Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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10 stunning ground cover plants to create a tapestry of colour in difficult-to-plant areas
Ground cover plants are low-growing plants that spread easily to cover areas where nothing much wants to grow. For example, do you have bare patches under trees? Are you tired of weeding them and trying to keep them clear? Ground cover plants will help prevent weed seeds germinating in the soil. And they’re more beautiful to…
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5 easy wildlife garden tips – they’ll really make a difference
Easy wildlife garden tips are the things you can do to make your garden more wildlife friendly without having to change anything major. And they will really help the wildlife in your garden. Why rewilding your garden is good… The reason why it’s important to have a wildlife friendly, more natural garden is that insects are…
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Paul Bangay – garden design inspiration and a new book
Paul Bangay is a top international garden designer, and has designed gardens all over the world. And he has described his own garden, Stonefields, as being the sum of all his ‘travels and inspirations’. He’s now set out those inspirations in his latest book ‘Paul Bangay – A Life in Garden Design’. He writes about his…
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Sloping garden solutions – the real truth about gardening successfully on a slope
Whether you have a steep, sloping garden or just a small bank, there are some key facts you need to know about gardening on a slope. However, once you understand the principles, you’re not restricted to any particular ‘plants that are suitable for sloping gardens’. You can plant the plants you love. So I talked to Richard…
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3 very simple things you can do to create an eco friendly garden
An eco friendly garden can also save you time and money. So it’s not always just about the principles of sustainability. I recently spoke to Sally Nex, author of the RHS How to Garden The Low Carbon Way. She says that the first thing we should do is to be more ‘hands off’. ‘We’ve been conditioned – since…
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Shade gardening – how to choose perfect shady garden plants
Before you plant anything in a shady garden, you need to know what kind of shade you have. Plant expert Stephen Ryan is one half of The Horti-Culturalists YouTube channel, with Matthew Lucas. He also has a nursery called Dicksonia Rare Plants. He says that people often come in asking for plants that will do well in shade.…
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Contemporary cottage garden style – the power of the 70/30 rule
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 for his recent…
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10 simple ideas for neglected or difficult garden areas
We all have ‘difficult garden areas‘ or spaces we want to revamp without re-designing the whole garden. It may be a corner where nothing wants to grow. Or a space which just seems to attract clutter. If a shed has rotted or a tree has died, or you want to use the garden in a…
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10 beautiful garden ideas for different parts of the garden
Are you looking for garden ideas for a difficult part of your garden? Perhaps you’ve changed the way you use the space or something needs replacing, such as a dead tree or a rotting shed? Or you’d just like more wow factor as you step out the back door or look out of the window? Garden designers…
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Top tips for trees – what you really need to know before you prune your trees
You may not intend to prune your trees yourself. But even if you employ a tree surgeon, there are key facts you need to know about tree maintenance. This will help you find a good tree surgeon and get the best results. Because pruning trees isn’t just a question of cutting them down to the size you…
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