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November gets bad press. The clocks have gone back, the light disappears by teatime and the garden looks a bit like it’s given up. But if you ask me, it’s one of the most useful months

By Owen Brooks, planting and garden designer at Purely Planting, Brighton, Hove and Sussex There is something rather lovely about hydrangeas. They bring generosity, softness and a real sense of abundance to a garden, often flowering

Search for a garden designer in Brighton or Hove and you will find plenty of good ones. What is harder to find is a clear explanation of what “bespoke” actually means in practice. This article sets

You’ve stood at the back door with a cup of tea, looked at the patch of lawn, the wonky shed and the fence that’s seen better decades, and thought, “Right. Something needs to happen here.” Then

Shady Garden Design: Beautiful Plants for North-Facing Brighton Gardens A shady, north-facing garden gets a bit of an unfair reputation. Ask most people what they’d love in their garden and shade rarely makes the list, it’s

The Most Beautiful Grass You’re Not Growing Yet Some plants earn their place in a garden by being useful. Hakone grass earns its place by being gorgeous, and honestly, that’s more than enough reason to plant

From Dirty Pool to Dream Garden: The Complete Redesign of a Wilbury Crescent Garden, Hove Some gardens start as a blank canvas. This one started as a swimming pool nobody wanted to look at anymore. Tucked

Right, let’s have an honest chat about coastal gardening in Sussex. The sea is gorgeous. Nobody’s arguing with that. But if you’ve ever planted something lovely from a garden centre trolley, tucked it in with pride,

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after 20-odd years of doing this job, it’s that Brighton does not do “standard.” No two gardens are ever the same, and honestly? I wouldn’t want it any other way.

A garden designer’s honest verdict (and what I’d do instead) Let’s get the disclosure out of the way early, because it’ll save you reading the rest of my ramblings waiting for the twist: I’m not a