Exmouth gardening

07/06/2026

If the sun barely reaches part of your yard, don’t give up on flowers 🌸 Shade loving plants can still bring color and life.

22/04/2026

BOX caterpillar is back and early this year, check your bushes now for signs of being eaten! Only affects box hedge.

26/02/2026

February is the best month to divide herbaceous perennials — the plants are in full dormancy, roots tolerate the disturbance with minimal stress, and each division has six to eight weeks to establish before growth resumes. Dividing in February is the most effective way to multiply a garden for nothing while it is still sleeping.

Rhubarb: drive a sharp spade through the crown to split it into two or three pieces, each carrying at least two visible pink buds at the surface. Replant each piece at soil level in a hole improved with compost, at 80 cm spacing. A crown divided in February produces harvestable stems from May of the same year and will continue for fifteen years.

Chives: lift the entire clump with a fork and pull or cut it into four to six sections by hand. Each fist-sized clump replanted at 20 cm spacing becomes a vigorous plant again within eight weeks. Chives that have not been divided for three years hollow out at the centre — division restores them completely.

Sorrel: lift the crown with a garden fork and cut into sections with a knife, keeping three or four leaves and a piece of fleshy root on each piece. Replant at 30 cm spacing in rich soil. Sorrel divided in February re-establishes more strongly than seedlings and provides the first sharp leaves from April for sauces and soups.

French tarragon: French tarragon sets no viable seed — division in February is the only way to propagate it. Lift the clump and separate rooted runners into 10 cm sections each carrying buds. Replant immediately in free-draining soil. Russian tarragon sold as seed has no culinary value — only true French tarragon is worth dividing.

Mint: lift the clump and cut the underground stolons into 10 cm sections, each with rooting nodes. Replant each section into a pot sunk into the ground to contain its spread. Mint divided in February fills its container within four weeks and provides the first leaves from April. One plant produces ten new plants per division.

Daylily (Hemerocallis): lift the clump with a fork and pull or cut the individual fans apart, each carrying three to five leaves and white fleshy roots. Replant at 40 cm spacing. Daylilies that have not been divided for five years gradually flower less — division restores strong flowering from July.

Hosta: upend the root ball and split the crown with a knife or spade into sections each carrying at least two dormant eyes. Replant in rich, moisture-retentive soil at half-shade, 50 cm spacing. Hostas divided in February produce leaves as large as the parent plant within the first season if the soil is sufficiently fertile.

Bearded iris: slice rhizomes into 10 cm sections each carrying a fan of leaves trimmed to 15 cm. Replant with the rhizome at or just above soil level — it must be exposed to sun in order to flower. Space at 30 cm. Irises divided in February can flower as early as May or June of the same year.

Comfrey: cut root sections of 5 cm with a knife — every piece of root regenerates a complete plant within six weeks. Bocking 14 comfrey does not self-seed and is propagated only by root division. Replant at 60 cm spacing. One established plant produces four to five cuts of leaves per year for liquid feed, mulch, and the compost heap.

In northern Every plant divided in February gives you freely what a nursery pot or seed packet would cost — the best investment in any garden is a sharp spade at the right moment.

26/02/2026

20/02/2026

Shade gardens can be stunning—if you match plants to the kind of shade you have. 🌳 Quick shade cheat sheet:
🌤️ Bright shade (lots of light, no direct sun): hosta, brunnera, heuchera
🌥️ Morning sun + afternoon shade: astilbe, pulmonaria, bleeding heart
🌑 Deep shade: ferns and hostas usually handle it best
Care tips that help them thrive:
💧 Trees drink a lot—shade beds often need MORE water than you think
🍂 Mulch keeps roots cool and reduces watering
🐌 If slugs are a problem, keep mulch a little away from hosta crowns
Perennials are a “plant once, enjoy for years” kind of win. 🌱

19/02/2026

Not every gardener has weekends to spare — and not every border needs them.
Some plants settle into a spot, spread quietly, and look better each year without deadheading, dividing, or fussing.

- Catmint — Zones 3–8
Blooms in soft lavender waves from late spring through fall, rebounding after a quick shear without any coaxing.

- Daylily — Zones 3–9
Tough, adaptable, and endlessly reliable — each clump thickens on its own and blooms through summer heat.

- Russian Sage — Zones 4–9
Airy silver-blue spires that laugh off drought, poor soil, and full sun without missing a beat.

- Sedum (Autumn Joy) — Zones 3–9
Succulent foliage stays tidy all season, then shifts from pink to copper as fall arrives — no watering schedule needed.

- Black-Eyed Susan — Zones 3–9
Self-seeds just enough to fill gaps, blooming gold from midsummer into autumn with zero intervention.

- Lamb's Ear — Zones 4–8
Soft silver mats that spread steadily along border edges, unbothered by heat or dry spells.

- Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass — Zones 4–9
Perfectly vertical, perfectly low-maintenance — stays upright through rain, snow, and every season in between.

- Coneflower — Zones 3–8
Deep-rooted prairie native that handles drought, clay, and neglect while feeding pollinators and birds.

- Yarrow — Zones 3–9
Flat-topped blooms in white, pink, or gold that thrive in lean soil and spread to fill thin spots naturally.

- Creeping Thyme — Zones 4–9
Hugs the ground, tolerates foot traffic, and releases fragrance when brushed — ideal for border fronts and path edges.

- Baptisia — Zones 3–9
Slow to establish, then utterly permanent — a deep-rooted shrub-like perennial that never needs staking, splitting, or attention.

The best low-maintenance borders aren't designed to look untouched. They're planted so well that effort becomes invisible.