The Plotting Shed

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?

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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 abou…

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 squeez…

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 ga…

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 no…

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 tak…

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 tak…

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 -…

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 floweri…

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…

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 ca…

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…

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 w…

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 - t…

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 int…

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…

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 hav…

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 incl…

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 o…

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…