if your garden is bigger than a courtyard, but smaller than an acre

Currently Browsing - Garden style & living

A modern twist on an old favourite - easy cottage garden plants planted in contemporary 'drifts'

Contemporary cottage garden style – the power of the 70/30 rule

How to achieve the prettiest contemporary cottage garden style – and why the 70/30 rule will make your planting so much more successful.

February 24th, 2024

Posted In: Garden style & living


Shady corner with vintage seating

10 simple ideas for neglected or difficult garden areas

Simple ideas for revamping a neglected or difficult garden area – look at your garden in a different way and re-use what you already have

January 26th, 2024

Posted In: Garden style & living


Reds and pinks in a border at the No Name Nursery in Kent

Brilliant garden border inspiration – how to choose colours, shapes & structure

If you’re re-vamping your garden border this year, I’ve picked out the best borders from the gardens featured on the Middlesized Garden. Plus there are key tips from their head…

January 28th, 2023

Posted In: Garden style & living


How to choose the best garden furniture for you

How to choose the best garden furniture for your garden

How to choose garden furniture: should you get metal, wood, rattan or plastic? Second-hand or vintage? And when to buy.

January 11th, 2023

Posted In: Garden style & living


Writing down your gardening goals will give you good ideas on how to improve your garden

10 gardening goals – and how to make sure you achieve them

If you write or say your gardening goals, you’re more likely to achieve the garden of your dreams. Here are 10 goals and how to achieve them.

December 31st, 2022

Posted In: Garden style & living


Group pots to create a border

How to group pots – plus practical tips for fabulous container planting

How to group pots to create a beautiful ‘border’ – you can switch it round, take it with you and have maximum colour every season

April 30th, 2022

Posted In: Container gardening, Garden style & living


Sedum and succulents

Cottage garden mashup – how to adapt English cottage style to your own garden

A cottage garden mashup means taking the elements of English cottage garden style and mixing it with your own local plants to create a garden that’s unique to you. I…

April 2nd, 2022

Posted In: Garden style & living


Spring garden path and bulbs

Feeling overwhelmed by your garden? 11 easy, practical solutions

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by your garden, especially in late spring when plants and weeds are bursting into growth. The gardening to-do list at this time of year can…

May 1st, 2021

Posted In: Garden style & living, Gardening know how


American Gardens and Royal Gardens of the World

Two fascinating new books about gardens everyone should read

American Gardens by Monty Don and Royal Gardens of the World by Mark Lane cover some of the most influential gardens in the world. They place gardening in a historical, political and economic context.

September 24th, 2020

Posted In: Garden style & living


From garage to garden room

Easy budget makeover – from garage to garden room

Francine Raymond, Daily Telegraph gardening writer and author, recently turned her garage into a stylish garden room and potting shed. And she did it on a minimum spend, without losing…

August 16th, 2020

Posted In: Garden style & living


Shed storage for narrow gardens

North facing garden tips – how to make the most of your space

I’ve just visited a narrow north facing garden with some charming thin garden ideas and a wildlife friendly focus. It’s also on a slope – so the garden conditions could…

July 26th, 2020

Posted In: Garden style & living, Garden trends & design


Growing roses – expert tips from Hever Castle rose garden

Hever Castle is famous for growing roses. It has more than 4,000 of them. So I asked head gardener, Neil Miller for his best tips on growing roses in our…

July 19th, 2020

Posted In: Garden style & living, Gardening know how