Compact garden with layered planting, a path, and a quiet place to sit

Gardening, season by season

Small gardens, containers, balconies and kitchen herbs — planting guides written for the space you actually have, not the one in the catalogue.

Garden ideas Small gardens Containers Balcony gardens Herb gardens Flower gardens

Someone measuring a balcony railing above a city, with a notebook of dimensions on the floor

Wind and Weight Decide a Balcony Garden

By Fenella Hawthorn

Basil, parsley and flowering chives in terracotta pots on a kitchen windowsill

Why the Basil Dies and the Parsley Never Does

By Fenella Hawthorn

Matched green glazed planters holding clipped lavender either side of a dark front door

Glazed Pots Suit Hydrangeas and Kill Lavender

By Fenella Hawthorn

All gardening guides

7 guides

Weathered oak arch covered in pale pink climbing roses over a gravel path

A Small Garden Should Not Be Visible at Once

By Fenella Hawthorn

Warm string lights crossing overhead above a small terrace at dusk

Run String Lights Overhead, Not Along the Fence

By Fenella Hawthorn

Hand-painted flower garden calendar on a wooden bench with a pink rose, dried lavender and an open watercolour paint box

Fresh Wood Mulch Starves New Annuals

By Fenella Hawthorn

Blue mophead hydrangea in a matt black glazed pot against a whitewashed wall

Blue Hydrangeas Do Not Stay Blue in Pots

By Fenella Hawthorn

Related topics

Home exterior ideasDecide the outside of the house in the right order: trim before masonry.Living room ideasPlan a room that feels warm, useful, and distinctly yours.Bedroom ideasCreate a bedroom that supports deeper rest and easier mornings.Bathroom ideasMake a hardworking bathroom feel considered from tile to storage.