Seasonal garden advice
How and when to do the real things — mowing, pruning, planting — based on what's actually working on the round each season.
Worth doing now — summer
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When to cut a hedge — and the law about nesting birds
summer · 11 June 2025
The real law on garden hedge-cutting and nesting season, what I check before starting a trim, and which months suit which hedge.
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Mowing in a dry spell — when to let the lawn go brown
summer · 23 July 2024
What I do with lawns in a Three Counties dry spell: cut higher, mow less often, leave the clippings, and why a brown August lawn is asleep, not dead.
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The rest of the year
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Cutting a hedge back hard — which come back, which don't
spring · 22 April 2026
Some hedges take a brutal cut and reshoot. Leylandii doesn't, and the brown patch stays brown. How to tell before you start, not after.
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When to prune what
winter · 5 February 2026
Most pruning mistakes are timing, not technique. The flowering rule, the trees you must not cut in winter, and what you can safely do any month.
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The last hedge cut of the year — how late is too late
autumn · 21 October 2025
The final trim is the one that shows all winter. Which hedges still want cutting in September, which wanted it in August, and why there is no single date.
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Slippery paths and patios — why brushing beats blasting
autumn · 8 October 2025
The black film that makes paving treacherous is algae, and it grows back. Why a regular sweep beats an annual blast, and what actually causes it.
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Repairing a tired lawn — and why autumn beats spring
autumn · 4 September 2025
Scarifying, aerating and overseeding a worn-out lawn: what each one fixes, the order that matters, and why September does in six weeks what April can't.
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Splitting perennials — free plants from your own garden
spring · 15 April 2025
Why a clump goes bald in the middle, when to lift and split it, the few that want different treatment, and how to get two or three plants from one.
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How to get an overgrown garden back under control
winter · 23 January 2025
A plain, first-person guide to clearing an overgrown garden: the order that works, what to check before you cut, and when it's worth calling someone.
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Clearing autumn leaves — what has to go, what can stay
autumn · 14 November 2024
Leaves off the lawn, left in the beds, never burnt. What needs clearing, how to turn the pile into leaf mould, and the check before you move it.
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Mulching beds — what to use, how deep, when it's worth it
autumn · 26 September 2024
Mulch does four jobs at once, and most of the ways it goes wrong are depth, timing, or piling it against stems. What I put on beds and when.
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When to plant spring bulbs — and why tulips wait
autumn · 12 September 2024
Daffodils and crocus by the end of September, tulips in November. Planting depth, spacing, and the one soil problem that ruins a tulip bed for three years.
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When to first cut a new lawn in spring
spring · 9 April 2024
Plain-English guidance on the right week, the right height, and what to look for before you start the mower in spring.
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Winter pruning for apple and pear trees
winter · 18 January 2024
When to prune apples and pears, the shape to aim for, how much to take in one winter, and the fruit trees you must never cut at this time of year.
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When to stop mowing — the last cut of the year
autumn · 12 October 2023
Why the last cut is a condition rather than a date, what height to leave the grass at, and the autumn jobs that matter more than the cut itself.
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