Blog
Plastic Free July – how to go plastic free in your garden.
Plastic Free July – how to go plastic free in your garden. On the surface of it, it’s hard to see how you can eliminate plastic from your garden. Plastic pots, planting labels, seed trays...the range of plastic items available from garden centres is overwhelming....
British Flowers Week
British Flowers Week This week is British Flowers Week. There are multiple reasons why buying British flowers for your wedding, birthday, anniversary or funeral is so much better for your carbon footprint, wildlife, local economy and wellbeing. People are largely...
Japanese Pond
Japanese Pond I was engaged by these clients for a larger estate development, but for this article I’ll be focussing on the development of a Japanese-inspired formal, simple pond. There was already a pond in place, but there were very few fish and what there were,...
Sunny Garden
Sunny Garden This one was a bit of a challenge, as the clients had recently had a lot of building work done and the garden was completely wrecked as you can see from the initial photograph! They asked me to create a garden with lots of planting, but also a large lawn...
A Swift Arrival
A Swift Arrival One of the signals of summer that nature affords me every year is the arrival of Swifts after their admirable migration efforts from their winter holidays in Africa. They arrive in late Spring, exhausted and in need of a little recovery before they...
No Mow May
No Mow May If you’re a gardener you’ve probably seen or heard of No Mow May. The organisation Plantlife promotes the scheme, which encourages gardeners or any lawn-custodians such as local councils, to put the mower in the shed for the whole month. This is to help the...
Stress Free in Worcestershire
Stress Free in Worcestershire April is Stress Awareness Month. Being outdoors is one of the most commonly suggested ways of alleviating stress; and for a very good reason - it works! Whether that be going for a walk in nature, growing your own food, or simply sitting...
I’m about to talk dirty to you.
I’m about to talk dirty to you.Sorry – it’s probably not what you think.I’m talking compost. At this time of year, if you’ve got a raised bed in your garden for growing vegetables, chances are you follow a “no dig” method of gardening, in which case it’s time...
How to use your garden to ease mental stress during difficult times
How to use your garden to ease mental stress during difficult times. It feels rather banal to be talking about gardening while there is so much unrest and fear in the world. However, our gardens can be a source of great comfort in times such as these, as a reminder of...
Working with Water – How to incorporate water in your garden design
Working with Water - How to incorporate water in your garden design. There are few sounds more peaceful than the sound of water, and when planning your garden, it is likely that you’ll want to consider ways of including water in your design. There are various benefits...