Adding wildflowers to your garden has become something of a trend recently, I suspect prompted by increasing awareness amongst media and public of the dreadful statistics on the loss of 95% of UK wildflower meadows since the 1930s. So should we all be planting wildflowers? Firstly let me clear up a common confusion: Wildflowers are not the same as Weeds. But...
One of the most practical solutions to the perennial conundrum of year round colour in the garden without too much work is a well structured Mixed Border. Unlike a Herbaceous Border or a Shrubbery, a mixed border, as the name suggests, uses a wide range of plants of all types from ground cover and bulbs to large shrubs or even...
Predicting the future and fashion trends is something of a mug’s game but I am interested in the general direction of travel for gardening; not the cat walk world of show garden design but the role of gardening in people’s lives and communities. Over the last few years I have seen three influences develop that can complement and combine to...
Last month I wrote about planting field grown trees and shrubs in the November-March bare root season while they are dormant. One of the reasons for planting these woody plants is to create an area of Naturalistic planting. This style does not limit you to native plants and is not a copy of the local countryside. Rather it can create...
Several of this year’s big flower shows have included gardens entitled something like The Wellbeing Gaarden. This is not really surprising with the increasing realisation that gardens and gardening can be very good for our mental as well as physical health. What does surprise me though is the apparent consensus from the shows, magazines and TV, that to be good...
Would you like a bigger garden without moving house or moving the boundaries into the garden next door? Well it is possible make your garden appear bigger by some careful use of space and perspective. Sitting outside in summer offers a good chance to look at the overall layout of your garden and question whether you are making best use of...
August is well and truly the holiday month and whether you have been away or are still looking forward to going, what could be nicer than having a sense of the seaside without leaving home? Creating a coastal feel to a corner of your garden is not difficult as long as you understand that you are aiming precisely at the ‘look...
Towards the end of May I spent two consecutive days garden visiting and there could hardly have been a greater contrast. Firstly I was one of thousands at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the following day I attended a preview of Leonardslee Gardens in West Sussex currently undergoing restoration. Apart from the weather – we were well and truly...
By using the term New Shrubbery I do not just mean adding in a few more shrubs but thinking about how much this useful and sometimes maligned group of plans can add to your garden. I often talk and write about Less Effort Gardening and the benefits of permanent planting to create a year round display. One of the...
Even the most enthusiastic gardener has limits on their time and for many people gardening has to come behind all sorts of other commitments. But everyone deserves a great garden and we all want the maximum impact from the effort that we put in. Many people think that a garden with lots of intersting plants always means a lot of...
Call: 07803 045327 | Email: alison.marsden@gardeningbydesign.co.uk
