We’re taught not to play with our food but WHATEVS, I love arranging veg to show…
Pot’s Growing On in February? Peat free propagation, houseplant beautification and winter division
Over the last few weeks I’ve been gradually getting ready for spring one little task at…
From plant to seed bank, how Kew Gardens is saving the planet’s flora and us
I’ve been visiting Kew Gardens – like many people I’m sure – since I was a…
Littlebury garden redesign (part one) – Goodbye pots! Goodbye paving!
I’ve been thinking of making changes to our garden for a couple of years. The number…
Growing avocados in London
It’s been widely known that avocados can grow in London for decades, I’ve seen the trees…
What seeds to sow in January
In the UK in January, daylight hours are still very short, outside temperatures low and likely…
11 steps to a wildlife friendly allotment
I love all life and I’m sure if you’re reading this you don’t need any explanation…
This decade let’s not lose sight of protecting wild habitats
Over the last year we’ve seen a wonderful increase in the number of people demanding action…
Allotment Month 49: growing up
My fourth year on the allotment has whooshed by and during the very wet start to…
Organic gardening pros recommend chemical free roses
As a garden designer, the most popular plants requested by clients – topping lavender, olive trees…
From the streets: Bonnington Square, Vauxhall in Autumn
Last Sunday I gave myself the morning off writing projects and decided to visit Bonnington Square…
Stinging nettles, a troublesome but useful weed
Some people have asked why stinging nettles aren’t in my book Wild about Weeds and the…
How to grow Begonia leaf cuttings
I love leafy begonias with their wonderful patterns, colours and shapes. In fact, I can’t have…
How to protect tender plants over winter in small spaces
Living in a tiny one bed urban flat here in London, it proves quite a challenge…
6 Gardening podcasts worth a listen
In my Telegraph column this week I highlighted a number of allotment and kitchen garden podcasts…
October is a great time to divide perennials
One of my favourite things to do in the year is divide perennials in autumn. You…
First day on the RHS Persicaria Trial
Today was a really exciting day for me as it was the first assessment of the…
Allotment Month 46: tomatoes, edamame, apples, raspberries and sunflowers!
At some point I really am planning to sow my salad crops for winter, I’ve been…
Garden of Medicinal Plants at The Royal College of Physicians
I’ve been interested in visiting the Royal College of Physicians’ garden of medicinal plants for quite…
Future experiments: flowers and insects
Last autumn I started planting up one end of my allotment to create a new freestyle…
11 things learnt at Homeacres with Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty
On our recent trip to Somerset Chris and I caught up with Charles Dowding and Stephanie…
Large communal roof terrace in Fulham, London
This design had some particular challenges including craning a number of tonnes of top soil onto…
Allotment month 45: salad harvest, colourful potatoes and rainbow tomatoes
Yesterday I was busted sighing while hoeing weeds on my plot. I’d just mown everything and…
Google is the best plant ID app and it will only get better
There’s been lots of hype about plant ID apps and having tried most of them I’ve…
The Newt in Somerset
On our trip to Somerset we popped into the Newt Hotel garden to visit the newly…
Oudolf Field at Hauser and Wirth, Somerset
I’ve been wanting to visit the Hauser & Wirth art gallery in Somerset to see garden…
On the verge of a new way of gardening: do we need to change what we grow?
I’ve always written about our gardens being seen as mini-wildlife reserves, eco systems we protect and…
Wild patch: the challenge of a wildlife friendly allotment
My allotment is not like most, I don’t have raised beds, I let weeds grow because…
Small garden design in Clapham, London
Over time the planting in this garden will grow to hide almost all of the fences…
Large garden design in Clapham, London
Recently finished and planted, in this large family garden in Clapham, London I lowered a third…
Current project: garden redesign in Clapham, London
This garden already had a strong layout with some established trees and shrubs, though some of…
Current project: Belsize Park, London
The owner is having an architect designed extension to the house making the garden slightly smaller.…
Garden design with studio in Braughing, Hertfordshire
This quaint cottage in Braughing had recently been tastefully renovated by its new owners with a…
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…
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…