Dividing perennials in autumn
Most clump-forming perennials want dividing every three or four years. Autumn division gives the roots time to settle before spring.
Watering in a dry summer
Less often and much more deeply beats a daily sprinkle. Here is how to tell whether the water is actually reaching the root zone.
A courtyard garden, start to finish
Six metres by four, north light, and a client who wanted somewhere to eat outside. The build took eleven days across two visits.
Why we stopped using peat
Peat-based compost is convenient and ecologically indefensible. The alternatives have improved enormously — here is what we use, and where the switch genuinely needs a change in watering habits.
Planting for a north-facing border
A north-facing bed is not a problem to solve, it is a different palette. Ferns, hellebores, epimedium and the better hydrangeas will give you structure and a long season without