly when and how to prune magnolias without losing next year’s flowers. Covers all UK varieties.

Quick Answer June is one of the most rewarding months in the UK garden. You can plant out tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans, sweetcorn, cucumbers, and squash outdoors with confidence now that frost risk has passed. Ornamental highlights include cosmos, sunflowers, lavender, and dahlias. It is also the perfect month for taking softwood cuttings and starting […]

Quick Answer Divide herbaceous perennials in early spring or autumn when plants are not in flower. Lift the clump with a fork, split it by hand, with back-to-back forks, or with a sharp spade depending on root type, and replant divisions immediately with good compost and thorough watering. Most perennials benefit from division every two […]

Let’s talk softwood cuttings, the easiest way to propagate plants for free! Learn exactly when and how to take softwood cuttings from your favourite shrubs, perennials, and climbers. This step-by-step guide covers timing, technique, rooting methods, and aftercare to transform garden trimmings into thriving new plants. Perfect for budget-conscious UK gardeners wanting instant results. Taking […]

Growing your own fruit and vegetables is a fantastic way to engage with your garden, reduce your carbon footprint and help eat better organic produce. Tomatoes are among our most popular fruits to buy in supermarkets and can be found year-round (usually flown halfway around the world, sadly). Often, these ‘forced tomatoes’ taste rather lacklustre […]

I always remember standing in my own garden one May morning a few years back, coffee in hand, looking at a potting bench absolutely groaning with tomato plants, sweet peas, dahlia tubers and courgette seedlings, all waiting to go out. The garden felt like it was holding its breath. By the end of that weekend, […]

If you think you’ve got a black thumb when it comes to houseplants, I’ve got brilliant news for you. There are loads of absolutely gorgeous indoor plants that are practically impossible to kill, even if you’re a complete beginner. I want to show you my tried and tested beginner bulletproof house plants, even if you’ve […]

If there is one piece of advice I give almost every client who comes to me for a garden design consultation, it is this: fill your borders properly. Not half-heartedly with a few lonely shrubs surrounded by a sea of bare earth, but densely, intelligently, and with plants that work brilliantly together. Ground cover plants […]

Quick Answer The fastest growing plants for UK gardens include flowering shrubs such as Buddleja, Lavatera, Forsythia, and Photinia ‘Red Robin’, which can add 60cm to 1.5m per year. For ground cover, Vinca, Ajuga, and Geranium macrorrhizum spread rapidly with minimal effort. Fast-growing small trees including Amelanchier lamarckii, Sorbus aucuparia (Rowan), and Prunus ‘Amanogawa’ deliver […]