The Plotting Shed

Gardens are not outdoor rooms, you cannot apply interior design principles to a garden. Nature does not exclude certain colours or shapes or plants, the landscape is merely a reflection of the plants ...

4 Nov 202223min

I discovered a new word this week - Xeriscape, which means to grow plants whilst reducing the need for irrigation. And ornamental grasses are very good plants that don't require much water, which mak...

27 Okt 202223min

Have you ever stared out into the garden and wished you knew a bit more about garden design? You know that garden border that's looking a bit dull, but how do you work out what to change and how to re...

21 Okt 202220min

We all want to learn from the garden design pros's - after all they should kow what they are doing! But not every desing tips is worth adding to your garden. In this weeks episode Rachel lets you kno...

14 Okt 202221min

I was very fortunate to be able to attend all the 3 main RHS garden shows this year. So, Chelsea in May, Hampton Court and Tatton Park in July. All three shows have very different flavours, but there ...

7 Okt 202224min

Welcome to the new series of the Plotting Shed. Have you missed me? SO, did the experiment work? If you remember last season Rachel started a garden experiment to see whether it really works for the...

30 Sep 202221min

Well this is the last episode in the current series. Rachel will be back at the end of September- just as you are ready to get back into the garden and make it ready for winter. This week - weeds, an...

3 Jun 202224min

Unless you are incredibly wealthy and live in a large home surrounded by countryside - you own; most of us share our gardens with the neighbours. We have road noise, pollution ugly views and privacy i...

27 Mai 202223min