Love Your Front Garden

Recycling Cupboards

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:39:17 GMT

How to power up and flower up recycling storage

Because my urban front garden is so small, if I were to line up all the recycling boxes on the ground, it would become little more than an homage to refuse collection. So my husband made a simple open shelving unit in treated wood, in which we could stack the bins. Then, we covered the top in roofing felt to keep the weather out. This has worked well for many years and the surface has become a mini theatre to display plants of the season, housed in dinky pots, which are equally decorative.

There are now plenty of online resources that sell recycling cupboards, either flat-packed, ready-made or built to spec. Some come with a ‘green roof’ or ‘living roof’ (a specially designed topper that can accommodate plants). If you want a slight slope to the top surface to ensure rain runs off, you can still stand pots and containers on it, although obviously if it has a domed shape or steep angle, it won’t work, unless you fashion some kind of platform. I plan to do some research and devote an entire future post to recycling units for front gardens. But for now, it’s all about the top show.

Top Tips

A collection of pots, closely positioned, looks cute and eye-catching. Choose those that have some style and demand to be seen, such as decorated ceramic plant pots – perhaps choose those with different patterns but all in the same colourway. Alternatively, go for all terracotta to create a more traditional and uniform look.

Celebrate the season, for instance, with polyanthus and dwarf daffodils in spring or marguerites and calibrachoa, commonly known as "Million Bells". Most little seasonal plants are reasonably priced and make the cupboard look super-cheerful.

Try the one-tone approach and opt for a single colour statement with your planting. White is a good choice as it looks so fresh.

If you are using succulents, be aware they dislike being waterlogged, so store them undercover in excessively wet periods.

My recycling cupboard from above

My simple solution for merging storage with top show

Seasonal Themes

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:38:22 GMT

Ringing the changes in a small garden

What I enjoy about having such a diminutive front garden is that I can create fresh impact fairly easily, and at the same time, celebrate each season. I find this approach makes gardening more interesting for me and gives passers-by something new to look at. In fact, it’s one of the aspects of my front garden people seem to enjoy – that it’s an ever-evolving, work in progress.

You can change your front garden as much or as little as you like. If you don’t want to spend too much time or money on it, then strategic planting with evergreens works well – then you can simply add the odd pot of seasonal flowers or window box to vary its mood and appearance.

I have a small flower bed behind the front wall in which I have a few perennials and a couple of shrubs, just to give the bed a bit of a framework. For instance, I have two deciduous Cotinus (aka smoke bushes), known for their beautiful, richly coloured leaves (I love Royal Purple because it matches the deep maroon shade of the front door and gate, which is Farrow & Ball in Brinjal if you’re asking). These ‘shrubs’ can turn into trees if you don’t prune them hard and shape them to suit, but mine seem to respond well to being cut back in late winter or very early spring.

I also have a perennial salvia that is bushy with bright blue flowers, which lasted right up to the first frosts last year. Just be aware that some salvias can grow very tall, very quickly. I once planted a salvia Amistad but it leapt to about six feet in height - too big so I had to dig it up. I’ve also found Liriope muscari (sometimes called lily turf) is a good filler. Its arching, grass-like green leaves give year-long interest and their spikes of flowers that appear in late summer, are a bonus.

NB: All parts of tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and primulas are toxic to dogs and cats (particularly the bulbs) as are many annuals and perennials. Check before you buy so you can plant strategically and with diligence.

Springtime - Go Bold

Spring is the time when bulbs, planted in the autumn, come into their own. I adore tulips in all showy shapes and sizes, so they feature big-time in my spring garden, so much so, I’ve put a separate tab called ‘Tulip Central’ on the home page. For instant spring colour, most garden centres and markets are packed with primulas, hyacinths and potted narcissi, which offer splashes of vibrancy wherever you place them. After the drabness of winter, I think colour is a real mood-booster, so I forego all ideas of stylish monochromaticity and just paint my front garden with a palette worthy of Pop Art.

Summer – Go Lush

Once the bulbs have done their ‘springsational’ stuff, it’s time to refresh the window boxes and pots. I tend to bring some potted perennials that I have in the back garden, out to the front and then treat myself to annuals that I can cram into containers. With summer foliage so green and healthy, I like to add to that feeling of jungly lushness with flowers that trail and spill. I also prefer to stick to a single colour, albeit in various hues, so for instance, if I opt for purple, that also embraces blues, mauves, maroons and perhaps, dots of white. The biggest tip of all, though, is when most people tell me I have green fingers when they see everything blooming so profusely, I reply that I don’t, I’m just disciplined when it comes to watering. Plants need water, particularly when they are in pots and especially when the weather is warm. Don’t let them go thirsty.

Autumn – Go Clashy

It’s easy to assume that at the garden centre in autumn, flowers will be thin on the ground but I quite like the challenge of finding and creating something cheerful. I also like to reflect the leaves changing colour and embrace the spirit of Halloween, which means concentrating on orange and juxtaposing that with plants that are firework bright. Last time, because I already had a Calamondin (a shrub which bears little orange fruits) and my shocking pink Mandevilla from summer was still flowering, I picked a citrus and raspberry theme. The showstopper was the new Rudbeckia Fireball, which was an explosion of tangerine petals. I find if you pick a colour scheme before you go plant shopping, it allows you to hone in on your mission and not get distracted by anything and everything. Honestly, it’s a tip that makes garden retail therapy all the more satisfying.

Winter – Go Crisp

Granted, there aren’t heaps for options for winter, but providing you have some evergreens, you can totally rely on good old hellebores and winter pansies that courageously hold their heads up when the weather is chilly and so much in the garden has gone into hiding. The hellebores, with their sweet nodding heads in white, green, pink or ruby, and their shiny, leathery leaves, certainly cut a dash. Last winter, I planted up the window boxes with white ones (I usually go ruby to match the front door but fancied an icy change) and paired them with mini Lemon Cypress trees that leant the boxes some architectural shape. This is also the time to make the most of a door wreath, and as I’d gone white in the garden, I went cool on the door wreath. I don’t think wreaths are just for Christmas though, and I’ll be uploading a post soon on ideas for year round door decoration.

Tulip Central

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:31:46 GMT

Welcome to the wonderful world of tulips

For years I pigeon-holed tulips as boring, petrol-station blooms that drooped in the vase after a couple of days. But when I dug a bit deeper and did some online research, I was taken aback by the sheer volume of voluptuous tulip bulbs available. So I ordered a few as an experiment. They arrived dumpy and brown in their papery skins. Unremarkable and unlovely. But oh, they carried the promise of such transformation. Come Spring, the Belicia shook out her frills of vanilla silk, edges stained with raspberry ink. Light shone from the scarlet candles of the Armani. And the sepia-luxe of La Belle Epoque bustled beside the raven drama of Queen of Night.

Since then, I have made it a ritual of autumn to go online and select a haul of amazing tulips. It’s so cheering to choose these treasures when the weather is turning dreary and there are so many varieties, from those shaped like the feathers of exotic birds (the parrot tulips) to those that resemble peonies (the double tulips). And the range of colours is something to behold. Whatever your favourite shades are, there will be a tulip to match.

Tulips put on a show from late March to May and I have always found in my garden they do best in pots. It’s great to be able to group the containers creatively as the flowers bloom and replace them as they fade. While you can re-bloom certain types of tulips in subsequent years in flower beds (and I would do that if I had large flower borders or wilder grassy areas to plant them in) for my front garden, I view them as an annual treat. And if you want a reliable, resplendent display, then ordering new tulips each season is the way to go.

NB : All parts of the tulip, from bulb and stem to leaf and flower, are toxic to cats and dogs, so plant with diligence.

How to plant tulips

The ideal time for planting tulips is from October to December. Choose pots and containers with good drainage - tulips hate to be too wet and if they get waterlogged, they’ll rot. I like to mix a couple of handfuls of horticultural grit per pot into a peat-free, multipurpose compost to improve drainage.

Start to fill the pot with the compost, leaving enough space to place the bulbs at a depth of approximately three times their height. Place them point side up, a few centimetres apart (in a pot, you can go slightly closer than shown in this picture if you want to ensure a lush display). Cover the bulbs with the remaining compost mix, leaving about an inch of the rim and firm the soil. I like to scatter some grit on the top – the pots look more stylish and it helps with drainage.

Label them - if you have more than one or two pots, come spring, you really won’t remember which bulbs went in which pots. I use black plant labels and write on them with a white marker because I just think they look smart but any plant labels will do.

Finally, protect them from squirrels and foxes. I have lots of old wire cloches but they can be expensive to buy these days, so you can always buy some mesh and secure it with metal pegs. Once the tulips have started sprouting and are pushing through, remove and let your tulips grow freely.

Water well and place in a relatively sheltered spot but don’t worry when winter temperatures drop and the garden is shivering in freezing conditions. Tulip bulbs bloom much better when they have been through a period of chilling. Come spring, move pots to their final position.

Ready for my close-ups?

Some of my favourite tulips I’ve grown and photographed.

Amazing Parrot

Exotic Emperor

Dream Touch

Brownie

Belicia

Copper Image

Rembrandt

Wyndham

Ageing Terracotta Pots

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 11:47:52 GMT

How to ‘age’ terracotta pots super-fast

Some items look great when they’re box fresh: trainers for best; a white cotton shirt; a linen tablecloth. But when it comes to terracotta pots, I prefer mine a bit beaten up and weathered. Green with mossy softness and washed with powdery white clouds, a patterning called ‘efflorescence’. As terracotta is porous, it allows salts, calcium and other minerals to leach from the soil, fertilisers and water, causing staining to accumulate. Terracotta’s porosity is a good thing. It provides a beneficial environment, allowing moisture to wick and air to circulate around the roots of plants.

Algae and moss add verdancy, usually more prevalent when pots have been left is a shady corner. Personally, I love that look of creeping velvet, just as I like the frosty, salty filigree. But then I even like to see some spattered dirt, a sign plants have had a good soaking from the heavens or hose.

So desirable has this antique look become that authentic old containers are highly sought after. And expensive. It’s also why many companies manufacturing pots give them some faux ageing. However, that knocked about and ever so slightly knackered appearance, ramps up the price.

In order to try to reproduce the shabby-chic look myself, I tried that much-talked about trick of covering them in yogurt to culture some crud but the pots just felt a bit slimy for a while, then flakiness appeared. Plus the process seemed painfully slow. So now, I opt for the ten minute makeover and paint them (the only pots I wouldn’t treat are those destined for edible produce).

Eventually, as your artwork fades (the effects of water-based paints, which I use, won’t last forever) and nature’s hand becomes stronger, the two meet and meld rather wonderfully. When I posted a collection of much-prized pots on Instagram, Diarmuid Gavin commented how much he liked them. I was well chuffed. After all, that’s like Mary Berry complimenting your Lemon Drizzle.

Pot Luck

Economy, machine-made terracotta pots tend to have quite a dense, close texture with a slightly shiny finish, compared to handmade varieties, which have a more soft, organic feel to them. However, if you’re going to distress pots with paint, you can easily work with the inexpensive varieties and experiment without worrying you might mess up something precious. These cheapies also crop up in other colours such a greyish brown, an equally good base shade to work on.

Materials you will need:

∙Terracotta pots

∙Sandpaper – fairly coarse

∙Paint – either acrylic craft paint or household, water-based matte emulsion (sample pots are a good way to build a palette that appeals to you).

∙1 inch/25mm paintbrush (or similar)

∙A natural sponge

∙Small jar of water

∙Tiny amount of sand (optional)

How To

Weather Watch: You don’t have to follow these steps to the letter. Look carefully at how nature acts on surfaces and be inspired to try your own interpretations. Sitting and noticing such details is as therapeutic as it is artistic.

Lay the groundwork

To give the paint something to ‘key’ onto, use a fairly coarse sandpaper to roughen the surface of the pot. Then, just as a painter washes a new canvas to subdue its glaring expanse, create a 'ground'. Use a dry brush to paint all the way around the pot. However, don’t give it full coverage - you want a haphazard effect with some areas painted and some barely covered. Don’t forget to paint inside the lip of pot as when it’s planted up, this area is still visible.

Step 1

Scuff

Before this layer has time to dry completely, scuff it up with sandpaper, working horizontally – when you sand just-tacky paint you can create an uneven finish easily - if you wait for it to dry completely, the effect tends to be smoother and more uniform.

Think asymmetry and happy accidents. And don’t forget to sand edges top and bottom so the terracotta shows through – natural patina doesn’t build up so much on crisper lines.

Step 2

Get down and dirty

Add a layer of a sludgy coloured paint – this time, add a little drop of water to give it more translucency. Scuff back with sandpaper again.

Step 3

Art of layering

Paint and then roughen as many layers of paint as you wish, concentrating colour in some areas and leaving other patches relatively raw. Use a darker shade around the base of the pot, where it would naturally pick up more dirt and dampness. When the pot is completely dry, if you wish, you can mix a little sand to sludgy paint to introduce a more rugged texture to this area, wiping with dry kitchen paper to blend.

Step 4

Dab hand

To mimic moss growing on the pot from the bottom upwards, press a natural sponge into undiluted dark green paint and dab, using a lighter and lighter touch as you work up towards the middle of the pot. You can also try going much heavier on one side of the pot, as if algae has grown on the shadowy side. Before these sponge marks are completely dry, give them a light rub with sandpaper to soften and ‘bed’ them in. Voila. Time travel comes to your potting shed.

Step 5

A version of my article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph.

Tall Story

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 11:47:51 GMT

How to raise your garden game by playing with height

Recently, I was chatting with the wonderful Christina Cobb. She is an RHS Chelsea award-winning designer and will be there again at the 2026 show with one of five gardens in the ‘All About Plants’ category, championing the positive impact plants can have on our lives. I can’t wait to see what she achieves – I know the theme is ‘Time for Creativity’ sponsored by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and is aimed at encouraging us to disconnect from technology and get in touch with our arty side.

Obviously, I couldn’t wait to ask her some thoughts on front gardens and she pointed out that in a small area you shouldn’t forget the value of vertical space. “There’s no denying front gardens often have to serve functional purposes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be beautiful. If you need to store bins there, screen them within a timber store and grow climbers up the sides,” she says. “A climber can also add character to the facade of a property and you can frame a garden path by training one over an archway.”

Aiming high as well as low is a great strategy because it not only maximises space but also provides a backdrop to any other plants placed in front, creating an overall picture that has much greater dimension.

While my springtime garden is full of tulips, in summer, I certainly like to experiment with tall flowers that can be grown in pots. I’ve found it’s surprising how many varieties you can cultivate in a container, as long as it’s deep enough. For instance, I love the long, elegant spires of delphiniums or even hollyhocks, although they can go a bit crazy in their never-ending attempts to touch the sky. There are also plenty of flowers you can grow up trellises, canes and obelisks, such as sweet peas and clematis. So next time you’re planning and planting, think about raising the stakes.

Ready for my close-ups?

Some of my favourite tulips I’ve grown and photographed.

Handwriting

Into The Dark

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 11:47:49 GMT

How nearly-black flowers can set the garden alight

I love to use bright shades in my front garden. Sometimes, I even opt for colour clashing, for instance, a vibrant purple juxtaposed with dazzling orange. But sometimes, my mood goes dark (often in the summer months) and I opt for inky, almost-black flowers. Why? Because they make a sophisticated statement, often with textures of rich and expensive fabric.

Take Black Velvet petunias. These have been a revelation. I used to pooh-pooh petunias as a bit naff because my Dad always used to grow the red striped varieties as sticky companions to clumps of blue lobelia, a combination I didn't warm to at all. But black petunias that burgeon and trail are perfect for my window boxes, and passers-by are always keen to know what they are, often not even realising they’re petunias.

If I’m going big and going high, I do love the Nigra hollyhock, which is a deep maroon. If I’m going tiny and low, then Viola Back to Black demands attention, despite its diminutive size. If I fancy a mid-size climber, I’ve grown clematis Romantika with some success. And don’t forget you can have fun with black foliage too – think heuchera Obsidian, which I use with black flowers or as a foil to blingy colours.

Most so-called black flowers aren’t truly black – they are very dark shades of purples or aubergines, the variations in their shades becoming more obvious in the sunlight. But they certainly cast a spell over any display. Keep a watch out at the garden centre and if you see a black flower, snap it up and enjoy its drama.

Love Your Front Garden

Recycling Cupboards

How to power up and flower up recycling storage

Top Tips

My recycling cupboard from above

My simple solution for merging storage with top show

Seasonal Themes

Ringing the changes in a small garden

Springtime - Go Bold

Summer – Go Lush

Autumn – Go Clashy

Winter – Go Crisp

Tulip Central

Welcome to the wonderful world of tulips

How to plant tulips

Ready for my close-ups?

Amazing Parrot

Exotic Emperor

Dream Touch

Brownie

Belicia

Copper Image

Rembrandt

Wyndham

Ageing Terracotta Pots

How to ‘age’ terracotta pots super-fast

Pot Luck

Materials you will need:

How To

Lay the groundwork

Step 1

Scuff

Step 2

Get down and dirty

Step 3

Art of layering

Step 4

Dab hand

Step 5

A version of my article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph.

Tall Story

How to raise your garden game by playing with height

Ready for my close-ups?

Handwriting

Handwriting

Handwriting

Into The Dark

How nearly-black flowers can set the garden alight

Ready for my close-ups?

Viola Back to Black

Petunia Black Velvet

Clematis Romantika

Hollyhock Nigra