Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT COMPOST MIX DO YOU USE FOR SPRING BULBS?

It’s roughly a 40-40-20 mix of peat-free compost, homemade garden compost, leafmould. I also add a good amount of perlite or grit for sharp drainage, plus a handful of fish-blood-bone fertiliser.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH POTS AFTER THE BULBS ARE DONE?

When the spring bulbs are finished, they are lifted out of their pot and either dried and stored or planted out in the garden (in the green). I use those pots for summer bulbs (started in plastic pots in March/April) like dahlias and gladiolus and also perennials like Salvias or Agapanthus

WHAT DO YOU USE TO PLANT YOUR HOSTAS IN POTS?

I use a mix of bark-based peat-free compost, fine composted bark, and leafmould (if I have any). I try and mimic woodland growing conditions. I also add a dose of mycorrhizal fungi, again to help speed establishment of the root system

CAN YOU RECOMMEND ANY PLANTS FOR SHADE?

Geranium sylvaticum ‘Alba’; Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae (a real thug and needs lots of space); Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ or ‘Betty Bowring’; Disporum longistylum; Polemonium ‘Lambrook Mauve’; Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Starry Eyes’; Anemone nemorosa ‘Vestel’; Anemonella thalictroides ‘Cameo’; Saxifraga × urbium, Tellima grandiflora, Lunaria annua 'Corfu Blue', Gillenia trifoliata (white stars, part shade); Geranium Rozanne will ramble and scramble in shade; Getanium nodosum (may self seed); Alchemilla mollis: Geranium macrorrhizum; Digitalis (foxgloves); Aconitim for part/dappled shade; Astrantias in part shade.

CAN YOU RECOMMEND ANY PLANTS FOR SUMMER?

Scabious, Echinacea, Achillea, Agapanthus, Dahlias (may need lifting for winter protection), Salvias, Gaura, Sedums, Verbena bonariensis (self-seeds freely) and V. hastata, Helenium, Rudbeckia, Anemone x hybrida or A. hupehbensis (Japanese anemones - a bit of a thug and can be invasive), Agastache (can be short lived). These are all available in smaller cultivars and softer pastel shades.

WHAT BRANDS DO YOU RECOMMEND?

  • For secateurs and shears: Niwaki, Okatsune, Felco
  • For cultivation tools: Sneeboer, Burgon & Ball, Bulldog
  • Compost: Sylvagrow
  • Fertiliser (seaweed): Empathy, Envii, Seasol
  • Watering: Gardena

WHAT DID YOU USE TO MAKE YOUR GARDEN PATH?

The edging is Cor-ten steel edging made by Core-Edge. The gravel is just called local shingle (10mm) from AWBS OXFORD. We’re close to the Cotswolds hence the colour. The path is laid on a 10cm thick layer of compacted MOT Type 1

WHERE IS YOUR GARDEN?

My garden is in South Oxfordshire, England. Our village is located on the north side of the Wessex Downs. We're in a temperate oceanic climate, USDA Zone 8b equivalent.

DO YOU FEED YOUR PLANTS?

On the whole, no. There is sufficient nutrition in our soil and I do not like to promote overly lush growth, which brings its own problems. I do feed plants that are in pots and planters as their access to nutrition is limited and new compost only has enough feed for 6-8 weeks. For potted plants, I apply a dose of Fish Blood and Bone or Growmore in spring, followed by fortnightly/monthly liquid seaweed feeds.