Are you feeling overwhelmed by your garden? Tips for managing gardening overload, plus what to do in a mini-meadow and in the ‘difficult shady corner’. Plus weeding tips and how to spot self-seeding plants.
0:00 Do you feel overwhelmed by your garden?
0:29 The Middlesized Garden overview in late spring
1:29 List of gardening jobs for late spring
2:15 Low maintenance pots
2:55 Jane Moore, head gardener at Bath Priory Hotel, and author of Planting for Wildlife https://amzn.to/3vC3AU2 and Planting for Butterflies: https://amzn.to/3taKIKe (note: Amazon links are affiliate, see disclosure below)
3:24 ‘Chunk it down’ – how to manage garden overwhelm
4:27 Time limited gardening – ‘chunking it down’
5:24 Divide your garden into low and higher maintenance areas
6:21 More low maintenance pot tips
6:41 Two more weeding techniques for serious weeds like ground elder
7:20 Nick Bailey’s Instagram feed https://www.instagram.com/nickbailey365/?hl=en
8:35 Easy tips for identifying self-seeded seedlings in your garden
9:44 What to do in your mini meadow in late spring – tips from Jane Moore
15:30 How to make a mini wildflower meadow video: https://youtu.be/FMkoW2-dk8k
For garden ideas, gardening advice, garden design and landscaping ideas for your garden or backyard, subscribe to the Middlesized Garden YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThemiddlesizedgardenCoUk
Whether you love English garden style, cottage gardens or contemporary urban gardening, The Middlesized Garden has gardening advice and garden ideas for you.
Weekly videos cover gardening advice and garden design – from small space gardens to middle-sized garden landscaping – plus garden tours and tips for container gardening.
The Middlesized Garden practices sustainability, wildlife gardening and no till methods. If your garden backyard is smaller than an acre, join us and enjoy your garden even more!
The Middlesized Garden Complete Guide to Garden Privacy is available in Kindle or paperback in 13 countries (in English only). If you’d like your garden to feel more private, click here for availability in your country: https://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/books/the-complete-guide-to-garden-privacy/
#gardening #gardendesign #backyardgarden
For small and middlesized backyards and gardens….
See The Middlesized Garden blog: http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/
For Amazon storefront see: https://www.amazon.com/shop/themiddle-sizedgarden
Note: links to Amazon are affiliate which means I get a small fee for qualifying purchases. It doesn’t affect the price you pay and I only recommend things I use myself or really think you’d like!
More garden ideas on Pinterest:https://www.pinterest.co.uk/midsizegarden/boards/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/midsizegarden
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themiddlesizedgarden/
41 Comments
Your corner looks lovely with the table and chairs! Maybe a climbing hydrangea on the wall would be nice. Mine has beautiful cream blossoms.
🌱🌿🪴🌳VERY HELPFUL ‼️🌳🪴🌿🌱
I am working on my beds and meadow — I’m in coastal plain North Carolina, States, zone 8. I’m learning to plant what native plants grow locally to support butterfly and bee populations. It is a whole different thing than planting “general” native things, per states. Our native insects, etc. are in dire straits. Still, I grow lots of roses — none of them native. I’m interplanting them with natives — and putting a sign in my front lawn that has a bee on it and says, “Pollinator Work Zone.” I’m in a neighborhood with one inch high lawns, so this is my, “None of your business,” signal. It’s none of their bees wax what I grow. In fact, I think it’s a matter of aesthetic and consciousness. And aesthetic is a shifting thing.
Your dog is so beautiful and transforms your garden into a magical place! And s/he was snacking in the video to help with the weeding! What a wonderful dog! 🙂
Thank you. I enjoy watching every video you put out. Really enjoyable to watch, and always so helpful. We’ve been working on a mixed cottage/wildflower rock garden in the back garden, and a loosely themed and mostly native sub-alpine rock garden in the front garden. Between all the preparations and hardscape being added in, it’s rather hard to keep up with simpler tasks like weeding and seed starting/potting up. But the 15 minutes a day method really helps, though I don’t have a specific thing I choose to do in that time. I just go outside almost every day for at least that amount of time, and do whatever I encounter (like weeding, transplanting, plant pruning, etc.)
Really interested in the progress of your wildflower garden. I've started one this year but took up turf first. I've got a nice patch of mud so far but hundreds of seeds have started to germinate.
Interesting to hear that your having a late spring. I live near Melbourne and we're having a very mild Autumn. Today was glorious.
It is so hot and humid in Virginia in the summer that I get up and work in my garden until the sun comes up and then head for the air conditioning. Surprisingly, I really get a lot done that way!
I love your 15 minute breakdown – this is how I think I naturally work, though sometimes I have to push through. You've inspired me on the meadow.
Warmest regards
Jennie
I've been hooked to your channel for the useful information, inspiration, the short interviews from so many gardeners; experts in area of their individual interests and just for the pure joy of gardening. Looking forward to all your videos to come.
Thank you
👌👍
I’ve been doing this this spring. I am a list maker and that list is so long come spring that it’s discouraging. I’ve started planting plants in try beds and weeding around them at the same time. Previously, I’d spend days weeding and then amending and then needing to recover before planting. I’m much happier this year!🤣
I have done sections of my garden,but usually pick the easiest section first, then run out of desire to follow through. So last year I actually brought out a timer with me and gave myself one half hour./ or one hour no more. This worked better because I didn’t get overwhelmed all in one day. Thanks, always enjoy your videos. 👍❤️😊
I've got lists for lists! As soon as I finish one list I need to make another!
LOVED this video. Thank you for posting! DA
I have cedar or some type of evergreen sapling sprouts that I just can’t “weed” out. I’m going to put it in a pot and see what happens. So, for me, waiting too long to weed does bring some surprises like you said, but also more responsibility haha
I watched your video yesterday and "chunked it down" to a 15 minute timeframe today. I feel like I accomplished quite bit. Thanks for the tip.
I absolutely LOVE your garden (and channel) and mixture of flowers and shrubs. ❤️
I really appreciate your comments about getting overwhelmed, I’m just getting to that point. I’ve been spending 3 to 5 hours a day in my yard and it is looking good. This is my first year of actual gardening end it has been lovely. I’m hoping to set up irrigation over the next week or so. I grow a lot of annuals from seed and have purchased about 25 different perennials from some lovely well experience gardeners through Facebook. I’m looking forward to actually sitting in my garden with lots of blossoms around me.
Glad this was a somewhat longer video. I enjoy your videos. Thank you for posting.
Thank you for another lovely video. I always tell myself, “The most difficult dance starts with one step.” I just do one thing until something starts to feel stiff, then I switch activities! And before that I “procrastinate” by going around, deadheading, and doing some little things. Instead of landscape fiber I use 5 sheets of newspaper with a couple of inches of free mulch from our town on top.When this breaks down it enriches the soil and I add more on top.
So realistic for what we are going through here in the tiny capital of Maine, USA. Thanks.
As always great tips. No matter how long we’ve gardened we still make mistakes. My saying for my mistakes is ‘compost happens.’
That’s great news that you tackled that shady corner! I tried my hand at a meadow garden by tossing a lot of red clover in my grass to give it a green carpet look and later a red when it flowers but only about ten sprouted. Well, what little did grow will help the grass grow greener and improve the soil when I mow it. Maybe it will take a few years before the red clover spreads into a carpet, like the cosmos did in their planter.
Thank you ladies. Excellent advice and you've made me feel inspired not overwhelmed.
You could "chunk it down" for me by taking a breath once in a while! Good grief!
I love the idea that meadow making is a slow burn! Great video as ever! Mx
I just wanted to thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos. You are a huge reason as to why I was able to get my first Dahlia tubers into the ground yesterday. I have a lot more to learn (you can see in my profile if you're interested in a super amateur video), but I wanted you to know how much you inspire others. I have been saving up to buy my first home for 13 years, and one of the main reasons I wanted a home was for the garden. I finally purchased a home in December and have been frantically researching ever since. I would love to one day be able to sell a some flowers in my local community, you are truly an inspiration!!
Tremendous advice this time, thank you!I Particularly appreciate the tips on time management and how to keep a meadow presentable. Jane's advice reminded me how I've nursed a tiny columbine for four years and it finally grew bigger and flowered this spring! Sometimes waiting instead of pulling out a slow performer is worth it! 😊🌷
I love your garden. I live in Michigan, USA and I try to do weeding in the morning when I take the dog out to run around. He gets his exercise and I pull a few weeds.
Alexandra, I think you speak far too fast and the videos move along so quickly I don’t get a chance you look at the beautiful gardens. It’s all a bit fast and frantic. I was looking at your video of the different garden styles this eve and it was all way too fast paced and quick. Do you need to race along hardly catching your breath and taking a pause. It’s not relaxing or enjoyable speeding along at that pace
What do you feed your tulips with ?
Alexandra, I would like to see a video on small shrubs which do well in pots. There has to be more than boxwood!
Helpful video; I especially liked hearing about wildflower meadows and the wax and wane of different species over the years.
Can I ask what you do with old compost from pots when you replace it with new?
Hi Alexandra – I got directed to your channel as someone said you might need help/advice with the meadow area. I have been creating wildflower meadows for over 16 years now, from small gardens right up to acre sites. Happy to offer advice so that you have a lasting meadow and one that needs the least maintenance 🙂 Best wishes, Joel
I watch and love all your videos. I just realized i do not understand your house! The front garden looks tiny and the back looks huge. I can’t work out the shape of your entire plot of land.
Thank-you that's helped me make some decisions, I'm having a lot more trouble with my back this year , so making some plans to minimise work , or raising it up into pots nd raised beds .
I bought red campion plant two years ago , they self seeded all over and I'm digging up seedlings and distributing them all over . I shall later have to weed them out judiciously i expect, and sow some later as I absolutely love them . I'd like to find some more self seeders as they fill up the garden and save me work and money. We had lovely annual poppies but they've disappeared ! And have selfseeding aquilegias . Hollyhocks getting established and I hope they will self-seed. K
Is it too late to seed a small area of a bank in my garden with wild flower seeds. Directly into the bank grass. The bank is quite sunny.
👌💕