‘I help busy people create gorgeous gardens with my low maintenance planting schemes, so you can delight in fabulous foliage and flowers all year round.’
Rowan Ambrose
Plant Your Own Joy – easy, low maintenance planting schemes for your garden, however small
Are you fed up of looking at your forlorn garden?
Do you feel overwhelmed, and wonder where on earth to start so it looks just a tiny bit better?
Have you ever sneaked envious glances at nearby gardens, wondering just how they manage to keep things looking so great?
Dear reader, you are not alone.
I too have been that miserable person.
Tired of looking at my bedraggled garden and feeling guilty because I’d spent money on plants that had died.
Mini greenhouse full of withered seedlings, limp shrubs shrivelling in their garden centre pots, and a weedy, straggling lawn.
There, you see. I’ll bet you’re not as neglectful as I am.
An exhausting full-time job plus many family responsibilities meant I simply didn’t have the time or energy for traditional gardening. The clipped shrub, neatly mown lawn and impeccably weedless border kind of gardening.
Is that the ONLY way to garden, I’d wonder to myself?
But, hidden deep among the shameful feelings that I’d failed as a gardener, there were little glimpses of curiosity and inspiration.
I noticed that some of my plants were doing fine – actually thriving – despite my haphazard plant parenting.
So I looked at the labels and wrote down the types of plants that were doing well.
And gradually cleared away the rest into the recycling. I mean no-one needs reminders of their failures, do they?
In time, with a very limited budget, I bought more of the plants that seemed happy with very little attention, and stopped buying anything on offer at the garden centre.
You know, those temptingly placed plants that catch your eye when you walk in.
They’re the gardening equivalent of sweets next to the till in supermarkets.
They’re often needy, demanding plants that soak up your energy and attention. Not for me, thanks.
Gardening books were borrowed from the library, and I started pestering my professional gardener friends for insights, tips and tricks. Snatching a few hours here and there to volunteer as a gardener at some inspiring local gardens.
Fast forward two decades, and I’d built up a solid list of almost indestructible plants blooming their little socks off, mainly in pots and containers in our tiny suburban garden.
There was exciting year round interest and scent from abundant foliage and flowers. Plenty of nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies to feast on. And snug shelter for birds and other wildlife.
How does that sound to you?
Imagine looking out at your gorgeous garden – however small – knowing that you can delight in it without hours and hours of maintenance each week.
Simple gardening—learn shortcuts to keep things easy.
Quick gardening—know which dull jobs you can ditch.
Jolly gardening—dazzling flowers and luxuriant foliage all year round.
How will you spend your garden time now?
Perhaps curled up in a shady nook, reading. Maybe having folk round for delicious garden snacks. Or picking mouthwatering fruit with your family.
All of these are possibilities for you.
Even if you’ve struggled with gardening before.
It’s all about finding your perfect plant partners.
And that’s where I can help you.
How to become a successful gardener
I firmly believe that anybody can be a successful gardener. And that means you too.
If you’ve struggled with gardening before, it was probably because you had the wrong plants for:
- your particular garden
- the amount of time you had
- your temperament
Or a combination of all three.
Garden centres are cunningly laid out to make some of the trickiest plants look so enticing, they seem to leap into your trolley by themselves. But they can be little devils to maintain, often only flowering for a couple of weeks after you buy them, then spend the rest of the year sulking. And then die.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. We’ve all been caught out like that.
Gardens (and people) need easy going, hardworking plants which will reward the smallest amount of attention with fabulous foliage and abundant flowers.
Small gardens are my speciality, and include:
- Windowsills
- Balconies
- Patios
- Doorsteps
- Any small other outdoor spaces
Matching you with your perfect plant partners will mean you too can be a successful gardener—very easily.
Why is temperament important in gardening?
It’ll be super helpful to know whether you enjoy spending lots of time nurturing your plants, or whether you prefer a more hands-off approach. Both are fine—there are no wrong answers here. But it’s important to be realistic about the time and inclination you have for gardening.
And if you do prefer very low maintenance gardening, I have loads of perfect plants to recommend for you.
If you’re a bit of a haphazard gardener who forgets to look after your plants, I’m very happy you’re here. Because I’ll bet you’re not nearly as slapdash, chaotic and neglectful as I am. And if I can grow gorgeous and luxuriant plants, bursting with flowers and foliage, you definitely can.
A bit of thinking goes a long way when planning a small garden
Having spent more than 30 years gardening, I have a lot of information in my head, all ready to chat through with you.
But…if your specific gardening needs are ones that I’ve not got recent experience of, it’ll take me a bit longer to look through all my notebooks to make sure you get the most accurate and helpful information from me.
The Tiny Garden questionnaire is designed to be as easy as possible to complete. And the more thought you put into answering each question, the better I can make recommendations that suit you and your garden personally.
I can’t wait to hear more about your garden and how I can help you win at gardening.
How to get the most out of your Garden Consultation
Yes, you can win at gardening, even if you’ve struggled before. Learn how to become a successful gardener.
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Rowan Ambrose 