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A garden design Before and After. Plus: 30 of the best UK and North America seed suppliers
It’s quite long this week…
Jan 10
•
Jo Thompson
83
51
9
Just browsing? Read this first
What The Gardening Mind is all about - and how to join this worldwide community of garden-lovers
Jan 1, 2023
•
Jo Thompson
95
51
4
Why it works - a tiny garden design
And it's free to read
Jan 14
•
Jo Thompson
89
23
4
How to garden in January
Happy New Year! Plus: our first get-together of 2026
Jan 1
•
Jo Thompson
83
46
5
How on earth do you start with a border planting design?
Getting the effect you want in gardens of any size - and one of my secret garden design tricks for planted borders that look good
Jan 11, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
94
57
8
Most Popular
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Beautiful, easy summer planting combinations to try out at home
May 24, 2025
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Jo Thompson
280
95
14
How to create a romantic garden - design tips and tricks, and my top 100 romantic plants
Mar 22, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
179
53
25
Chelsea Flower Show - some secret views from inside the garden
May 21, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
184
58
9
Debunked: gardening myths
Oct 18, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
170
75
25
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Recent posts
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Garden design makeovers: some of the best Before and Afters
Plus: a 5-plant planting backbone combination to be getting on with right now, a US date, and my very best Christmas present
Dec 27, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
88
68
9
Designing small gardens on a budget
Lots of easy ideas on how to create a small garden with a small budget, and a case study
Aug 16, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
130
36
17
How to design your own cottage garden - easy tricks and tips
How to design your own cottage garden - week 1
Oct 4, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
153
71
19
See all
Books
The New Romantic Garden
Creating magical, atmospheric gardens
The Gardener's Palette
A journey through colour in gardens and art
Rhubarb Rhubarb
A correspondence between a hopeful gardener and a hopeless cook
Garden Design
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Why it works - a tiny garden design
And it's free to read
Jan 14
•
Jo Thompson
89
23
4
A garden design Before and After. Plus: 30 of the best UK and North America seed suppliers
It’s quite long this week…
Jan 10
•
Jo Thompson
83
51
9
Cottage gardens: can you really grow edibles and ornamentals together?
Plus: a vital but often forgotten layer of your planting design. And the first dahlia combinations are here - it's a good one
Jan 3
•
Jo Thompson
89
43
18
Favourite autumn roses
The autumn roses that really pack a punch
Oct 15, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
91
35
3
Easy Gardening
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Winter garden structure
A list
Jan 7
•
Jo Thompson
68
32
2
Cottage gardens: can you really grow edibles and ornamentals together?
Plus: a vital but often forgotten layer of your planting design. And the first dahlia combinations are here - it's a good one
Jan 3
•
Jo Thompson
89
43
18
How to garden in January
Happy New Year! Plus: our first get-together of 2026
Jan 1
•
Jo Thompson
83
46
5
Garden design makeovers: some of the best Before and Afters
Plus: a 5-plant planting backbone combination to be getting on with right now, a US date, and my very best Christmas present
Dec 27, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
88
68
9
City Gardens
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What do you do when you have impossible garden neighbours? And a planting recipe
Where the Wild Things Are: creating a garden design in the most unromantic of gardens
Feb 15, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
108
74
7
Small garden design - Week 7 : How to bring magic, mystery and romance into your garden
Demystifying the design principles, making your garden really 'work'. And garden notebooks.
Jan 18, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
124
61
7
How on earth do you start with a border planting design?
Getting the effect you want in gardens of any size - and one of my secret garden design tricks for planted borders that look good
Jan 11, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
94
57
8
How to make a resilient gravel garden, easily
How to make a gravel garden which is drought-tolerant, rain-tolerant, heat-tolerant and cold-tolerant. Plus: will I be brave enough to plant this week's…
Aug 10, 2024
•
Jo Thompson
75
58
11
Country Gardens
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A planting design before and after, the Rose Diaries, and a magical garden
Plus: a plant that we love to hate - do you?
Aug 2, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
141
73
13
How to design a large country garden
Creating a garden out of a completely blank canvas
Nov 18, 2023
•
Jo Thompson
43
21
4
The Name of the Rose
A mystery - solved
Jul 17, 2023
•
Jo Thompson
28
33
5
Winter Gardens
The treasures to be found in these 'off-season' gardens
Jan 15, 2023
•
Jo Thompson
19
22
1
Planting Design
View all
Garden design makeovers: some of the best Before and Afters
Plus: a 5-plant planting backbone combination to be getting on with right now, a US date, and my very best Christmas present
Dec 27, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
88
68
9
A beginner's guide to cottage gardens, with nine planting palettes
Part 4: How to create those all-important layers in your cottage garden
Nov 22, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
93
20
8
Favourite autumn roses
The autumn roses that really pack a punch
Oct 15, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
91
35
3
How to design your own cottage garden
How to plan your cottage garden design – simple steps to get started - Week 2
Oct 11, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
61
38
5
Garden Jobs this Month
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How to garden in January
Happy New Year! Plus: our first get-together of 2026
Jan 1
•
Jo Thompson
83
46
5
How to garden in December
What To Do and What Not To Do this month. And - it's our 4th birthday!
Nov 29, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
122
24
10
How to garden in November
What to Do and What Not to Do in your garden this month. Plus: Substack on Film, tulip bargains and the first Shrub of the Month
Nov 1, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
137
37
7
How to garden in October
What to Do and What Not to Do in your garden this month. Plus: a new rose entry in the Rose Diaries, and some exciting Gardening Mind news
Oct 1, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
155
54
9
Small Garden Design
View all
Why it works - a tiny garden design
And it's free to read
Jan 14
•
Jo Thompson
89
23
4
A garden design Before and After. Plus: 30 of the best UK and North America seed suppliers
It’s quite long this week…
Jan 10
•
Jo Thompson
83
51
9
A Christmas Stocking for you. Plus: another fabulous rose, and why I can't quite look at amaryllis in the same way
This post is free to read
Dec 20, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
87
36
6
An easy guide to choosing trees for your small garden
Why one well-chosen tree, like good underwear, can change everything - plus calendars and an invitation to a live Zoom.
Dec 13, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
68
34
6
How to Garden
View all
How to garden in January
Happy New Year! Plus: our first get-together of 2026
Jan 1
•
Jo Thompson
83
46
5
Garden design makeovers: some of the best Before and Afters
Plus: a 5-plant planting backbone combination to be getting on with right now, a US date, and my very best Christmas present
Dec 27, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
88
68
9
A Christmas Stocking for you. Plus: another fabulous rose, and why I can't quite look at amaryllis in the same way
This post is free to read
Dec 20, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
87
36
6
An easy guide to choosing trees for your small garden
Why one well-chosen tree, like good underwear, can change everything - plus calendars and an invitation to a live Zoom.
Dec 13, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
68
34
6
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