Living wall design in Camberwell, London

This garden was already well established with a collection of tree fern species viewed through huge…

Front garden design in Clapham, London

This challenging north facing front garden is in full shade and was previously a patch of…

How to support dahlias for borders, pots and cutting

I’ve often written that in some ways growing dahlias well is the easiest thing in the…

Umbilicus rupestris, navelwort

At the end of June 2016 Chris and I were in Chilham, Kent for the beautiful…

Allotment Month 43: priorities, supports and progress

Going into the fourth season on my allotment I’ve been pleased with how it’s shaping up.…

How to prune a Cordyline australis

Here’s my guide to pruning / pollarding a Cordyline australis: chop it down to whatever height…

Gravetye Manor

Chris and I have been so busy this spring that we missed our 13th anniversary so…

One World stand at Chelsea Flower Show 2019

This year at Chelsea Flower Show I was lucky to be asked by One World to…

Pot’s Growing On: road to our open garden

This month has been a whirlwind of finishing various garden designs, writing and planting up the…

14 Things at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019

It’s thoroughly enjoyable at Chelsea Flower Show this year. I’ve placed bets (in my head) on…

Long term planting on the allotment

When I was about six or seven I remember adding leaves to our houseplant pots to…

How to grow Persicaria runcinata ‘Purple Fantasy’

If there’s one plant I can guarantee you’ll see more of this year it’s Persicaria runcinata…

Allotment Month 42: weeding asparagus and carrots, potato, chilli and artichoke update

On Sunday I had the chance for a proper sesh down the allotment and it was…

Life in the Treehouse

There are some things I feel people need to know about author and writer Alice Vincent.…

Different ways to grow from seed

I don’t know how it’s happened but I seem to have used up all of my…

Pot’s Growing On? Planting sweetpeas, caring for permanent containers, ferns and dahlias are go

I’ve finally spent a good afternoon in our garden after being super busy with other people’s…

Roundup of glyphosate weed killer research

I’m an organic gardener and avoid using chemicals, I’m particularly guarded around edible crops, such as…

Future Meadow: Winter One

The race to grow is primal in all living things. One of the challenges of planting…

Pot’s Growing On: snowdrops and the great grass migration

February 2019 has shaped up to be beautiful weather wise with warm days of sunshine bringing…

A visit to Writtle University College

Imagine if this were your classroom! I’d never miss a lesson. Every time I visit Writtle…

Banana plants, floral arches, winter cuttings and Cordylines

I’ve been asked by my Instagram and Twitter buddies to explain how to grow bananas and…

My allotment plan for 2019

Hello vegetable fans! Recently I wrote about why I practice crop rotation on my allotment in…

Allotment month 38: don’t beat yourself up if things go wrong

I’ve just had the best day on my allotment for a long time. Zero degrees Celsius,…

How our long border has evolved over time

I’ve been looking back over my old photos while planning our garden for the coming year…

How to take hardwood cuttings for free plants

Many trees and shrubs can be grown from hardwood cuttings, roses being one of the most…

Looking back on a year of vegetables, fruit and edible flowers

I thought I’d share some of my favourite edibles from my allotment, organically grown this year.…

Reflections on another gardening year

2018 was a year in which I’ve been lucky to be washed in an overwhelming “go…

I have a shed!

When I finally settled on my allotment plan three years ago (here is an updated version)…

Pot’s Growing On: experimenting with tender plants outside

Over the last few years I’ve been surprised at the number of tender plants that can…

Grow your own, change YOUR world

I was reading the BBC’s seven charts on climate change article and one major thing scientists…

Mossy Rock (part three)

It is with some excitement and a huge amount of pride that I can now show…

8 tips to demystify growing Begonias as houseplants

When I first started going to garden events like RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the first thing…

Allotment Month 36: sowing garlic, broad beans, peas and my new compost bins

I’ve hit month 36 in my allotment journal which means I’ve now had it, almost unbelievably,…

Rearrange: the benefit of a patio of pots!

I’ve come over all Mary Poppins this weekend and not just because gusts of wind keep…

Cassa de Serralves, Porto

Earlier this year Chris and I visited Porto, Portugal and during the trip popped to the…

Crocks in pots: what is the myth, that they do or don’t work?

For decades gardeners around the world have added crocks – broken bits of terracotta pot or…

Future Meadow: Autumn One

A seasonal journal of my new experimental planting design I’ve started something that is at one…

A dream

Last night I had a dream about Himantoglossum hircinum, I woke up worrying and I’m not…

Pot’s Growing On in November? Hedging my bets

I’ve been thinking for a while that something is up with our small garden and these…

The gardener who keeps on giving

The first time I met Penny Snell she handed me a glass of wine and a…

P!ss off fox

Glancing out of the back window I was looking at the border when my eyes zoned…

Living on a prairie (part 2)

It’s been two years since I started a prairie experiment in a small border on my…

Is this the year we fell in love with Symphyotrichum? Photos from Sussex Prairies

This Autumn everyone I speak to has discovered a love of Symphyotrichum. Or should I say,…

Power of propagation, Ulting Wick (NGS)

I don’t remember when I first started following Philippa Burrough on Twitter. Philippa is the owner, gardener…

Amazing scenes as Porto’s streets are swallowed by Ipomoea

Earlier this year Chris and I visited the cool city of Porto, Portugal. Within the first…

What’s wrong with Verbena bonariensis?

I was going to write about Verbena bonariensis to sing its praises in long periods of…

Allotment Month 34: happy herbal, apple disaster, persistent prairie

Often I beat myself up about the state of my allotment, it never quite looks as…

Pot’s Growing On: plant indoor bulbs for Christmas(ish) colour

It’s the time of year when you can sit back, put your feet up… and pick…

How established should a newly planted garden design be?

When you’re having your garden designed, it’s understandable to want plants to look as established as…

Can you ever have too many plants?

Gardeners are all dreamers, I’m sure of it. We look, we imagine and somehow we become…