Gardening Zoë

01/06/2026

When you’re supposed to be gardening but get distracted by a family of young Stoats playing.
😍

31/05/2026

22/05/2026

Pergola 2.0 -project update Spring 2026…

Our pergola was erected in 2023 by a landscaper with the timber frame supplied by

And it’s fab! But…

The trees behind, the bird p**p & our wonderful ever changing British weather meant we weren’t getting the use of the space.

So… Spring 2026 project update to add a roof was born. To be honest it’s been in planning for a year! But there were questions about what kind of materials we wanted to use.

Firstly we cleaned it up and the main structure black.

Then we contacted who made timber firrings for the pergola so that the roof could be angled to allow for rain run off.

We painted those black, attached them to the top and next added bamboo reed fencing for dappled shade.

Finally we secured Suntuf corrugated polycarbonate roofing sheets.

Et voila! Pergola 2.0…

Happy days whatever the weather…. 😍

20/04/2026

😢😢

Last week I spent time clearing weeds from the edge of a conifer hedge that borders along a clients driveway. That included sorting through this beautiful little Euphorbia to remove plants that had started growing too far into the drive & cutting back any dead so that this years growth can be seen clearly & flourish.

So today I was so disappointed to arrive on site & see that the mowing guys (from another company) have strimmed the lot…. And left it everywhere across the drive. So upsetting when hard work has been put in.

There are the right people for the right job… that’s why I pride myself on being a plant person. I’ve worked a lot to learn about different plants & whilst I cannot know everything, what I don’t know, I will spend valuable time researching.

Right plant, right place is important.

On top of that is making sure the right person / team are employed for the right job.

17/04/2026

I cannot resist a bargain…. Saw this beauty in the clearance section at Newbury today - Aquilegia 😍

13/04/2026

Popped outside to do some work in our own garden yesterday & within 15 minutes there was a hailstorm!! 😂

So back indoors with a cuppa tea we went ☕️

08/04/2026

Wisteria is coming….

02/04/2026

If you haven’t yet cut your lawn for the first time this year, now is a good time to start….

…but…

Don’t go too low too quickly - this will stress the grass sward! - unless it’s very long, just aim to cut the tips off to encourage strong new growth. And repeat in 7-14 days time. Gradually lower the length over the next month & still don’t scalp the lawn.

I’ll show you my lawn over the weekend as it’s about to get its 3rd cut of the year.

19/03/2026

View from under a pergola pruning, untangling & tying in roses & clematis 😍

And Wow! Blue skies this week!! Just wow. So lovely to feel warm spring sunshine ☀️.

Last week I had 5 layers on plus a woolly hat & a hood the wind was so cold 🥶. Today I wore a T-shirt & sunglasses!!