“She’s got style, she’s got grace, she’s a winner.”

Pretty sure Tom Jones was singing this about me.

Clearly, I’ve angered the gardening gods….AGAIN. I seem to do it with great regularity. This time though, they’ve really expressed their frustration with my apparent gardening sins.

When it comes to gardening, each to their own. You do you. But there are certain things I just will not have in my garden….ever.

It’s very handy having a handy husband. He may not like to pull weeds, or trim hedges, but this garden wouldn’t exist without him.

When it comes to my garden design choices, Teenage Son doesn’t hold back. His assessment of my garden style is nothing short of brutal. But does he really hate it THAT much? Read on to find out…

There are things we do without thought at 20. At 51? Not so much.

I wasn’t born with patience. This creates quite the challenge when it comes to gardening! If there’s one thing you need oodles of, it’s patience! But after 25 years of gardening, I’ve come to realise that it teaches you many of the qualities you might have previously lacked. In my case….patience:)

For every Instagrammable photo of my garden, there’s equal parts horror. Yes, parts of my garden could make it into a magazine, while the rest is still working its way towards that point. Some of it’s close, and some of it’s a future dream…something I’ll get to….eventually. If you’re looking for beautiful garden photos with a heavy dose of reality thrown in, plus some photos of work in progress to help inspire your own gardening journey at a time when you’re ready to throw in the towel, then this is the post for you. Read on….

“You’re quite eccentric.” Now, is that a compliment, or not? Here’s my take….

Once upon a time I was a die-hard feminist. Now I’m an older, wiser, more realistic feminist. This blog will probably offend the die-hards, but a little controversy has never stopped me before so why start now!

If you’ve ever wondered whether a love of gardening is inherited, this newsletter dives into the family genetics that meant I never stood a chance. My grandmother and my mother are both blessed with the ‘we must have a very large garden’ gene and so for me, there was simply no escape….

I’m finally introducing my elite garden support team this week. When I say ‘elite’ I mean I have one genuinely qualified helper and a squad of well-intentioned but almost completely useless furballs whose skills consist of napping in the mulch and offering unsolicited advice. If you love gardening tips with a dose of backyard humour and behind-the-scenes gardening life, then this one is for you. Read on to find out who’s actually helping grow the flowers and who’s just there for the treats…

You might mistake me for a quiet, ordinary introvert at first glance….the classic “nothing to see here” type. But that’s the mistake made about every introvert! We’re actually pretty darn interesting. Get to know me and suddenly you’re in a whole new world where my chickens live in a palace, a Dr Seuss-style birdhouse brightens the skyline, and The Whitehouse (my greenhouse) has its own letterbox.

And now? I’ve cooked up my most hare-brained idea yet - a living chapel right on my lawn. Yes, a chapel… grown, not built.
If you love quirky garden design, creative backyard projects, introvert humour and a sprinkle of madness, this blog post is your next must-read.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all have our own personal garden butler….someone we could put to work every day in the garden, keeping it ship shape? If only! Like me, you’ve probably got the job, the kids, and the life outside of gardening too. So don’t go comparing your garden to the ones you see online with perfect perennial beds and zero weeds. It’s probably just a great camera angle…. or they’ve got a garden butler!

Without a mailbox to receive their fan mail, the residents of The Whitehouse were suffering. So, I remedied that with a mosaic letterbox project I completed during Covid lockdown. It only took me five years to actually put it in place though! And what’s this woolly thinking about mulch?? Read on….

Sometimes the end goal requires some sacrifice. When it comes to gardening, blood sport is just a necessity if you want seasonal colour. Read on….

It’s true. Sometimes gardening makes you want to tear your hair out in despair. But don’t lose the plot just yet. There are ways to maintain your sanity in the face of a burgeoning weed population, or a soil type that tries to kill all your plants. Read on….

Your garden should be a reflection of you. Your personality, your style. Even if that includes a gnome…

Gardening is about far more than a perfectly weed-free garden. When you know your ‘why?’ the weeds become so much easier to look past….read on!

Hmmmmm…..I’m pretty sure the rain this weekend is my fault. I angered the Gods of Gardening….