Surviving: checking the damage caused during the coldest week in eight years

The week during Storm Emma – the coldest week in our garden in eight years –…

12 plants that add COLOUR-POW to your garden in winter

If your garden doesn’t look something like the above right now, it’s time to act! Plan…

Mossy Rock (part two)

I know what you’re thinking moss fans, will he shut up about that bloomin rock what’s…

Fleeting flowers

The joy of the snowdrop, cherry blossom and tulip. The fritillary and daffodil, the allium and…

Collecting seeds from Leonotis nepetifolia

Over the last few years I’ve been growing Leonotis nepetifolia (thanks to Jonathan Gregson for correcting…

Pot’s growing on in February: Hellebores, Snowdrops and vigorous perennials forcing changes

It’s been three years since we set up our garden. For the first time a large…

How to make an Aeonium arboreum branch (Part Two)

A year ago I experimented with nipping out the growing point of my Aeonium ‘Zwartkop‘ to…

Spring is in the air in London

In the air but importantly, not quite here. Yet on mild sunny days the signs of…

Dr Nathaniel Ward’s Clapham home and garden to be demolished imminently

Three years ago almost to the day I wrote this blog post about discovering the existence…

Allotment Month 26: sprucing and rearranging

Toward the end of autumn I find the battle against couch grass and other weeds relentless…

Pot’s growing on in January: Planning for summer, sowing sweet peas, Eucalyptus gall wasp and houseplant love

After an incredibly busy end to 2017 when all thought of our garden went up the…

Mossy Rock (part one)

Some strange ideas run through my mind and I admit this is among the strangest. Last…

Add some zing this summer with the unnatural flowers of Zinnias

Zinnias are odd. Almost unlike any flower I’ve come across before, they just do not look…

An introduction to wild orchids the alien wonder beings

People tell you that magic isn’t real, that Utopia is impossible. They’re talking bollocks. I know…

There you are

For hours now I search for you Across chalky downs of grass Jewels a plenty everywhere…

12 Photos that shaped my year

The last twelve months have given me the chance to explore my design likes and dislikes…

From the streets: A walk in the winter sunshine

The interplay of nature and humanity is endlessly fascinating to observe. Nowhere is it more obvious…

Allotment Month 25: planning for the year ahead – parsnips, cauliflower, kale, carrots, apples

Can you believe I’ve had my allotment for two years?! The excitement of taking ownership still…

2 Littlebury Road: a year in photos

I could write an entire book about our little inner city garden flat in Clapham. Instead,…

How long do you spend planning your garden?

So here’s a question: throughout the year, how much time do you spend planning and thinking…

10 moments of exotic garden genius in Kent

One of the most enjoyable days for me this year was visiting my friend Philip Oostenbrink,…

Garden Blog of the Year

Exciting news! My little blog has only gone and won an award. A real one! LOOK:…

DAHLIAGEDDON

It’s mid-November and some of our Dahlias in the garden are still flowering, just. This follows…

Reforesting Yorkshire

Chris and I popped up to Yorkshire this weekend to celebrate my birthday and my mum’s,…

The Great Mystery: closer to nature with the awesome power of seasons

I had a rare day to myself on Sunday and I used it to wander around…

Propagating Hippeastrum from offset bulbs

Hippeastrum (incorrectly called Amarylis by shops for some reason) are amazing indoor plants that flower in…

Oh Autumn!

As an artist, through each waking day there are thousands of wonderful things that catch my…

Gardening jobs to do in October: harvesting, bulb planting, propagation by dividing, cutting and sowing

If like me, you may have been coasting along on a post-summer ‘put your feet up’.…

Dividing a Pilea peperomioides

How to divide Pilea peperomioides to give to your friends and family while keeping the Pilea…

Victorian plant fashion at Lanhydrock, Cornwall

A report from our brief visit to the immaculately preserved Lanhydrock house and garden owned by…

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Heligan, a garden established in the mid-18th to the 19th centuries by the Cornish Tremayne family…

Eden Project

ONE: as Chris and I entered the Rainforest Biome for the first time it was hard…

Allotment month 22: wasted produce, autumn flowering apples and snails

I’ve barely spent any time at the allotment in September. Bad Wallington. This has been a…

8 Glasshouses to visit in London and why

London has some of the best glasshouses in the world and some of the most interesting…

NGS September Open Day – #DahliaFest

Chris and I have been huge fans of the National Garden Scheme (NGS) charity for a…

National Dahlia Society Annual Show 2017 at RHS Wisley

It’s been three years since I first set eyes on a dinner plate Dahlia at the…

My 6 easy care comfort house plants you thought were boring but are in fact fabulous!

Forget the fancy house plants you keep spotting on Instagram. You know the ones, stylish Pilea,…

Smudging seasons

Chris pointed out this week that the best sunsets happen at this time of year, something…

Dahlia swap!

No one else but me had set foot on my allotment since I’d owned it –…

Have you ever seen popcorn flowers?

The popcorn plants on my allotment are (later than normal) finally flowering and I thought I’d…

Pot’s Growing On? Summer part two

After August’s overcast skies, in time for bank holiday weekend the sun is back for summer…

Exciting exotics at 24 Grove Park, Camberwell open on the NGS

We’re particularly spoilt for exciting gardens in South London with a lean toward the exotic as…

Shanks Pony Nursery in Vauxhall

One of my coolest finds in London has to be the discovery of Shanks Pony Nursery…

Make time for what you love

With work, gardening, friends and family, my life can quickly be filled with wonderful things but…

Allotment month 21: release the Dahlias! Black tomatoes, Zinnias, Brassicas and Pumpkins

You know that moment in sci-fi films when the warp drive or mega lazer is powering…

Box tree caterpillar plague in Clapham, London

It’s usually around this time of year, just as our good ship The Garden puts its…

Photo gallery: Malibu’s unexpectedly exquisite wild flowers

I had planned to write a more detailed article about Malibu’s national parks and wildlife. However,…

Our first NGS open day: a weather miracle, cake and allotment cut flowers

Opening our garden to the public to raise money for the National Garden Scheme (NGS) was…

Our NGS open day, this Sunday 1 – 5pm!

A quick reminder that we are opening our garden and flat, 2 Littlebury Road in Clapham,…

Allotment month 20: it’s in the flavour – new potatoes, carrots, Florence fennel, beetroot and more

Monty Don always says it’s important to pick only what you’re about to eat to reduce…