Through the Garden Gates
A few days before writing this article I told everyone that I would be retiring as Chief Executive of the National Garden Scheme at the end of summer 2025 when I will have done 15 years. Time for some happy reflection
Garden history
Moving trees is child’s play today: we have diggers and cranes. It was not always as easy…
Water is the most abundant substance on earth, yet we seem to have absolutely no real grasp on how vital it is and how valuable.
Wellness & wellbeing
What does 'wellbeing' in the garden really mean or is it just a contemporary buzzword? For me it's about stolen moments in dressing gowns, sharing dawn tea with my husband, morning frost, and finding hope in every season.
Autobiography
Whether you're a landscape professional or hobbyist we need to find ways to elevate the role of gardens and landscapes, and can that start through value?
Wildlife
Hedgehogs' territories are surprisingly large, so it's vital we link up our gardens to improve their ability to roam
Herbs
The specialist nurseries are struggling. Many are closing their doors for good. Why?
Garden history
There is something thrilling in the anticipation of making a long-awaited visit to a garden that you have admired from afar, even more so if the garden lives up to your expectations
Christmas
We eschew expensive after shaves, exotic foodstuffs, electronics and vintage wines in favour of the one thing every gardener needs - and not just for Christmas.
Inspirational gardens
In the spring of 2020, amidst the global pandemic, we started building a community garden in an old orchard near our home in Hertfordshire, just 20 miles from central London.
Sustainability
Nature rewrote the garden rules in 2024. From stressed trees to surprise slug invasions, this year proved "perfect" gardens are outdated. The future? Resilient spaces that flourish naturally
What is the point of gardening? Well, I’ll tell you. It makes you happy.