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Designing for now: two quick and easy ideas for February containers
Designing early-season displays with structure, colour and contrast, using flowering plants and early bulbs for instant impact. And some Winter Olympics
Feb 11
•
Jo Thompson
81
31
6
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
97
51
4
Debunked: gardening myths
Plus: a new book, tulips, and a beautiful remembrance garden
Oct 18, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
172
75
25
How to create a romantic garden - design tips and tricks, and my top 100 romantic plants
Plus: the great garden furniture mystery
Mar 22, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
180
53
25
Beautiful, easy summer planting combinations to try out at home
Showstoppers and easy partnerships from The Glasshouse Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show
May 24, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
281
95
14
Most Popular
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Beautiful, easy summer planting combinations to try out at home
May 24, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
281
95
14
How to create a romantic garden - design tips and tricks, and my top 100 romantic plants
Mar 22, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
180
53
25
Debunked: gardening myths
Oct 18, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
172
75
25
Chelsea Flower Show - some secret views from inside the garden
May 21, 2025
•
Jo Thompson
184
58
9
Come and join in with us at The Gardening Mind
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Recent posts
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Roses and climbers for a romantic garden, and a small garden planting plan
Plus: a little cultural inspiration
Jan 17
•
Jo Thompson
121
41
13
How to feed those early bees, and what garden surprises do for us
Plus: good recipes, dahlias and dates.
Feb 7
•
Jo Thompson
98
39
9
Why it works - how to design and create a tiny romantic garden space
A quick-read how-to for a small garden space
Feb 4
•
Jo Thompson
85
26
6
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 - how to design and create a tiny romantic garden space
A quick-read how-to for a small garden space
Feb 4
•
Jo Thompson
85
26
6
The exciting news
I’ve been sitting on some very exciting news for a while now, and it’s been genuinely hard not to spill the beans….
Jan 20
•
Jo Thompson
98
83
8
Why it works - a tiny garden design
And it's free to read
Jan 14
•
Jo Thompson
107
24
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
93
52
9
Easy Gardening
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Winter garden structure
A list
Jan 7
•
Jo Thompson
72
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
92
43
19
How to garden in January
Happy New Year! Plus: our first get-together of 2026
Jan 1
•
Jo Thompson
90
47
6
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
89
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
125
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
95
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
142
73
13
How to design a large country garden
Creating a garden out of a completely blank canvas
Nov 18, 2023
•
Jo Thompson
44
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
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How to create easy winter structure in your garden, whatever the size. Plus: exquisite cyclamen, the Rose Diaries, and a very nice pot
Creating shape, form and interest when the garden is bare
Jan 24
•
Jo Thompson
73
47
9
Roses and climbers for a romantic garden, and a small garden planting plan
Plus: a little cultural inspiration
Jan 17
•
Jo Thompson
121
41
13
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
89
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
94
20
8
Garden Jobs this Month
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How to garden in February
What to do, and what not to do, in your garden this month
Jan 31
•
Jo Thompson
95
23
11
How to garden in January
Happy New Year! Plus: our first get-together of 2026
Jan 1
•
Jo Thompson
90
47
6
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
Small Garden Design
View all
Why it works - how to design and create a tiny romantic garden space
A quick-read how-to for a small garden space
Feb 4
•
Jo Thompson
85
26
6
Why it works - a tiny garden design
And it's free to read
Jan 14
•
Jo Thompson
107
24
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
93
52
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
How to Garden
View all
Designing for now: two quick and easy ideas for February containers
Designing early-season displays with structure, colour and contrast, using flowering plants and early bulbs for instant impact. And some Winter Olympics
Feb 11
•
Jo Thompson
81
31
6
How to garden in February
What to do, and what not to do, in your garden this month
Jan 31
•
Jo Thompson
95
23
11
How to create easy winter structure in your garden, whatever the size. Plus: exquisite cyclamen, the Rose Diaries, and a very nice pot
Creating shape, form and interest when the garden is bare
Jan 24
•
Jo Thompson
73
47
9
Roses and climbers for a romantic garden, and a small garden planting plan
Plus: a little cultural inspiration
Jan 17
•
Jo Thompson
121
41
13
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