A garden should fit the people in it.

Small-garden design that starts with how you live: where you sit, what you grow and what you are willing to maintain.

Design

Design a Small Garden Around How You Live

Start with what you will actually do outside. A garden drawn around habits gets used; one drawn around a picture gets admired from the window.

Planting

Planting for Low Maintenance Without Ending Up With Gravel

Low maintenance does not mean no plants. It means choosing plants suited to the site and covering the soil so weeds have nowhere to start.

Buying

Rebates and Tiered Rewards: How to Read Them Before a Big Garden Purchase

Suppliers offer money back that grows with how much you spend. Tiered schemes are built to move you up a level, so read the thresholds first.

Buying

Introductory Offers From Suppliers: What the Headline Leaves Out

A large welcome figure for new customers is rarely the amount you keep. The conditions tell you what it is worth.

Buying

Read the FAQ Before You Hire or Buy

A frequently-asked-questions page shows what goes wrong for other customers. Ten minutes there is the cheapest research available.