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From first sketch to a garden that has grown in.
Practical guides for every step: laying out, building, planting and looking after your garden. For an ordinary Dutch garden, measured to your own plot.
Latest articles
Plants
Common holly: where it grows, pruning and berries
Common holly (Ilex aquifolium): a native evergreen shrub or small tree up to 10 m, with spiny leaves and red berries. Where it grows well and what it costs.
Plants
Crested dog's-tail: where it grows, sowing and care
Crested dog's-tail (Cynosurus cristatus): a native grass 20 to 60 cm tall with comb-like spikes in June and July. Where it grows, sowing and what goes wrong.
Plants
Ground ivy: where to plant it, care and price
Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is a native ground cover 15 to 60 cm tall with blue-violet flowers. Where it fits, what it costs and what can go wrong.
Plants
Lily of the valley: planting, care and poisonous berries
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a native woodland plant 15 to 30 cm tall. Where it grows well, what it costs and which parts are poisonous.
Plants
Royal fern: where it grows, planting and care
Royal fern (Osmunda regalis): a native fern 1 to 2.5 m tall in a garden, with rusty-brown spore plumes. Where it grows, what it costs and what can go wrong.
Plants
Wild garlic: where it grows, how to plant and recognise it
Wild garlic (Allium ursinum): a native bulb 20 to 40 cm tall with white star flowers from April to June. Where it grows, how to plant it and how to recognise it.
Plants
Wild parsnip in the garden: identify, sow and care
Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa): a native biennial 60 cm to 1.2 m tall, with yellow flowers July to September. How to spot it, sow it and handle its sap.
Plants
Common hazel: where it grows, planting and wildlife
Common hazel (Corylus avellana): a native shrub 4 to 8 metres tall that flowers as early as January. Where to plant it, what it costs and how to fix problems.
Plants
Common yarrow: where to plant it, care and insects
Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium): a native perennial 15 to 50 cm tall, white flowers June to November. Where to plant it, what it costs, what goes wrong.
Plants
Silver birch: where it grows, planting and what it feeds
Silver birch (Betula pendula): a native tree of 15 to 20 metres with a white trunk and hanging twigs. Where it fits, what it costs, what to do when it fails.
Plants
Lesser periwinkle: where it grows, planting and care
Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor): an evergreen ground cover 15 to 30 cm tall for shade. Where to plant it, what it costs and what to do when it goes wrong.
Plants
Common ivy: where it grows, pruning and what it feeds
Common ivy (Hedera helix) is native to the Netherlands, stays green and climbs over 20 metres on a tall support. Where it fits, what it costs, what goes wrong.
Start from your own address
Type your address and your plot appears, to scale, with your house on it. You draw the garden on it.