An Englishman's Garden Adventures
Summer: ten weeks of wall-to-wall sunshine, interminable drought, and late-evening watering. But the roses and vitex thrived, a solar eclipse graced the South Downs, and a bumper cherry crop arrived. Plus, battling the agapanthus gall midge, tackling pond duckweed, and why a streak of late-summer renovation has some old garden favourites living on borrowed time.
A brand-new dwarf hydrangea from Chelsea, a clever non-invasive Japanese anemone, and an unexpected eBay bargain. After clearing away the duller, sprawling ground covers, I’m plugging the August gap with five sophisticated new shade plants.
Here is my approach to controlling a new pest that is ruining Agapanthus across the UK. The article includes the hows and whys of the Gall Midge lifecycle, and how we can use this knowledge to clear it from our garden.
Spring: getting the garden ready for the season ahead. Cutting back, training, cleaning, digging, planting up pots, trimming hedges, removing and replacing plants. Plus battling new problems from invasive bamboo to duckweed and mildew. But lots of time to time to enjoy and photograph all the amazing plants and insects.
A new series of 12 botanical photographs capturing the delicate structure and natural organisation of some of my garden specimens. Heavily inspired by the 19th-century botanical illustrations of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, I’ve tried to create a series of plant-portraits that would look at home on the walls of any English country house.
Struggling with patio weeds? Here’s how I turned a heat gun into a push-along weed-busting electric foliage-frazzler. Plus some thoughts about chemical and propane alternatives.
A quick tour of the best sights in my April garden. Planting inspiration for early-season interest, colour and form, including plants for different aspects and light levels, along with practical tips.
Winter in the garden: the earth slows down, takes stock, and so do I… not a lot of gardening, but plenty of observations… Seasonal photography includes flowers, frosts, starry nights, winter landscapes… along with ideas for the winter garden.
A deep dive into some of the best garden spurges (Euphorbias) looking at small, medium and large varieties that grow on well-drained soil in sun or shade. Lots of real-world experience, design ideas and beautiful photos from my garden.
Here in West Sussex, the long summer extended gently into autumn giving the garden ample time for its final flourishes along with some of the best autumn colours I can remember. In my final garden diary of 2025, enjoy with me some of the gardening highlights, wildlife and wonder as the season comes to a triumphant end.
In this photo-essay, I’ll walk you through this wonderful mediaeval woodland (currently managed by the National Trust) sharing my thoughts about the landscape, flora and fungi as we go. Lots of beautiful detailed photos, organised in themed galleries.
A series of nine botanical photographs showcasing floral outliers captured under November skies in natural light.