landscape and garden design in Clapham, London
When we open our garden for charity on the National Garden Scheme one thing people always comment on is our micro pond with it
Ah, waking up to summer in the city. The sound of sirens and drunk people ringing your doorbell at 5am birds chirping. You rea
After months of hard work, today the allotment is starting to give up its bounty with lots of produce now finally ready for th
A couple of years ago RHS Chelsea Flower Show was filled with a new flower, Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’.
People have asked me a lot why I write recently and I don’t really know the answer but I think it’s something to do with n
“It’s the most real National Trust we’ve been to,” Chris sums up exactly how I felt about Clandon Park
This year Chelsea actually felt slightly out of sync for me, so much was right but my heart wasn’t stolen. The show was
Like my 15 Sensational Plantings to Recreate from Chelsea article last year I’m hoping to breakdown the myth that you ca
Photographs by Christopher Anderson (Twitter / Instagram).
The consensus so far from people at RHS Chelsea? “This is a good ‘un”. Variety is the spice of life and vari
This year I’ve spent a couple of days mooching about RHS Chelsea Flower Show during construction. It’s a reminder
My review of the 36V Stihl FSA-56 strimmer, currently available for between £130 – 170 online, tested for the last mont
How I’m into month 30 on my allotment blows my mind. I’ve made reasonable progress in that time, looking back at
It’s been on my list of gardens to visit for as long as I can remember. Chris and I finally stepped out the car at Hidco
If I did nothing to our garden this year it would become an Echium, Allium, Ricinus, Verbena and Fennel jungle – these s
As you may have heard, I love Dahlias (see more Dahlia posts here), they rock my flowery world. Below is a selection of those
One day there will come a moment when I’ll have seen all of the species of native wild orchids. I’m not sure how I
At the weekend Chris and I attended the most beautiful wedding of our friends George and Rosanna Ryan at the Parish Church of
People who’ve been to our garden always ask how I keep my Hostas safe from slugs and snails. I use a mini armoury of mea
I’ve just stepped back inside from the first quiet couple of hours in our garden this spring. Sitting there in a tshirt
It’s finally spring proper and our garden is growing again in the most spectacular way. The fastest grower has been our
Finally, after many years, today I came up close and personal with one of my favourite plants growing and flowering in the wil
I first noticed the unusual oval shaped flower beds along the recently redeveloped Nine Elms Lane in Vauxhall this time last y
Chris and I often walk to Vauxhall from our Clapham flat to visit the new things popping up as the area regenerates, like the
When I first started seriously geeking out on gardening I kept reading again and again that “yellow is banished from gar
My biggest delight so far this month is the success of our perennial spring bulbs. Given the extreme cold weather this year I&
I was pottering around outside today in our little urban garden and while watering the ferns I spotted that little badger up t
Currently I feel I have the measure of my allotment, how long that feeling will last remains to be seen.
“We’re going in!” I hit the car breaks, indicated and abruptly swerved into the driveway. “ORCHIDSR
I attended the Garden Press Event for the first time this year and it was a wonderful meet-up for the gardening bloggers, jour
Over the last few years we’ve seen an explosion of interest in houseplants, largely driven by Instagram. As people’
The week during Storm Emma – the coldest week in our garden in eight years – was one of the most worrying weeks I&
If your garden doesn’t look something like the above right now, it’s time to act! Plan now to add a little sparkle
I know what you’re thinking moss fans, will he shut up about that bloomin rock what’s happening with Mossy Rock? Well, goo
The joy of the snowdrop, cherry blossom and tulip. The fritillary and daffodil, the allium and poppy. Momentary pops of colour
Over the last few years I’ve been growing Leonotis nepetifolia (thanks to Jonathan Gregson for correcting the species in
It’s been three years since we set up our garden. For the first time a large number of plants have multiplied so much th
A year ago I experimented with nipping out the growing point of my Aeonium ‘Zwartkop‘ to make it branch. It worke
In the air but importantly, not quite here. Yet on mild sunny days the signs of spring are all around us and, here in London a
Three years ago almost to the day I wrote this blog post about discovering the existence of Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward’s
Toward the end of autumn I find the battle against couch grass and other weeds relentless and with the coming winter, I just s
After an incredibly busy end to 2017 when all thought of our garden went up the chimney with Father Christmas, my mind is now
Some strange ideas run through my mind and I admit this is among the strangest. Last year I had to replace a section of fence
Zinnias are odd. Almost unlike any flower I’ve come across before, they just do not look or feel real. Like a primary sc
People tell you that magic isn’t real, that Utopia is impossible. They’re talking bollocks. I know because I’
For hours now I search for you Across chalky downs of grass Jewels a plenty everywhere But where are you I ask
The last twelve months have given me the chance to explore my design likes and dislikes in my own gardens and to study combina
The interplay of nature and humanity is endlessly fascinating to observe. Nowhere is it more obvious and at the same time hidd
Can you believe I’ve had my allotment for two years?! The excitement of taking ownership still feels like yesterday to m
I could write an entire book about our little inner city garden flat in Clapham. Instead, ta da! Here’s a supersized blo