Summer Gardening

Prairie planting has absolutely taken the UK gardening world by storm, and for excellent reasons! Although many prairie plants are not native to northern Europe, many have been part of our garden history for almost 200 years, and, with a few exceptions, they have behaved well. What started as an American phenomenon has evolved into […]

When temperatures soar and hosepipe bans loom, the sight of a browning lawn can cause considerable anxiety for gardeners. However, understanding how grass responds to extreme heat and drought conditions can transform your perspective and help you make informed decisions that benefit both your lawn’s long-term health and the environment. This guide will show you […]

August often gets dismissed as a month for garden maintenance rather than creation, with many gardeners assuming the growing season is winding down and focusing solely on watering, deadheading, and harvesting existing crops. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Whilst others are taking their gardening foot off the pedal, I’m ramping up propagation activities […]

Did you discover your prize tomato plants looking like their leaves are turning into crispy claws? After years of helping countless gardeners troubleshoot their tomato troubles, I’m here as the gardening expert to help reassure you and provide the fix for curling tomato leaves in the greenhouse or if your tomatoes are planted outside. Whether […]

Dahlias are the showstoppers of the late summer garden, delivering an explosion of colour just when everything else is starting to look tired. If you’ve ever wandered through a garden centre in spring and been tempted by those gnarly tubers promising dinner-plate-sized blooms, or felt slightly overwhelmed by the hundreds of varieties available, this guide […]

Right, let’s be completely honest about this from the start. Beekeeping is not what you think it’s going to be. I’ve been keeping bees for four years now, and I can tell you that every romantic notion I had about gentle summer days extracting golden honey while wearing a fetching straw hat has been thoroughly […]

You’ve chosen beautiful plants, spent good money on quality specimens, and carefully planned your garden design. Yet something’s not quite right. The garden looks off. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone! Even experienced gardeners can fall into plant placement traps that sabotage their best intentions. Let me, the Garden Ninja, walk you through the […]

You may have noticed tall, thin, segmented green spikes emerging in your flower beds, driveway, cracks in paving or behind the shed and then realised it’s a mare’s tail. This weed is remarkably resilient and can survive in nearly all conditions and environments. But if mares’ tail or horsetail weeds are causing mayhem in your […]

If you spend most of your time trying to stop slugs and snails from decimating your garden’s plants, then its time you think about using slug-proof plants themselves as the deterrent! These slug-proof plants will have those slimy creatures crawling elsewhere! Slug proof plants doesn’t just mean boring evergreen blobs, shrubs or trees, there are […]

Lawn edging and flower border edge stips are a really effective way of keeping your garden flower beds and lawn looking sharp all year round. In fact, it’s one of my garden design secret weapons! I use lawn and border edging in most of my designs to help reduce garden maintenance and increase the amount […]