Lilac bushes and drooping purple wisteria surround a polytunnel in a back garden.

Grief in the garden: the forgotten fruits club

I never realised how much I relied on my garden for hope and peace until family deaths did their best to take those things away. This is the story of how I gardened not just through grief, but in spite of it.

Gardening is more than just the act of nurturing and maintaining a space. It is the gentlest of therapies – even for the most brutal of emotions.

Learn more
A white woman with red hair stands behind a frosty branch

My cottage garden outdoor office

There’s no harm in reimagining the cottage garden so that it complements our modern lives. You certainly don’t need to live in a cottage to have a cottage garden!

A garden of any size can benefit from some kind of patio. I designed mine so that it serves as a space to work from home, a space to entertain, and a space to relax.

This is how I layered textures, colours and scents around cottage garden furniture to create a beautiful garden seating area.

Learn more
A sage green arbor sits behind a lilac bush

Learn to grow food and flowers at home.

Growing fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers is perfectly possible, whether you have a huge garden or a little window sill.

Imagine being able to step outside and harvest fresh fruit and vegetables for every meal, along with armloads of fragrant flowers. Everything you need to get started is right here.

A basket of freshly harvested spring onions, mange tout, and courgettes.

My favourite seed suppliers

It’s that time of year: we’re plotting, planning, and replenishing our seed collections. I love finding new suppliers and like to use small UK companies, so here’s my list of tried-and-tested favourites.

Here, you can find links to reliable general seed sites, plus niche suppliers of exciting new seeds.

View →

Wisteria pouring down from a vine in early summer

What can I grow in my space?

Have you ever looked out at your growing space and wondered what on earth might grow best there? What is possible in your garden?

Here is a handy checklist to help you figure out what will grow best in your space, whether it’s a field or a window sill.

View →

A pair of fat spring onions.

What to sow in January

There are no quiet months for gardeners, and January is no exception. While light levels are low and your plants will need a bit of help, in the UK, it’s an ideal time to start off your peppers, chillis and aubergines, as well as some flower varieties.

Here is a list of things you can plant in January.

View →

How to plan your fruit and vegetable garden

Deciding to grow food is the first step in an exciting and fulfilling journey. What comes next? Deciding which crops you’ll try this spring.

Here are five quick questions to ask yourself when planning your fruit and vegetable garden. What will be the best use of your time and effort, and how will it fit into your growing space? What will save you the most money?

Learn more
Golden raspberries in a summer garden

Get started with polytunnel gardening

If you’re getting serious about growing and thinking about ways to be self sufficient, you’re probably starting to explore your options for gardening under cover. For self sufficiency in food and flowers, polytunnels can be an excellent addition to gardens of all sizes.

Why choose a polytunnel over a greenhouse? Where should you put a polytunnel? Where can you get a good polytunnel? And what can you grow in a polytunnel?

Learn more
A sunny garden patio, with a polytunnel and lilac bushes.

Recent Posts

  • Cottage garden furniture design: how I built my outdoor office

    Cottage garden furniture design: how I built my outdoor office

    •

    Rhiannon SM

    Working from home? Work from the garden These days, I’m lucky enough to spend a good deal of my week working from home. My job can be intense at times and I’m always looking for ways to become more comfortable. I also wanted to spend more time in the garden;…

  • Grief in the garden

    Grief in the garden

    •

    Rhiannon SM

    A year after my father passed, I dug up my gooseberry bush and shoved it down into the compost heap. I was numb and paddling in grief, unaware of how deep I trod; I let the bush’s prickly branches feather grazes up and down my arms, grateful for the exertion…

  • What kinds of food should you grow?

    •

    Rhiannon SM

    In the UK, we are extremely lucky: these days, our climate supports a wide variety of crops. We won’t be harvesting avocados or dragon fruit any time soon, but don’t let that stop you – once you understand what you can grow easily and naturally right outside your house, I…