Your border looked full of promise in June. By late July, the flowers are brown, the stems are floppy, and the whole bed looks tired from the path. You water it. You feed it. You wonder why it has stopped performing. The problem is often simple: the plants are making seeds instead of new flowers. …
Your border looked full in May. By the first week of July, the soil is cracked, the flowers have flopped, and every plant seems to be asking for another drink. The answer is not filling every gap with thirsty annuals. A convincing low-water border needs layers, repeated shapes, enough soil space, and plants that can …
One millimetre of rain puts roughly 250 millilitres of water onto a 50cm-square cushion. That is almost a mugful landing on one seat before anyone sits down. The fix is not simply buying the thickest cushion available. You need the right cover, a filling that can release water, and a short evening routine that stops …
A contemporary cottage garden fuses traditional cottage style with ‘naturalistic planting’, according to garden designer, Tim Pilgrim. ‘It uses common plants – both edible and ornamental – as in traditional cottage garden planting, but planted in larger drifts. And there’s more thought to colour palette and repetition,’ he says. He’s gained a lot of publicity …
The common mistake is treating every bare patch as a planting emergency. Early summer gaps often appear because spring bulbs have collapsed, young perennials have not reached their full size, or a new border has not filled out yet. The fix is not to buy the brightest plant in the garden centre. It is to …
Eco-friendly garden design can save you money on landscaping. It can also make your garden look more individual, reflecting your personal style. And if you want to be more sustainable or encourage wildlife and biodiversity, then the design of your garden is an essential starting point. So I visited the Walworth Garden to find out …
A June border does not need a little water every day. That habit wets the surface, encourages shallow roots and leaves plants struggling as soon as the top few centimetres dry again. The better routine is slower and less frequent: check the root zone, water deeply when it needs it, then cover the soil so …
Garden art and sculpture creates year-round atmosphere and interest in your garden. A sculpture will look as beautiful in the winter as in the summer. It can create a focal point or define a part of the garden. Or it can add contrast or highlight a theme. And when you buy an individual piece of …
The best cottage garden plants have pretty blooms. They flower for a long time and are often fragrant. And above all, they are plants which grow well in your climate and soil. But there are no rules in cottage garden style. You can adopt a colour theme as Tim Pilgrim has in this contemporary cottage …
A 1.8-metre plant can take up less ground space than a 30-centimetre mound. That simple fact explains why height is often safer than adding more plants when a May border feels flat. The controlling issue is not how many flowers you can fit into the bed. It is how clearly the eye can read the …