How do I keep a garden alive in a drought?
Prioritising which plants get water, watering in ways that actually reach roots, and the mulching that halves the need.
beginner45 min2 min read
Garden
Seasonal, practical gardening for people with a normal garden and a normal amount of time. Timings are given for a temperate northern-hemisphere climate — adjust for yours.
687 guides
How do I look after a lawn in summer?
Managing a lawn through hot dry weather — mowing height, watering decisions and what brown grass actually means.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I stop container plants dying of winter wet?
More container plants are lost to saturated compost between November and March than to cold. The five changes that keep a pot draining through a British winter, and why they matter more than fleece.
beginner30 min4 min readWhat garden jobs should I do each season?
A season-by-season list of what actually needs doing in a normal garden, and what can safely wait.
beginner30 min2 min readWhich grass seed should I use for my lawn?
The four grass types in British lawn mixtures, what each is actually good at, and how to read a seed bag so you buy for your site rather than for the picture on the front.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy are my radishes all leaf and no root?
Radishes fail in four predictable ways — crowding, heat, shade and over-rich soil — and all four show as leaf without a bulb, or a woody hot root.
beginner10 min3 min readWhy did my sweetcorn cobs only fill in patches?
Every kernel needs its own grain of pollen, which is why a row never fills and a block does — plus the variety separation that protects the flavour.
beginner15 min4 min readWhy have my container plants gone yellow and stopped growing?
The midsummer stall that catches almost every container gardener — running out of feed — and the three other causes that look identical.
beginner20 min5 min readBush, cordon, espalier or fan — which fruit tree form should I buy?
Six trained forms compared on ground space, wall space, pruning commitment and which fruits each one suits — including why plums and cherries are never cordons.
beginner20 min5 min readDo watering spikes and globes actually work?
The terracotta spike, the glass globe and the plastic bottle all work on different principles and fail in different ways. Which is worth buying, and what each realistically buys you in days.
beginner12 min5 min readHow do I deal with box tree caterpillar?
Telling caterpillar damage from box blight, the monitoring and treatment cycle that keeps box alive, and the point at which replacing the plant is the sensible answer.
intermediate1 hr3 min readHow do I get the most out of a growbag?
Four ways to plant a growbag and what each does to the root run — including ring culture, which roughly doubles the effective depth for the cost of two pots.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I grow a fruit tree in a small garden?
Choosing rootstock and form for a small space, planting properly, and the pollination question that catches people out.
intermediate7 days2 min readHow do I grow blueberries and rhododendrons if my soil is not acid?
Why acidifying open chalky ground does not work, why the container route does, and the watering and feeding regime that keeps a pot acid year after year.
intermediate1 hr5 min readHow do I grow carrots?
Stone-free soil, direct sowing and carrot fly protection — the three things that decide whether you get straight roots.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I grow strawberries?
Growing strawberries in beds, pots or hanging baskets — planting depth, runners, protection from birds and slugs, and when to replace plants.
beginner7 days3 min readHow do I improve heavy clay soil?
Working with clay rather than against it — organic matter, timing, and what genuinely does not help.
intermediate3 hr2 min readHow do I keep a chilli plant alive over winter?
Chillies are perennials, and a plant kept through winter crops months earlier the following year — the cut-back, the conditions and the pest that ruins most attempts.
intermediate30 min4 min readHow do I keep supermarket herb pots alive?
Why they die within a fortnight, and the splitting and repotting that turns one pot into several lasting plants.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I look after houseplants in a heatwave?
Indoor plants face a combination nothing outdoors does — glass magnifying the light, no air movement, and very dry air. Which of those is actually damaging yours, and what to change.
beginner15 min5 min readHow do I make a garden safe for children and pets?
The genuine hazards — water, chemicals, toxic plants and access — and how to address each without redesigning the garden.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I make a small wildlife pond?
The profile that makes a pond a habitat rather than a water feature, what to plant, and why fish and fountains defeat the purpose.
intermediate5 hr6 min readHow do I make my garden better for wildlife?
Changes ranked by how much difference they make, from water and untidiness through to planting choices.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I make my garden need less watering?
Soil improvement, mulch and plant choice — changes that reduce watering permanently rather than for one season.
beginner2 hr2 min read