Chelsea Flower Show 2017 – highlights
I love my annual trip to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, exhausting though it always is! This year though I have to say it was pretty disappointing due to…
5 essential … plants for a splash of colour!
I’ve noticed over the years that so many of my clients prefer planting schemes with cool colours – white, green, purple, blue, and maybe a dash of pink or dark…
5 essential… plants for birds over winter
Winter is a hard time for garden birds. They need to eat a lot in order to keep warm and survive the cold nights, but falling temperatures make their regular…
5 essential … low growing shrubs for ground cover
Whilst we often think first of perennials when looking for ground cover plants, there are many low growing shrubs that do the job quickly and effectively and that can provide…
5 essential … plants for winter seedheads
Even in death plants with interesting seed heads that stand well over autumn and winter manage to look strikingly beautiful especially on those rare but magical early mornings when they…
5 essential … small grasses
This month’s focus is on small grasses, a group of plants that between them provide a long season of interest, striking focal points, a wonderful foil to other plants and…
Designer guide to … creating the perfect outdoor room for summer
At this time of year (when the weather allows) many of us want to spend much of our time outside. With TV programmes such as Channel 4’s Inside Out Homes…
5 essential … plants for a tropical look
Luckily for UK gardeners who fancy going for a tropical look, steamy tropical weather is not required to achieve it. Dramatic and contrasting foliage is the key to creating an…
5 essential … evergreen shrubs to clothe a wall or fence
Many shrubs adapt very well to growing against walls and fences and, once trained in, are usually easier to manage than climbers which can quickly outgrow their allotted space. Here…