Heart of stone

Turn the space you’ve got into the garden you want – fast!

The unpredictability of wet and dry weather is impacting our gardens and how well they thrive. But there are simple strategies to make both your plot and your planting more resilient

1 Gravel is a budget-friendly option for surfaces. It’s permeable and looks good. Here, we used a 6-10mm Thames Valley flint chipping, nicely angular so it locks together well underfoot. Any larger an

I love crazy paving. And I don’t mean the psychedelic colours of 1970s driveways. Done well, using irregular paving slabs, it is full of character and design potential. It adapts easily to awkward sha

Cottage gardening has been completely reimagined in this unique west London home, with a calm palette of ornamental grasses that comes spectacularly into its own in autumn

Nothing beats home-grown crops for flavour, but if a kitchen garden with its regimented rows of fruit and vegetables doesn’t appeal, then consider creating a pretty potager