Why do we love our gardens?
Take me back home What makes any garden satisfying? What fills our hearts with joy, sets us at ease, gives comfort, and a sense of anticipation? The answers are of course as varied as you would expect. But it turns out that a very modern trend and a very ancient land,...
How to Encourage Wildlife into your Garden
With the popularity of shows like Springwatch and its seasonal cousin Autumnwatch, encouraging wildlife to adopt your garden as their own has never been easier. For experienced gardeners, the importance of planting pollinators and providing food and refuge in gardens for wildlife has been known for centuries and has been both a practical and a joyful task. The importance of supporting and encouraging wildlife is becoming more well publicised, with documentaries like The Vanishing of the Bees (2009), and campaigns by societies such as the RHS it is a problem that it is now in the public psyche.
An Autumn half term
As we approach the autumn equinox another half term is almost upon us. For those of us with children, or grandchildren, or nephews and nieces, or just helping look after the neighbour’s kids while they’re at work, it can be a challenging time
How gardens can weather the storm
Whilst we have been aware of climate change for a long time, this year has brought it into sharp focus. From the inspiring example of Greta Thunberg setting off a new wave of schoolkids protests, to our own Extinction Rebellion, there is a strong swell of opinion that...
A rainbow of butterflies
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly Wow! What a summer it is for butterflies. Last week I was planting a new border for a client; within minutes of planting some purple Verbena bonariensis, two Peacock butterflies had already started probing their flowers for nectar....
York Gate Garden
York Gate Garden the perfect inspiration. York Gate Garden, although very popular, is still under the radar for many. Yet it is one of the great English Gardens and sits tucked away on the northern edge of Leeds! There are many beautiful and impressive aspects to York...
Brutalism
Facebook comment in The Brutalism Appreciation Society “No empathy for its surroundings, an esoteric design, and an uncompromising statement of design pushed beyond normal limits.” As garden designers, we have a wonderful life. We get to work for people who care about...
The 2019 Show Garden Trends
What are the trends in 2019’s garden shows? Yes it’s that time of year again, with a few major shows like Chelsea Flower Show and Gardeners World Flower Show already under our belt and some great ones coming up like Hampton Court Garden Festival and Tatton Park Flower...
Colour Combinations
When I'm out and about my mind is always (well usually!) open to new ideas that help me to be more creative and consequently design better gardens. Today I am writing about colour combinations.The fashion inside the home a few years ago was a palette of neutrals with...
It’s all at Chatsworth!
The glorious Peak district hills of Derbyshire make a fitting setting for a grand house like Chatsworth. And what an amazing location for an RHS Flower Show. On Wednesday I set out to examine the best and the rest on the first day of the 2019 show. Show garden...