It's our second anniversary!

News, highlights of the year, a book giveaway, a very special trip, and much, much more

Can you believe, it’s been two years?! Two whole years since I tentatively launched The Gardening Mind, asking you to take a leap of faith and sign up to something called Substack, which no-one really had heard of. And you did it! You came along with me, and what a journey it’s been. And things are getting even better.

First of all, an ENORMOUS hello and welcome to all new subscribers - it’s just so exciting to see this lovely Gardening Mind community grow as you all spread the word. Thank you ever so much for doing that.

There’s a lot in store for next year; before we take a look at news, new courses, talks and meet-ups, I’ve delved into the Archive and here are some of the highlights of the last twelve months:

RHS Hampton Court Flower show was a lot of fun:

The RHS Wildlife Garden 2023

And what made participating in this flower show even more special was the fact that some of you Gardening Minds were part of it, volunteering your time to come and help on site with planting, watering along with the very kind provision of biscuits without which no show garden can ever be planted. The RHS Wildlife Garden was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, and it’s a testament to the power of plants that it was actually teeming with wildlife within a few days of being created. You can read more about it and the kinds of plants to use when you’re making your very own garden for wildlife, here:

Growing in abandoned and unexpected places can help protect our wildlife species

This garden was fully accessible to visitors, which meant that you could come in and explore it, seeking out all those nooks and crannies that aren’t always obvious when you’re standing outside looking in. Creating a show garden is hard - the whole process takes at least a year. More of this later in this post.

The plans for the new Winter Garden at RHS Rosemoor

On the subject of gardens for the public, you may have spotted in the news that I’ve designed a new Winter Garden at RHS Rosemoor. Keeping the hard landscaping to a minimum, we’ve had great fun taking a forgotten part of this public garden in Devon and turning it into a place you’ll want to visit in winter but also will be as lovely for the rest of the year. Work on it begins there in January, and I’m really excited to let you know that paying subscribers here will be getting the first peeks and updates as the build takes place. I’ll also be looking at the design process, examining how you take an existing garden and work with what’s there and gently tease it into becoming a magical place.

The planting is going to be critical - everyone thinks of the bright red stems of Cornus when we talk about plants for winter interest, but if you’re thinking about your garden in winter and what you can include in it to bring some colour and pizzazz to all the grey, there’s a in-depth look at winter plants here, with all sorts of mouth-watering specials which are, as ever, easy to grow:

Winter Gardens

There was great excitement earlier in the year when The Gardening Mind was short-listed for the Garden Media Guild garden writing awards. I thought you might like to see these three articles which combined together to win a nomination for the Practical Journalist of the Year award. Just like The Gardening Mind itself, the subjects covered ranged widely, from planting tips and tricks for August, to a practical explanation of how to understand a garden plan, and a case study in garden design. Whether you’re a design student, a garden-owner working with a designer, a keen gardener new to the world of gardening or an ‘old hand’, or if you’re simply interested, here are those posts:

A garden design how-to

Reading a plan

Is your garden in need of an August boost?

Before we get into next year’s news, I’ve got a Christmas giveaway: Lonely Planet would love to send to one of our readers a copy of the newly-released The Joy of Exploring Gardens which takes a look at 180 of some of the world’s most beautiful gardens, from Jardin Majorelle in Morocco and La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Costa Rica, to the Crawick Multiverse in Scotland and Wendy’s Secret Garden in Australia.

The Joy of Exploring Gardens

If you’d like your name to go into the hat, please do leave a note in the comments, and one lucky winner will be chosen at random to receive the book which will arrive early next year. Good luck - and anyone who has been mentored by me this year will know: ‘You’ve got to be in it to win it”.

How to Garden

The idea of talking about gardening in the same way we learn how to cook is something that I’ve been doing for some time - who remembers the plant recipes from Rhubarb Rhubarb?

Recipe for a planting

Well, the good news is that these will be back next year in the How to Garden section. If you missed this section or maybe if you’re new, here are some tasters - some real back-to basic looks at what you’ll need to start gardening: soil, compost, essential tools and how to sow a seed:

Getting to know your garden - Storecupboard Basics 1

How to Garden - Storecupboard Basics 2

So what else is new?

Well, I have some very exciting news coming up in January. I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but here’s a clue: if you’re one of our many rose-lovers, I think you’ll be interested in a feature coming soon with one of our most-loved rose suppliers. And on the subject of writing, I’ve been writing a new series for a garden magazine, the first part of which will be coming out in February. I’ve been working on it with the talented photographer Jason Ingram, and I think you’re going to like it….. tantalising again, I know, but you’’ll hear all about it first, here on The Gardening Mind.

And one more tease/frustrating hint, my new book is going to be published in the autumn - the name is to be revealed to paid subscribers in the first post of the New Year.

These three news items are all a bit of a tease, I know: I’d LOVE to be able to share more details, and I cannot wait to let you know more.

Short courses for next year and some In Real Life get-togethers:

The short courses have proved really popular this year - I’ve had a LOT of requests to run the Small Garden Design series again, and I’m desperately trying to fit it in amongst all the new items. I’ll really try to do this - in the meantime, here are some reminders of some of the sessions on how to go about designing these trickiest of garden spaces:

Small garden spaces - Part 1

Small garden spaces Part 2

Small garden spaces Part 3

In another course, we’re going to be looking at designing show gardens for those incredible flower shows - such as RHS Chelsea Flower Show and RHS Hampton Court - that are coming up in 2024. In posts and in Zoom meetings, I’m going to be taking you through the whole gut-wrenching and at the same time thrilling process of designing a show garden, and for anyone who is looking at entering these competitions, I’m going to be offering mentoring slots in the 1:1 meetings - see below.

I’m also thrilled to announce that I’m going to be hosting a couple of In Real Life meet-ups - we’ll be meeting up in UK gardens and looking around them, and we’ll have the chance to chat over plenty of cups of tea. These visits will be for Founding Members - remember that at this level of membership, you also will receive a copy of my new book, and big discounts on my 1:1 meetings - the next dates for these meetings will be released on January 31st, so do look out for that post as these slots do get snapped up really quickly. It’s been truly wonderful to hear from people who have had one or two (sometimes more!) of these sessions, about the developments and progress in your gardens/ design and horticultural studies/ careers.

For our US-based community, I’ll be back with you in the States in February, this time in Seattle where I’ll be giving three talks at The Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, as well as judging the show features. I can’t wait to come, and I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to meet a lot of Gardening Minds there - I’d love to see you!

And finally:

Many of you will know that over the last year or so I’ve been exploring the gardens of Venice, which you can read more about in the Anyone for Venice section. I’ve explored some hidden gems, we’ve been on a treasure hunt, and taken a tour around some truly magical places.

Villas and gardens of the Veneto

Well, I’m delighted to let you know that I have teamed up with my wonderful friend, the fabulous Mimi Todhunter, who runs intriguing and awe-inspiring journeys into the most secret and mesmerising of places. In 2024, from April 29th to May 4th, we’ll be travelling with a very small group to explore some private residences alongside celebrated historic sites, in a tour of the villas and gardens of the Veneto. This promises to be a remarkable experience, offering exclusive access to unique cultural venues with a rich history, many of which are not accessible to the general public. We’ll be visiting extraordinary villas and gardens in the region, some of which are listed UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Veneto, with its captivating blend of art, architecture, and decor, stands as a unique gem in the world. Beyond the usual tourist destinations lies a hidden Veneto known only to a select few, and participants in this private 'Grand Tour,' will have the opportunity to spend eight luxurious days immersed in the splendour of this region. As you can imagine, with private lunches, receptions, and dinners hosted in stunning private villas and staying in fabulous hotels, this is very much a treat of a tour, but if you’re looking to spoil yourself, do email helloathomeinvenice@gmail.com for the itinerary and more details.

Having posted every week for two years without a break, I hope it’s ok to let you know that I’m planning on taking a week off next week for Christmas, and will be back with you on December 31st, where we’ll be right back in the gardening world, with our next How to Garden episode. We’ll then be looking at some very special plants, which are easy to grow, and of course, our very own Gardener’s Question Time.

So could I wish you all a very Happy Christmas please?

It’s been a blast of a two years, and I COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU. For all your support from contributing to comments, pointing out typos - who remembers my suggestion that garden birds like feeding upon garden pets - as opposed to pests? - sharing your photos on the Chat, contributing your writing, getting together on Zooms, sending me your garden plans, meeting up at garden shows, and generally being part of a great big community that feels warm and wonderful, personal and friendly and really one of the most lovely things that I’ve ever been able to be part of - I’m just so proud of you, Gardening Minds, for making it happen.

I’d love to hear what you enjoy about The Gardening Mind - please do comment here on anything that you’ve particularly enjoyed. And if you’ve never posted a comment before, do please feel brave enough to have a go - every comment makes me so happy, and we all love to read what you’re up to.

Could I, as a final 2023 request, please ask you to share a link with anyone you think might like The Gardening Mind? I’m aware that there are many people who aren’t on social media and so wouldn’t know about it. If you can think of someone like this, please do pop them the email link if you think they’d enjoy the company. By the way, Substack gives you a kind of ‘reward’ for this sharing, with free months added on to your yearly subscription.

Happy Christmas

Love Jo x