The living garden
Build a garden with more than one layer
Think upwards from the soil: different heights create different ways to use the same patch.
The living garden
Plants, water and a little room left for wildlife
The living garden
Choosing a mixed hedge for birds
A mixed boundary can offer more than a screen, provided its plants suit the ground and the available width.
The living garden
What a hawthorn brings to a small garden
Blossom, haws and dense branching make this a tree worth planning around rather than squeezing in.
The living garden
Holly as shelter and a winter food source
Think about shelter, pollination and eventual size before choosing a holly for its berries.
The living garden
The overlooked value of mature ivy
Mature ivy has a different role from a few young trailing shoots.
The living garden
Making space for a rowan tree
A rowan changes the view through the seasons, but its mature shape still needs room.
The living garden
Leaving seed heads standing
A border can remain useful after the flowers have finished.
The living garden
Growing sunflowers beyond the flowers
Choose a plant for the head it will leave behind as well as the flower it will produce.
The living garden
Finding a place for teasels
Allow for the rosette, the tall stem and the seeds that may follow.
The living garden
A useful corner of fallen leaves
Clear the route, but consider leaving the ground beneath a shrub to work differently.
The living garden
Making a log pile that can stay put
The useful part is what happens to the wood after you stop moving it.
The living garden
Letting part of the grass grow
Keep the path you use, and let another part of the lawn develop its own structure.