Search - Articles

be good to state that I am not anti-wildlife, just pro gardens. I welcome all creatures great and small. Except rabbits. And maybe the next door neighbour's cat.

I've had another thought about small trees. For a more formal look you should consider the classic topiary trees - a short list would include yews, box, beech, limes and holm oaks. All of them are terribly amenable and happy to be chopped and pruned

that as the natural clay will - with a bit of work - make the pond watertight.The important thing about making natural ponds (and this is the same in small gardens as well as out in the countryside) is to make sure they look natural and not like puddles stranded

at RHS Garden Rosemoor, growing on the edge of a pond. It is well worth a trip to these lovely gardens in Devon to see it (and at this time of year there is the bonus of watching the apple harvest there.)I first saw Gunnera manicata when I was a small boy

At this time of year hedgerows bristle with elderflowers. Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a native tree with white flowers in midsummer and bunches of small black berries in autumn. It is a bit of a weed but, like many weeds, it has both a purpose

is native to North America and, as the name suggests, has five-lobed leaves, which are a bit pedestrian during the summer, but come alive in autumn. It is not one for the small garden either as it reaches 15m.All the Parthenocissus species are self

Downie': one of the most reliable and popular small trees available. Lots and lots of pink buds open into a cloud of white flowers in May. Rosy-cheeked little apples in autumn. Self-fertile.Next up is Malus 'Red Sentinel': the reddest of red apples

. This is a very vigorous climber, better known as Russian vine or mile-a-minute. Only the very brave will plant this in a small garden as, although it's undoubtedly attractive and flowers for a long time, it has an unquenchable curiosity. Many years ago I

photographs of my first garden. I wasn't faintly interested in plants as a child - I had better things to do - but when confronted with my own garden (in 1984) I began to see the light. It was a very small concrete yard - the corrugated iron fence was a

care deeply for the well-being and happiness of my garden. Sometimes you've got to be cruel to be kind.Two areas in particular have fallen prey to this. Firstly my small (but satisfying) orchard. There is a good range of trees here but, on this occasion