Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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How to group pots – plus practical tips for fabulous container planting
When you group pots to create a complete border with them, you can achieve the colour and impact of a herbaceous border in a smaller space and often over a longer time. If something isn’t working, you can move it round or take it out and put something else in. And you can experiment with different colour…
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Answers to the 5 top spring gardening questions
Here are answers to the 5 most common spring gardening questions. I prefer not to specify a month, because the trouble with ‘Gardening tips for April (or whatever month)’ is that your April and my April may be very different, even if we are both in the UK. I live quite near to the North…
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Naturalistic planting design – how to get it right in your garden
Naturalistic planting design is based on choosing plants that grow well in your area, then repeating them to create a natural rhythm. Because the plants grow easily, it’s low maintenance gardening. And borders are based on structure and texture, rather than colour, so the garden will look good for months on end, including during the winter.…
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Cottage garden mashup – how to adapt English cottage style to your own garden
A cottage garden mashup means taking the elements of English cottage garden style and mixing it with your own local plants to create a garden that’s unique to you. I first heard the term from Bill Bampton of the Diggers Club, who used it to describe their Heronswood garden He is the head gardener at Heronswood, a garden originally…
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5 top perennials you may not have thought of
When I was asked to name 5 top perennials by Rachel of the YouTube channel Gardening at Douenza, I decided they must be long-flowering and easy to grow. I decided to include one show stopper and at least one modest but useful plant – one you might have overlooked. Because a garden can’t be full of…
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The really easy guide to pruning hydrangeas
The first question anyone asks about pruning hydrangeas is ‘when should I prune?’ The Royal Horticultural Society says that you should prune hydrangeas in late winter or early spring. That’s February or March in most of the UK. Others will say you shouldn’t prune until March. The dried hydrangea flower heads give the buds below some protection…
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What makes a good wildlife garden?
What do you consider to be a ‘wildlife garden‘? Do you think it means weeds and untidiness? Or a great deal of hard work? In fact, a wildlife garden can be smart or pretty. It can be easy to garden or high maintenance. It can be any kind of garden you like. With a few…
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