Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.