Blog

As a garden designer, Chelsea flower show is usually on the dream wish list, that one day you’ll get to showcase something there. Though that day always feels like lightyears in the future, given that most designers work tirelessly for years to build a reputation, strong solid horticultural network and hone their craft. That and the months […]

As a garden designer, who specialises in awkward and overlooked gardens, I use pleached trees a lot in my designs. This is not because I’m lazy with my tree choice but because they really do offer a host of benefits to a small garden. Whether it’s politely blocking out nosey neighbours, adding some contemporary drama […]

Henchman tripod ladders have been designed typically for pruning trees, topiary and hedges they allow you to work at heights without wobbling about. Designed for when you need to be at height for a while without needing to hold on for dear life.  I find that standard ladders have a habit of wobbling about and […]

The fruit tree grafting course was run at Ordsall Hall in Salford, a Tudor hall and knot garden here in Manchester. Peter Nicols from the Northern Fruit Group led the grafting workshop in showing us how to successfully graft some apple trees. The session was aimed at getting us from grafting zero to heroes! We […]

Planting the Trees Winter is the perfect time for planting bare root and root balled trees. Now don’t roll your eyes, its the truth. This is the time when most trees are dormant and can be lifted safely as root balled trees or bare root. The benefits are they are far cheaper and easier to […]

It’s not often that I blog about my own personal thoughts, but after meeting some of the Garden Bloggers at last weeks Garden Media Guild awards, I started to wonder why not? Agents of Field were as friendly and fun as their blog, and there were some newcomers I finally got to meet such as […]

Marking out the Garden Design on the ground The next phase is probably the hardest in terms of skill and accuracy with such a geometric design. Marking it on the slightly sloping lumpy field surface. I won’t lie, the marking out of any garden always starts out with bags of enthusiasm and excitement before slight […]

The Exploding Atom garden has been my muse since moving house from the non-stop Manchester Cityscape to rural solitude in Lathom, a 6 square mile sleepy historical village. Talk about juxtaposition! The move brought a new perspective on my garden designs. Rather than small awkward city spaces with multi-functions, what would I design for a […]

This Orchid care guide will provide you with all the detail you need to keep your orchids flowering for months and stop the unsightly yellow or black leaf problems. Orchids are now propagated on an industrial level in factories around the world and have been bred to be super resilient but whilst easy to get […]

Having a formal front garden is a statement piece and, ideally, should match the style of the property that it will sit with. Period properties, townhouses and turn-of-the-century properties lend themselves really well to a formal garden design. New build houses can also be excellent candidates for a formal garden layout, especially with the trend […]