The Plotting Shed: Recent Episodes
Rachel McCartain
Welcome to 'The Plotting Shed' garden advice for those who'd love a gorgeous garden, but don't know how! We want to make gardening fun, interesting and enjoyable - gardening should not be a chore! Each podcast covers an aspect to gardening or design or is about something we think you'd like to know. All the podcast topics can also be found on our website PlantPlots.com. PLUS - Read our amazing book "I Want to Like my Garden" by Rachel McCartain available now on Amazon books. We'd also love you to tell us what you think too - just email rachel@plantplots.com. You can also make a donation to help us make more and better podcasts too - our thanks if you have. Thanks for listening. PlantPlots.com
What to do if your garden is on a slope, whether its and upslope or downslope, gardens don't have to be made flatter to become better!
Brilliantly simple design tips to help you understand how you can create a functioning but beautiful garden when the ground is not flat!
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Front Gardens are so important, yet are often left as uninspiring gardens. But the front garden is what you and your visitors walk past to get to the front door - so the garden should say something about you!
So, this week's episode is dedicated to helping you transform your front garden into a place that puts a smile on your face and welcomes you home.
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Life would be so much easier if gardens were regular shapes, but more often than not now gardens come in all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes.
So how do you design a garden in one? Well, there are some easy tips and hints to help you start the planning process and work out how you can fit a gorgeous garden into an odd shape.
Phew!
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Gardens come in all shapes of rectangles - these can be long narrow rectangles, wide shallow shaped gardens or perfectly square spaces.
So what makes for an interesting design in a regular box-shaped garden?
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What does family-friendly mean in design and layout terms? Most gardens have to be multifunctional spaces, providing space for little people to boom about in BUT that the adults can relax and enjoy themselves in.
So what should you consider if you need your garden to work for everyone?
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You may think of garden styles as Cottage, Mediterranean, Contemporary, Minimalist etc but it's actually much simpler than that. But before you lay the styling out, you need to understand how each of these 3 main styles works and then decide which one would work best in your space.
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The key principle when you are faced with lots of decisions is to break these down into simpler decisions. And that is really all design is about, asking simple questions, the result of which will help you understand how you need your garden to be.
It's not about imposing a shape style or planting scheme IN the garden.
To learn a bit more - try here or you could take a look at my book
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I am a lazy gardener, I want to spend time enjoying being in the garden, not fussing over the jobs and chores I think I need to do.
If you are like me, then listen in, and I will give you the best tip for making looking after your garden less stressful! Which has to be worth a listen - don't you think?
If you want to know a bit more - try here
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Designing a garden can be daunting, especially if you don't know much about design, plants or gardening.
But you can design your garden well, if you follow some simple steps.
The first one is eliminating negatives, you need to understand what are the emotional negatives and practical negatives your garden has. Resolve these and the garden is already a better place for you.
For some more really useful advice - try here
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What makes a garden truly amazing?
The truth is nothing - it's a choice; Does the garden amaze us? Creating an amazing garden isn't then an impossible dream!
If you want to know how you can transform your garden from ordinary to amazing, listen to this series.
Oh and thank you if you do.
For more really helpful design advice - try here
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Absolutely one of the best colour combinations in a garden is green .... and orange!
So why do so many gardeners shy away from orange-coloured plants in their gardens? Bright colours are brilliant, but there is a way to use bold colour combinations and a way to not do them. It's very simple to understand and I guarantee a happy flower in bright orange, vivid red or acid yellow WILL put a smile on your face!
Buttercups are in fashion folks! ;)
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If space in the garden is limited, vertical gardening is a must, but how can you get it 'right'?
What are the best plants to use and what are the pitfalls and problems to consider before you put your plants on the wall?
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All gardens have boundaries, but these can often feel like barriers. Personal security is an issue, but if your boundary becomes a barrier, you will always lose more than you gain. So what makes a boundary a barrier and how can you blur the edges in your garden?
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How to Become a Plotting Shed Pioneer. This week Rachel challenges you to rethink your gardens, made simple changes to your gardening habits and set the trends for everyone else to follow. The aim; to do less but enjoy more (and be good for the planet too)
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Most if not all garden design is based around a similar format, we create space in the middle of the garden and plant round the edges - but does this make for the best and most interesting gardens? Or are we simply creating an empty space in the middle that we don't really use?
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OK, what's a garden referee? Well, it's all about your relationship with your garden and how a few simple changes to your perception of gardening can transform your relationship with your garden. Allowing you to enjoy more but do less.
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The lawn can be a glorious thing, but most lawns aren't. This week Rachel challenges the idea of what a perfect lawn is and discusses how big or important the lawn really is in the garden. And asks whether we need to change our idea of what a perfect lawn is.
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I went to Chelsea and had a lovely day wandering around the flower show and this is what I think you need to take from this year
Gardening is in an evolution revolution - so listen in, and learn how simple changes to your garden will benefit you and your garden equally. And the best bit, it involves less work! A win-win then for everyone :)
Read more and see lots of lovely photos
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You've decided to get the experts in, so what's best for you? A landscape gardener or a garden designer - in fact, what's the difference between them?
And what questions do you need to ask them to make sure your new garden is right for you?
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Creating a new garden can be overwhelming, there are so many decisions to make about layout, styling and the materials to use. And then there are plants - how on earth can you choose plants when your horticultural knowledge can identify a rose.... but not much else!
This week Rachel helps chat through a process to lessen the decision-making burden and help you plan the process of redesigning your garden more easily.
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How can you create a beautiful garden design if you haven't got a clue about gardening?
Welcome back to the first of this season's podcasts. This week Rachel talks about prepping your garden thought process. Understanding what you need your garden to do. It's all part of the 5P's.... proper planning prevents poor performance. The problem is what do you plan for?
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Gardens don't exist in a photograph or a moment in time.
Picture-perfect gardens are not real, all gardens create work. Large gardens create a lot of work, so how do you ensure the design itself doesn't create unnecessary maintenance or build in additional costs to look after it?
Can a large garden really be low maintenance?
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Large Garden Design Tips
This week Rachel details those useful questions and design tips you need to ask before you embark on any large-scale garden redesign. What questions should you ask and what are the simple tips to start the process off?
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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 that thrive in the conditions that prevail. So if you try to micro-manage the garden style and planting colour themes, the overall effect begins to look too sanitised.
The best approach is with a few guidelines - read the article
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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 makes them an ideal choice in many gardens,
But often growing these ornamental grasses in the garden can lead to disappointing results; so this week Rachel discusses how you can grow them better.
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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 replant it.
Well here are 5 easy tips that will help you make your garden borders better
read the article at PlantPlots
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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 know which ones you should be following, and which to leave in at the RHS Garden Shows
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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 are themes that are common to all.
Now, not all the elements in these garden shows are worth copying, these are shows after all. But some are; so what are they?
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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 average gardener.
Does not mowing the lawn help reduce the maintenance and still make the garden feel like a garden. And what about the weeds; how did that go?
Tune in and you can find out - or you can pop along a see the video evidence
Let me know what you think - good or bad.... on our facebook page or email rachel@plantplots.com
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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, and why we all need to think again. Is it a Pain, Prolific or cause you a Problem., if none of the above, then why not adopt a new approach and allow Nature to underplant your garden.
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P.s send youe pictures on your lawn art to rachel@plantplots.com or upload to our facebook page.
Enjoy the summer and enjoy your garden
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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 issues.
So how can you create a garden that feels like your escape fro mthe outside world. A space that allows you to lose the noise and focus on just the greenery around you.
It's not impossible with a little thought, as Rachel will explain.
How to design a Front Garden
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Garden design used to be easier when gardens were more orderer shapes. You could copy what the neighbours had done, or look in books or magazines for ideas on design. But modern gardens can be all sorts of shapes and sizes, which makes it harde to design.
There are a few simple tips to follow for internal corners (Fill) and external corners (Wrap) - if you want ot know more - just tune in an listen.
PlantPlots.com - making gardening easier.
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You might think shade is just a place the sun doesn't shine on - but in terms of gardening know-how, shade is a little more nuanced!
This weeks episode is about how shade affects the plants in the garden, and what you can do to make sure the dull bits in your garden shine and thrive.
Oh and you'll find out what Cholophyll A's favourite 2 colours are!
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Did you know there are 3 types of slopes:
- Up Slopes
- Down Slopes
- and Side Slopes
Each presents a different challenge in a garden. Should you terrace, and how would you plant a garden that isn't flat?
Listen in it could save you time money and a lot of un-needed effort.
PlantPlots.com : Simple Practical and Affordable Garden Deisgn advice for every garden - even wonky ones!
Dealing with sloping gardens : Simple Design for a small sloping garden : Planning Tips for Sloping Gardens
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This week what are the problems associated with narrow gardens. These can be narrow alley type spaces in city environments or the traditional long gardens often found in older terrace housing.
There are a few design tricks you can use to make either space feel like a bigger wider and more interesting space
Narrow side alleys
Long thin garden design and narrow spaces
Garden Design Gallery
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This week Rachel starts tackling the designg issues many gardens have. So what and how can you design your garden easily if its wider than it is deep and the only view you see is the end fence.
Simple practical and affordable design solutions for every type of garden ( & even if you don't like gardening much!)
PlantPlots Design Gallery
Cool Stuff we just like
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Not every plant can grow on a balcony well, why oh why then do all the images on the interenet give the impression anything will grow beautifully in that tiny little space.
Balcony gardens are effectively 1 of 3 types of garden - a sauna, a shady cave or a mountain top. If you want plants that will thrive and look gorgeous - then you need to think like a plant!
Vertical Gardening - tips for growing plants anywhere except in the ground!
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Garden privacy is important, but there is a trade off. 100% private means 100% enclosed -nothing gets in and you can't see out.
So is there a better way to make gardens feel more private without retrating behind big greeen hedges and walls... well obviously otherwise it would be a very short podcast!
Better Garden Design by PlantPlots.
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We all experience this at some point in our lives - we move to a place where for the very first time there is an outside space - that's all yours to play with!
So you want to make a garden..... but where to start, how do you begin, what style should you choose...
Once again Rachel takes you through the thought process, because if you know what could go wrong before you begin to create your garden... it won't.
7 best garden design tips
Garden Design for Beginners
Possibly the best little garden design book ever!
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Gardens hve to cater for everyone, but all too often they simply become a lawn with a swing. So how in an average small garden can anyone create a family friendly space...?
How to make a garden interesting for kids
How to plan a family friendly garden
Can Football goals, kids and garden plants coexist happily? there is a way; just!
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Welcome back to the new spring series of the Plotting shed. This week Rachel discusse how you can learn to design your garden without having to spend thousands! THis is the first of 10 podcasts aimed at helping you design a garden - without needing a garden designer!
A rissky strategy for a garden design company to adopt... but you could always buy me a ko-fi! :)
See more on beginner garden design or have a look at gardens we have created or learn 7 simple rules to affordable garden design
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Firstly, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has downloaded and listened to this series of The Plotting Shed. This is the last show in this series - we will be back in the Spring of 2022 with a new exciting series.
So what will happen in the world of gardening in 2022, where is gardening going and what should you be focussing on for next year.
PLUS
a few little snippets of information and facts you might not have ever known about plants!
The 5 best plants for freshening your air are: Epipreminum Aureum (Pothos); Spathiphyllum Wallisii (Peace Lily) Dypsis Lutescens (Areca Palm); Sanseveria Trifasciata ( Mother in Laws Tonngue) and Ficus Bougainina (Weeping Fig).
Peter Wohhlebein - The Hidden Life of Trees and finally the worlds longest plant name.... Ornithogalum Adseptentrionesvergetulum !! :)
Please do get in touch and let me know what you would like us to focus on for the next Plotting Shed Series in March next year. Email rachel@plantplots.com
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This week Rachel takes the best products and information from the Landscapers Show so you know what innovation in ideas and products are available.
Turn your garden into a fun orchestra
Clever vertical gardening / living wall products
Easy simple cost effective products to counter some effects of climate change
Biodegradable weed membranes
Convert your drive into a ground source heat pump
Join the Great British Garden Festival for 2022
AND SOME REALLY EXCITING NEWS - THE NEW PLANTPLOTS WEBSITE IS NEARLY FINISHED, AND IT'S LOOKING AMAZING. DETAILS TO FOLLOW SOON
We'll be back with our end of the year podcasts in a couple of weeks time -so bye for now :)
p.s - PlantPlots has no connection with any of these companies and does not endorse these companies or products over any other, the links are for information purposes only
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Up the Wall Gardening - This weeks show hosts Rachel and Helen discuss how to garden above ground. So planting in pots, baskets or growing plants on balconies or in vertical gardens. Too often the wrong types of plants are used - which only makes more work for you! As our aim is to always make gardening easier...
There are lots of tips and hints on the best plants to use, so you get a better display that looks gorgeous; and is also easier to look after!
Read more at PlantPlots.com
Brisbanes Urban Jungles
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What makes a good garden plant? How should you choose plants for the garden? This week H and Rachel discuss what makes plants work in any garden, and how you can use our simple definition to help you get the planting right for your gardens.
See the plants we think every garden should have :)
Plus we discuss some of the new plant suppliers that have popped up, who are changing the way plants are bought and sold, to minimise waste and be more environmentally friendly.
Candide Gardening
Gardenize
Sproutl
Foli8
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Following on from last weeks podcast - part 1. This weeks discussion looks at how your decision making process can help you make better garden choices - that are good for you, good for your garden and better for the environment.
And we still haven't got to the 'whack-a-mole' plan for better garden design.... that's coming up next week folks. :)
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Oh and do let us know what you think about the podcast - good or bad, we want to make sure you enjoy our content, so drop me an email rachel@plantplots.com Thank you
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This weeks discussion is not about how you can become a better gardener not by the skills you acquire, but because of the decisions you make.
Understanding why you garden influences the decisions you make about your garden, but sometimes 'stuff' gets in the way and we end up following a different path. Your garden has to deliver for you; and meet your requirements, and its OK for you to choose what those are.
Our aim is to make gardening easier - for you. PlantPlots.com
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How does your gut react to your garden? This week Rachel and Helen discuss the real science behind your mood, your health, your gut and your garden!
Now this is 22 minutes you won't want to miss!
PlantPlots.com - where we make gardening easier and you happier! - hopefully! :)
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This week H and I continue challenging garden convention. This week's episode we talk about why flower shows and garden centres make your life more difficult - especially if you are a novice gardener. Plus what you can do to stop you buying plants that won't, don't and can't work in your garden.
We have decided to subvert garden convention by launching the 'Garden Liberation Front' - freeing millions of wanabee gardeners from nonsensical constraints and conventions. Your garden is what YOU want it to be.
#Itsmygarden - send us a picture of what you think defines your garden as being yours. What is it about your garden than makes you happy! Tweet/Pin/Instagram/email/or share your picture on our Facebook page. #itsmygarden - join our little green garden revolution! :)
Help with designing (and deconstructing your garden) can be found here
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This week H and I challenge garden convention. Why are gardens described in a certain way, what should your garden be and why the horticultural industry and garden media make gardening more difficult than it needs to be.
We have decided to subvert garden convention by launching the 'Garden Liberation Front' - freeing millions of wanabee gardeners from nonsensical constraints and conventions. Your garden is what YOU want it to be.
#Itsmygarden - send us a picture of what you think defines your garden as being yours. What is it about your garden than makes you happy! Tweet/Pin/Instagram/email/or share your picture on our Facebook page. #itsmygarden - join our little green garden revolution! :)
Pictures of the Garden of Solitude by Studiospin.it
Help with designing (and deconstructing your garden) can be found here
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Here at PlantPlots we like to view gardens from you, the users, perspective; consequently, what the RHS thought was the best garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2021 was not the one the RHS chose - and here's why...
See the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Balcony Gardens and Container Gardens - - do you agree with us? #itsmygarden
Let us know email rachel@plantplots.com; or message us on Facebook.
aka the Garden Liberation Front ;)
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Ever wondered why when you create a garden, it never seems to deliver what you had hope? After all you've got the lovely green lawn, flowers borders by the fence and space for the kids to run around... so why isn't the garden the space you'd hoped for?
Garden design needs to change to reflect how you want to use the garden - not what's in the garden. This week Rachel introduces Helen Mayors Peach - a very good friend (and super clever person) to discuss why the normal garden layout - just isn't any good.
If you want to read more about Rachels really user friendly gardening ideas - try her fabulous new book I Want to Like my Garden ***- it really is a garden changer.
Also visit PlantPlots.com for garden advice to help you make your gardens better***
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Welcome back to the Plotting Shed. Our new 12 episode series packed with lots of brilliant garden design discussion.
Learn how to design and create your garden easily, affordably and in ways that are good for you; your garden and the environment.
This season I am introducing H (Helen) to the team, where we will discuss lots of thought provoking evolutionary ideas to help make your gardens better.
We will challenge garden design convention to help you understand how you can make simple changes that won't cost the earth, but that will make your garden a whole lot better.
Subscribe to the channel now - so you don't miss any new episodes.
PlantPlots.com - We really Do Make Gardening Easier
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This is the 3rd and final episode detailing my trip to Hampton Court this year. So what are and those elements from the show we should all be emulating and bringing home, and what were those parts we think shouldn't be.
And then there was the plane crash!
Read more about this on the Plotting Shed Blog
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Garden Shows are full of Show Gardens but should these really be called gardens? Are they gardens and if not why not. The trouble though is the RHS, Experts and the Media, extol the virtues of these displays as 'gardens' ; which dupes the non-gardening public into believing these can and should be copied.
In this episode Rachel discusses why non-expert garden owners get duped into possibly wasting money by the very people who are supposed to be helping them. And it's all because it's called a garden....
Read more at PlantPlots.com
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RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2021 - We came We saw We thought...!
Well the Plotting Shed is back!!
I had to take some time away from Podcasting as my Garden Design Business has taken off this year. So apologies if you missed me :) - but I have been flat out designing gardens!
But we had a little window of opportunity and took a day of to go to to the RHS Hampton Court Flower show and this is what we thought...
See all our favourite bits...
This is 1 of an 8 part series on how you can use all the best bits the professional designers have to offer and use them in your gardens!
RHS #flowershows #hamptoncourtflowershow2021 #smallgardendesign #gardendesign
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Over the last few weeks Rachel has discussed how to make designing and creating a border, but what makes a garden really interesting? Is there a hidden X factor that transforms your garden space into one you love being in??
How to avoid a boring garden part 1
The Plotting Shed podcast is taking a little break now (mainly as I am snowed under with garden design commissions) I will be back in a few weeks to tell you all about them!
Thanks for listening - and we will talk soon. :)
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How can anyone plan a planting scheme for the garden and make it look fab - if you don't know much about plants!
Well Rachel provides a simple method that will help you work out how to create an impactful border. It involves boxes and working out your wardrobe.... Intrigued, well listen in.
Read the post at PlantPlots.com or you can grab a copy of her book 'I Want to Like my Garden' by Rachel McCartain and read all about it there.
Thanks.
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How to design a Natural looking Garden - it sounds easy doesn't it, the garden should look like Mother Nature intended.
Getting it right tho' is a bit more tricky, but visit PlantPlots.com to see the advice Rachel gives on getting your garden to look natural, informal and gorgeous.
Oh, sneak preview - it involves thinking like a river! :)
I would really appreciate any feedback on your thoughts, so do please rate the podcast or even better tell your friends all about it. Thank you for listening.
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How do you work out what type of garden you need or want and what does having a contemporary garden really mean? Are you choosing style of garden you have by basing your decision on a misconception?
What is a contemporary garden anyway!
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Making the most of your garden is not about packing lots of interest into a garden. Adding 'designer features' or finishing touches won't make the best use of the small space. WHY; well its all about knowing which parts of the garden are useful and which aren't. The useful areas are for you to occupy, the unused parts host everything else. If you only fill those areas of the garden YOU would never utilise - the usable space is automatically maximised ...
How to maximise space in a small garden
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Garden sizes have been shrinking over the decades and many gardens are now not much bigger than a large room! The problem is we still occupy the same amount of space; it just feel we are being squeezed into a small garden! How to solve the problem of making a garden appear larger and feel bigger than it is - simply affordably and without being a garden design expert.
How to make a garden feel bigger
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How to Design a Garden around problems you can't change! Garden design would be SO much easier if gardens didn't throw curveballs in the mix! So what methods can you use to create a well designed garden when you can't solve certain problems like a really awkward shapes, concrete paths, boring sheds, or overbearing trees. At PlantPlots we try to find ways that make gardening easier for everyone. Visit our website today - you won't find another gardening site quite like ours!
PlantPlots - making gardening easier; all you need is a garden!
Take a look at our brilliant design book too: I Want to Like my Garden by Rachel McCartain.
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The Plotting Shed kicks off the 2021 season with a podcast on the theory of garden design. But because Rachel always aims to make gardening and garden design as easy as possible. This podcast will not bamboozle you with designer speak! - If words like form, function, balance and proportion leave you scratching your head- then listen in. Rachel will help you work out what design means so you can walk outside in your own garden and work out what you need to do to make your garden better.
PlantPlots - making gardening easier; you just need a garden!
Take a look at our brilliant design book too: I Want to Like my Garden by Rachel McCartain.
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Part 2 of a 2 part podcast detailing the steps you can take to un-muddle your garden. Over time many gardens evolve and morph away from the original layout and design, so what easy steps can you take to bring order and gorgeousness back!
Read the post associated with this podcast
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Part 1 of a 2 part podcast detailing the steps you can take to un-muddle your garden. Over time many gardens evolve and morph away from the original layout and design, so what easy steps can you take to bring order and gorgeousness back!
Read the post associated with this podcast
Support the show (https://www.ko-fi.com/theplottingshed)
Formal Gardens, what are they and how to create fabulous formal designs in small back gardens.
Good garden design is all about making your garden a place YOU ENJOY being in. And the great thing is - it doesn't have to be expensive either. For more simple practical affordable garden design ideas visit plantplots.com.
We really do make gardening easier
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There are 3 basic elements when designing a garden border. View the designs from the podcast
What makes it stand out from it's surroundings
Concentrating on the off season more than the summer flowering and
Joining the borders of the garden together using similar but not identical elements.
Create a garden that is full of life. Download our free garden border planting plan that attracts lots of bees and butterflies. Buy our amazing garden design book so you can create the most fabulous garden that's good for you and good for the planet
'I Want to Like my Garden' by Rachel McCartain buy on Amazon today
PlantPlots: We Make Gardening Easier
gardendesign #planting #plants #landscaping #smallgardendesign #designideas #backgardenideas #howtogarden #moderngarden #lowmaintenancegarden
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and how to ensure the garden is not only a functional usable space but is also a well designed and attractive place to be in too as well.
In this episode Rachel discusses the transformation of a small suburban garden, that needed access to the shed but that needed to provide a welcome escape from the hustles and bustles of modern life.
See the transformation
Read her amazing book 'I Want to Like my Garden'(available in eBook and paperback)
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Dealing with a shallow sloping garden is relatively easy, but you have to be bold.
The garden must take on the slope and first and foremost provide a practical solution to the contours. You simply can't sit at a sloping table - the wine glasses will topple over! Some landscape levelling has to be done, site the main seating area in the nicest part of the garden and work from there.
How will you get there and then what will you look at. Use plants that are tall and skinny, but open and light, to fill the vertical space but not use up horizontal space. Read more
For lots more utterly brilliant practical and affordable design advice visit plantplots.com
OR you could buy our amazing best selling book 'I Want to Like my Garden' - it really is a garden changer!
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2020 has been an absolutely rubbish year. Lockdown has meant more time stuck at home staring at the garden fences.
So here are 5 simple changes you can make that will make your garden more interesting. Just in case there's another lockdown!!
For lots more brilliantly simple garden design advice read my amazing book 'I Want to Like my Garden' - it really is a garden-changer!
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then it will always be better!
Garden design is not about creating amazing show stopping gardens, it is more about solving problems so the garden works to your advantage.
And the best time to plan is when the garden looks it's worst! if it looks good on a bad day, think how much better it will look on a good one!
Read my amazing book 'I Want to Like my Garden' by Rachel McCartain - it will help you make your garden better.
smallgardendesign, #gardenplanning, #gardendesignforbeginners, #gardening
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We underestimate the cleverness of trees. Find our what trees are really capable of (and the butterflies and bees too); it will change how you think about your garden.
A 'not to be missed' podcast - this really is a revelation!
Trees talk to each other
Trees need their sleep
How do butterflies taste
Bees can do mathematics!
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I have always been a lover of garden mirrors. Mirrors are a great design tool, available in every shape and size, but mostly because; a well placed mirror in the garden can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary!
What's so great about garden mirrors?Mirrors have 4 main functions in any garden,
- To reflect sunlight into dark spaces
- They add depth to a garden
- Mirrors can be used to help hide uglier objects
- The mirror itself is a piece of artwork or garden sculpture.
Read the article
For lots more fabulous garden design advice that really helps you make your garden better - take a look at our book: 'I Want to Like my Garden' by Rachel McCartain (it's really good!)
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Garden design does not need to cost thousands, look like a show garden or involves rebuilding the entire garden.
There a a few simple rule that will help even non-gardeners redesign their garden so it looks better and becomes a more enjoyable place to be in.
For more design advice written you could buy our book 'I Want to Like my Garden' by Rachel McCartain is available in paperback or as ebook. It really is a garden-changer!
https://plantplots.com/rules-of-garden-design/
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There are thousands of articles devoted to designing gardens, but very few column inches devoted to designing front gardens. The front garden is the most visible part of the house, yet many homes have gardens crying out for some TLC. Designing a front garden is not simply creating a miniature version of the back garden, it needs a completely different thought process.
Simple Practical Garden design helping YOU make YOUR GARDEN BETTER
Buy our amazing design book 'I Want to Like my Garden' by Rachel McCartain available at Amazon today
PlantPlots: We Make Gardening Easier
https://plantplots.com/beginner-garden-design/starting-design/solving-design-problems/designing-front-gardens/
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It's actually quite a difficult question. As a garden designer, I have always felt this is an overlooked question. We get too caught up in how the garden should look and what design features to include.
But if you don't ask the question - you won't know the answer, and that will mean your garden doesn't and can't do the right things for you!
For lots of great garden design advice - visit plantplots.com OR buy my book I Want to Like my Garden by Rachel McCartain
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Why would you want to buy a book about gardening in the summer! Because it is the time you use your garden the most; so it is the absolutely the best time to read a book about how to make the most of your garden.
I Want to Like my Garden by Rachel McCartain
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2020 is turning out to be a historic year, a seminal moment, a pre 2020 and post 2020 line in the sand where we compared how we did things then and how we do things now.
Covid19 has forced change upon us, but the climate was also forcing us to rethink our habits - and in terms of gardening this is a big one - watering.
Why do we water our gardens and should we be?
Visit PlantPlots.com
I Want to Like my Garden by Rachel McCartain
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Not everyone is blessed with gorgeous views from their garden, in fact most of us don't. The view from many gardens is someone else's fence, or another building or a wall.
So if you don't have anything special to look at, how can you create a view in a small garden that fills your senses and helps you escape from the modern world?
Read more about Rachel's amazing new gardening book I Want to Like my Garden or just go straight to Amazon books to order your copy today.
PlantPlots.com - we make gardening easier
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I want to Like my Garden - how to make your garden better.
Why don't people like their gardens sometimes and how can you put your garden right. Rachel discusses her exciting new book aimed at helping you. This really is a gardening book unlike any other! This is a book for everyone who wants to do the garden but doesn't know what to do!
Available to order on Amazon today
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What makes a garden great and is your garden great too?
How can you make simple changes to a garden to transform it into a place you love being in...
and the changes aren't what you might think.
Read more about it in the Plotting Shed blog
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Most garden designs start from the wrong end or at least never consider one of the most important factors affecting your garden - how much stuff have you got to clear up!
Get that bit wrong and the garden will always create more work than is necessary.
PlantPlots.com - we (really do) make gardening easier.
Download your Free Guide here
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We all love to have beautiful homes and gorgeous looking perfect gardens but there is a flip side. Striving to keep your world in this perfect state, clean and free from germs pests and disease could mean you are making yourself ill....
Read this article at PlantPlots.com
smallgardendesign #gardendesign #thereisnoplanetb
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How can you choose fabulous and fantastic plants for the garden when
You don't know much about gardening and you haven't time to be an utterly dedicated gardener
Simple easy and practical advice. PlantPlots; we really do make gardening easier
Read more at PlantPlots.com
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What could go wrong, you head off to the local garden centre to get some lovely new plants for the garden? But beware the BOGOF's, Speed Spreaders, Triffids and Divas not with-standing those plants that choose to fight back!
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Simple changes to your gardening habits will not only make the task of gardening less onerous and time consuming, but will also make your garden a better place too.
Our aim is to make gardening easier - and we'll also tell you how to prevent an invasion of garden domes taking over your garden!
Read more about making your garden a better place
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The world is changing and so should gardens and how we view them. Make sure your garden does the right thing for the planet.
doingmybit
PlantPlots.com - we make gardening easier
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A small changes can make a big difference and as redesigning any garden is expensive, listen in to learn how you can love your garden more without spending a fortune.
5 easy, practical and affordable changes will help you love being in your garden a whole lot more!
Visit PlantPlots.com - we really do make gardening easier!
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Why are gardens boring, what makes is a dull and uninteresting place to be and what can you do to change it?
Changing the layout of a garden to make it more visually interesting boils down to getting two elements right, sorting the lines and pandering to your natural curiosity.
Read the post here
We make gardening easier! :)
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Boring gardens are designed, they evolve, boringness creeps up in over time, so what can you do to prevent the onset of the dull garden?
Simple practical advice detailing the easiest way you can keep enjoying the garden.
This episode deals with how plants help and next week it's the design and layout.
Read the blog post of this podcast too - it's got pictures! :)
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Would your garden win if butterflies could indeed vote?
Your garden can help save the world, it's true, the little changes we all make together add up. Make positive changes by helping your garden help the planet.
It's a win-win situation, you benefit by watching lots of butterflies and the butterflies benefit from your garden.
Read our blog The Plotting Shed
We Make Gardening Easier
Visit PlantPlots.com and change your garden for the better
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If you have an odd shaped garden or want a really interesting design, then think asymmetrically. By creating odd shapes and obtuse angles, you can create a more interesting gardens and indulge your passion for plants by having a different planted feel for each border.
We really do make gardening easier!
Visit the Plotting Shed blog to see the design
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**For gardens to compete in the modern world, we need to make them more fun. You need to decide if the garden is your space or an interesting space?
Gardens are created by adults but used by children, the problem is we create gardens we like but not necessarily gardens children will like using.**Need some advice or ideas... just give us a call 07985 917767 design@plantplots.com
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Houseplants are more than just pretty to look at, they make you healthier!
Recent research has shown how the humble houseplant absorbs noxious chemical from the air in your home - and one stands out as a clear winner.
Plus; if you hate spiders lurking in the home; listen in for the 5 plants all arachnaphobes need to grow!
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This years Chelsea Flower Show was ground-breaking - at last the show gardens really showcased what the garden is for. The show was not the plants or the design that mattered most; instead the 'show' on display at Chelsea was Nature.
Gardens and gardening has changed, gone are the outdated ideals of what a garden should be; instead the garden is all about creating a place where you can enjoy the natural world; if you plant right nature will come to you.
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OK, we all make mistakes gardening, but it's even more annoying when you thought it would be ok because every picture in the design books used them too. And then you find out they create more unnecessary work - talk about feeling duped!
We want to make gardening easier not harder!
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We focus far too much on one particular sense when it comes to gardening - our eyes. Which means our other 4 senses are missing out. The same applies to noisy gardens, one sense is being overloaded, so you need to work on stimulating the other 4.
Read more Garden Design advice on the website. If you have any questions or would like some garden design advice - why not drop us a line enquiries@plantplots.com.
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Read more on our 'How to design a garden if...series' this podcast discusses the issues you need to consider.
What questions should you ask, how do you create privacy BUT also still have light and sunshine. How can you make the space really usable. Should you have a lawn, how will the garden look in the winter. We ask the questions most other garden design sites don't ask - but we think these are actually the more important. Messy Tree & Untidy Plants!
In a small garden everything has to work really hard - as there's nowhere to hide...
Read more at PlantPlots.com
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Read more at PlantPlots.com
Hanging Basket season is nearly upon us again.
We don't like hanging baskets. Even worse than hanging baskets are hanging baskets filled with bedding plants - they are no good for your garden, create loads of extra work, they are really expensive and in most cases thrown away after the summer. We want to make gardening easier but hanging baskets most definitely do not!
There are so many better alternatives that are far more environmentally friendly, here's why it is time to ditch this garden favourite
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Read more at PlantPlots.com
One of our 'little listens series' , here's 5 minutes of garden design advice on how to transform a small narrow courtyard into a tiny urban garden.
The problem of 'dead space' and how to avoid it - small gardens suffer from dead space, so what is it and how do you 'design' it out
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Show Gardens are amazing - but don't forget they are just that a show.
It's easy to be seduced by the gardens on show at places like the RHS flowers show at Chelsea, Hampton Court and around the UK. These gardens showcase the best and most avant garde designs, they inspire us to get into our own gardens and transform them, but are these gardens really aspirational? Can the ordinary gardener really take inspiration from these gardens and try to copy them at home, or should we be looking for inspiration elsewhere?
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A bit of 2 minute Soapbox moment, but we always look to make gardening easier, we want people to have gardens they can easily look after. So it really get's our goat when plant labels don't give real advice - like "don't plant upwind of a path or patio" for example. A simple sentence on the plant label would enable you to make sure you don't plant a problem!
Grasses, everyone loves grasses in gardens, they are easy to look after. Grasses are really good a setting seed - but beware grass seeds and the wind!
soapbox over - but if you have any 'soapbox moments' you want to get off your chest, email us rachel@plantplots.com - and we'll podcact the best ones. (witty, funny, serious but clean please)
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Gardeners are changing, a neat manicured bug free garden is now seen as one that is out of touch, creating gardens that are both beautiful but bee friendly are most definitely in. But is the horticultural industry really buying into this new trend? Garden Centres seem to be filled more and more with plants that are forced into flower, they are stacked to the rafters with massed displays of bedding plants or row upon row of hanging basket.they seem to have become more like supermarkets - so is the horticulture industry good for the planet?
We need our gardens to be part of the outside world not separate from the outside world. Our havens are also havens for indigenous wildlife. #amdoingmybit
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How's about this, a podcast on garden paths.... but we all need them so we thought they were worth talking about. So you can read about how to make low maintenance garden paths
It's easy to create a really ugly garden path that looks like a runway down the garden but paths can be lovely too. Read more at PlantPlots.com
Exciting stuff eh? Bet you can't wait till next week :)
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Why do some plants grow so fast and others want to take over the world! - read more at PlantPlots.com
Advice on how to keep your garden behaving itself
See Plants to Avoid if you Don't Like Gardening
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Where do you start when faced with an overgrown weed patch - it can seem a bit daunting. but you can start to turn this eyesore into a workable garden... and here's how.
For lots more great garden advice visit PlantPlots.com
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Garden Design is all about making the best of the space you have. But what if you haven't got much space in the first place. Well then we have to use a couple of simple design tricks to make the garden feel a bit bigger than it is...
How to make your garden look bigger
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Read more at PlantPlots.com or you can watch out little short YouTube video....on what a low maintenance garden actually is.
The truth is any garden will create work, the trick to creating a garden that doesn't feel like a chore is to make sure it contains only those jobs that you actually like doing.
Think about what are the most time consuming chores and how can you avoid creating unnecessary work in your garden.
We really try to make gardening easier. But if you are still a bit stuck... why not email rachel@plantplots.com
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We all want our garden to get get back looking it's best - but is a tidy garden really the best idea?
Remember Gardens aren't just for us
doingmybit
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4 simple quick and easy ways to start getting your garden back on track after the winter.
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How do we go about redesigning a garden, what's the thought process used?
Listen to how we reshape a welsh garden into something much nicer in an affordable and practical way.
If you want to see pictures of the actual design whilst you listen....read about the design on our Plotting Shed Blog Or watch a short YouTube on how we created this design also
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Read more about designing really small gardens at PlantPlots.com
The space we need to use in a garden doesn't shrink just because the garden is small - so where you put your seating and how you get there are the most important decisions to make. This podcast is one of our series on how to design your garden if..... where hopefully we debunk the mysteries of garden design and show you how you can go abour designing your garden so that it works for you.
We really do try to make gardening easier!
contact us enquiries@plantplots.com if you need a little bit more advice - it's free & we're really friendly
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Where do plants get grown these days and can your plant buying habits be contributing to the warming of our planets atmosphere. The answer may just surprise you...
Garden Centres buy in plants from all over the world, but is this really the most sensible sustainable solution when we want to buy plants for our garden, why can't they just be grown here?
Read more at PlantPlots.com
amdoingmybit
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Read more on our series 'How to Design a Garden if...' at PlantPlots.com
We really try to make gardening easier, and this podcast is one on our series of how hot design a garden if...
Small gardens have their own unique set of issues and design problems to overcome. But what about the plants for a small garden, what type of plant should you think about including and which ones should never be planted?
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Have a Heart - Have a Hedgehog Hole!
Every animal, insect, plant species on earth link together. Just like the film Avatar, all life is connected (even us). If we break one link, it affects thousands of other links.
Hedgehogs are an apex predator in our garden, having a hedgehog is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Have you seen a hedgehog recently ( that was actually alive!)
Go and build that hedgehog hole today. :)
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How the humble button mushroom can help save the world..... but it needs a few cyanobacteria a bit of graphene and a couple of nanocircuits.....
Amaze your friends with this little gem of ecological /environmentally friendly 'here's how we can save the planet' piece of information!
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Read more at PlantPlots.com
Garden designers make it look so easy - a few plants here and a patio there, so why does it never seem to work in your garden. Well aside from the fact that most of us don't have a budget of thousands and a posse of expert gardeners on hand; how can you turn your garden into something more beautiful, interesting and lovely.
Top tips to help you banish those boring borders.
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Read more at PlantPlots.com
We don't all have beautiful views of rolling green countryside to look at in our gardens. So what can you do to improve the view in your garden; and is both effective and affordable.
PlantPlots - We make Gardening Easier
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Did you know butterflies taste with their feet - so what would a butterfly think of your garden.... feast or famine?
And what about garden sprays - bet they make the flower and nectar taste disgusting!
If 80% of all the plants in all our gardens were fabulous tasty food sources for bees, butterflies and other insects and garden animals - we would all be helping to save the planet.
Read more at PlantPlots.com
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Craig Burrows Photography
Flowers evolved for insects not humans - so if you thought roses are red you need to think again.
Craig Burrows shows the real colour of flowers, the actual colours that the bees see.
Perhaps UV photos ought to be shown on every plant label; so that we'll know the flower can actually be seen by our bees too, when we buy plants in the garden centres
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Hedges are much better than fences - better for the planet, better for wildlife, they make better screens and windbreaks and they look better than a fence....
See Ingwe our topiary leopard - now you can't do that with a fence, can you!
If you'd like ideas on how to grow a hedge that doesn't cause you too much work... read How to have a low maintenance hedge
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Read more at PlantPlots.com
Houseplants are really beneficial for us, but being indoors is not any good for plants. Quick tips and advice on keeping your indoor plants happy, healthy ... and alive!
Monday Mist, Tuesday Turn, Wednesday Water & Friday Feed folks!
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Read the CNN article - and why not share it with your local town planning office! #amdoingmybit
At PlantPlots we think gardens should look good but most importantly do good too. Our world is changing fast, sadly governments don't react fast enough, but as individuals we can: Share this with your local town planning office, environmentally green buildings should actually be green!
How wonderful would our world be if all cities looked like this?
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Watch the video on our YouTube channel
You want to 'do' the garden, but what should you actually be 'doing'!
We have come up with 10 golden rules for 'newbie' gardeners - it will help you start to create a garden that works - for you!
Read more in our series 'How to design a garden if'....
If you are really stuck and just want to ask a few questions - email us enquiries@plantplots.com, we're very friendly!
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Mother Nature spent millions of years perfecting the design of insects so that they can pollinate - but Humans seem to think we can do better - we can't!
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You can help save the world by thinking just a little more about the types of plants in your garden.
By reassessing who the flowers are really for, you can transform your garden from a colourful desert into a colourful paradise.
Learn more about how to BEE More Responsible Gardeners
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Soil is the breadbasket of your garden - so what do you need to know about your soil/dirt so that you can put the plants in your garden that will be happiest growing there.
It's all about Right plant, Right place - if the plants you use are happy with the soil you have they will grow well and 'do their thing' - which means you don't have to spend time looking after them.
Download our Free Planting & Soil Guides - so you know what plants to grow in your garden
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If your garden borders just aren't looking their best and at the first sign of the wind blowing or after the rain, your plants just 'give up the ghost' and lie down on the ground...what can you do about it?
Why is is happening and how can you solve it?
Read more about sorting out your floppy plants
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Humans have messed up - we've fiddled about with plants in an attempt to 'improve' them - but improve them for who? And then we issues industry 'gong's and awards for creating these messed up plants!
There is no purpose to a plant if it cannot reproduce itself on its own - in fact if it can't produce it's own fertile seed, is it a plant at all?
The Award of Garden merit given by the RHS creates the incentive to produce more and more of these 'plants' - but did you know, the plant is not judged on it's ability to be useful, just it's ability to look good.
Read more about this on on our website
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And you thought Avatar was just a CGI movie....no, it may surprise you to know that 'Avatar' exists in every wood or forest on Earth..... so let's stop digging them up to make 'consumer goods'.
We love to create happy gardens full of happy plants - visit our website and make your garden happy too!
See this article on the BBC about how plants talk to each other.
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A few amazing properties of the humble spinach leaf - it might just save your heart!
PlantPlots - the Gardening Website for non-gardeners!
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Little changes collectively make massive differences. Avoiding buying bedding plants will help us help the planet.
It won't help the horticulture industry - they'd love you to keep buying these 'plant them and chuck them away' plants year after year; surely there has to be a better alternative for us our gardens and the bees?
Read more - How Green are Bedding Plants?
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How to create a garden border that will perform for you.
But we won't mention anything about herbaceous perennials here.... instead we'll talk about a different design method that will help you choose the plants for your garden.
Learn more about how to make you Garden Border Perform
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Ever popped out to the Garden Centre and come home with a plant that you then don't know where to plant?
5 Rules to Remember to help you get it right.
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Gardening can be expensive, especially at the beginning. This little podcast runs through the most essential tools you really need to get - so you don't waste money buying expensive (but unnecessary) garden gadgets.
90% of your gardening chores will use just these few tools.
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How to identify the parts of your garden that create lots of unnecessary work and what can you do to lessen the work.
How to create easy care gardens that still look gorgeous - read more @ PlantPlots.com
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Let's assume humans are responsible for the declining bee population (although many would say there is no direct evidence to prove this... as big business would argue) so let's just assume we are.
So what can we all do in our own garden to help the bee population - after all without bees, we've got 4 years left alive!
https://plantplots.com/bee-responsible-gardening/
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OK, in the 'Battle of the Garden' the current score is Your Garden 10: 0 You.
What can you do and more importantly what shouldn't you do to get your garden back on track and under control...
Read lots more great garden advice
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Who and what on earth is PlantPlots & what is our podcast The Plotting Shed all about?
Why you should listen to us.
& details of my little encounter with Donald Trump (before he got elected to become President of the United States of America)
Details of everything we talk about is available to see on our Website - PlantPlots.com
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As part of our series on creating gardens that don't create unnecessary work for you -
What factors in your garden borders create more work than others.
Pre-warned is pre-armed - if you anticipate any future problems, you can stop them happening in the first place.
Gardening should be a pleasure, if your garden is full of 'stuff' that causes extra work, you won't have a garden you can ever enjoy being in.
Read more about getting low maintenance borders
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