I am constantly amazed by the quality of content you bring to your channel. Always informative and extremely well thought-out - these episodes feel like a master class in gardening! Definitely not your typical KZread gardening channel…. Thanks so much for elevating our knowledge of all things gardening in such a delightful way. Just incredible.

@feeonaghchambers7403

2 жыл бұрын

I agree entirely! I am so delighted I found this channel. Content is excellent.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, both!

@zt2820

2 жыл бұрын

Agree

@radharcanna

4 ай бұрын

Some beautiful garden designs there.

I never leave KZread comments, but for your channel I feel I must. The quality of your videos is superb. I feel like I am actually taking a garden design course watching them! I can't believe this resource is available to me for free through your generosity. Thank you so much for your time and effort! I'm learning so much and my imagination is running with ideas for the future.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

29 күн бұрын

Thank you so much!

It’s not easy to get it right when you are doing it by yourself. Even when you have everything drawn out and well planned, the creative mind can sometimes take over in the implementation phase…and this can sometimes lead to a beautiful chaos for some people and a nightmare for others. Lots of great tips in this video, thank you for sharing👍🏾

@ashleighnelson512

2 жыл бұрын

"Beautiful Chaos" describes my garden style to a T! 🤗💚

@mochaleaves

2 жыл бұрын

True. I dont know how many times I have moved plants around cos wow the chaos 🤦🏾‍♀️

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you and I know what you mean. Quite a bit of chaos in my garden too.

@theswissgardenvlog3189

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden glad to read your honest reply. This motivates me even more to accept the imperfections in my garden, which are for the most part of my own making on my journey to bring more color and structure into our garden.

I love following Pollyanna, she has so many wonderful garden ideas! Thank you from Boston!🌷🪻

A comment from Pollyanna -- choosing color schemes for the season -- is so insightful, such common sense, but an aspect I don't think I've ever consciously entertained. I think of my color scheme as, in my case, blues, lavenders and pinks, but then in Spring all the yellow daffodils volunteer and I LOVE them, and by early June they're gone. I will now be more mindful of color schemes for times of year, and yellow -- a color I never think of as a color in my garden -- I will now embrace as the dominate color for early and middle Spring.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

This information was so comprehensive and so useful for new or overly mature gardens where ‘tweaking’ is required. I also love the theme addressing urban gardens as many different factors need to be considered, Thank you both! 🍁🇨🇦

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Excellent video! Wonderful wealth of useful information. Polly explained everything so well. Thank you ladies. Have a wonderful weekend. Kathy (Ontario, Canada)

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! You too!

So many excellent tips here. I would add to think carefully before making every landscape or garden border "permanent" as you may want to enlarge it later. I've dug out literally tons of heavy volcanic rocks that were buried to form border edges with the tips of the rocks. The previous owners designer did make a nice layout in many other ways though and I inherited a really lovely garden when I moved in 💚

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Good point. We had to dig up some brick edging, so I know what you mean.

Btilliant. Another very useful video as always. Thank you.

I love this advice and I think the gardens featured are stunning!😍

Great video, welcomed the wealth of information. Thank you ladies

I’m so glad you linked this video from your video about garden ruins and follies. Thank you!

I like her! And I really like her designs. Thank you for interviewing her!

Excellent advice thank you🤩

Another great and informative video. Thank you

Another stellar information packed video from the MSG! Thank you.

My favorite channel! Thank you so much for your generous knowledge….

Amazing video as usual. Answered a lot of my questions. 😊

This is so very helpful. I have previously made a lot of mistakes. I now moved to a detatched modern house with an almost square patch of lawn. I have been reluctant to bring in plants, and am so glad for your comprehensive tips. I will now watch your other videos and take it from there. Thank you so much.

Excellent tips. Thank you.

I so enjoyed this video . Thank you . I love that you made it so simple and easy to follow .

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

As always a wealth of wonderfully useful info. Thank you so much ladies!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

this was a wonderful video, thank you!! really enjoyed it and will probably refer back to it again & again.🥰

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Thanks for your great videos ! So helpful x

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Super helpful as ever! Thank you both x

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Our pleasure!

Brilliant!, very informative, covered all the areas you need to consider when planning your garden. Thank you so much , always love watching your channel, just what I needed as I am redesigning my garden 😘🌿.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Great video, Pollyanna is fantastic and I love her passion and excitement for the topic.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Thank you, Alexandra,! Another fantastic video about garden design!!! Your questions were spot on… I can’t think of anything you missed. And, as always, I so appreciate your summary points. Thank you 😊

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

One of your best video. So much info.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Excellent Video ... Thanks much !

Pollyanna gave such wonderful advice and, not garden related, but she has the most beautiful eyes that are so expressive.

Toujours si grafique et très informatif !! Merci beaucoup pour les suggestions et renseignements :)

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I like the idea of seeing your garden as outdoor rooms. Dining, lounging, private spaces, this is how I've been working on the areas and it's not as overwhelming as tackling everything at once.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

I agree, thank you.

❤ so much inspiration!

Another really wonderful interview- extremely pertinent, Perceptive questions & well thought out answers, suggestions and tips. Thank you so much, this is one of my VERY favourite channels.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Her garden was my absolute favorite at Chelesa that year...I had to show it to all of the gardeners in my life. This was a great video. Cheers!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Really enjoyed this episode. Some great tips.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Love this information. Great video!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

There's always something to learn or a supporting idea from you...love the speck of lighting idea ..Wow dry walls ! Such novel beauty. Just love your gardening tips always from the professionals. I believe you are the best in the business.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Great tips!

Fabulous ideas and interview. Thank you.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you for interviewing Polly. That was extremely helpful. Those before and after images blew me away.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Magnificas ideas, gracias por compartir, saludos!!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Muchas gracias!

fabulous info

Watching this video reminds me to rake my lawn.

Great information.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

very helpful and gave me a lot to think about-methodical while allowing for the creative side. Winter will be a good time to plan as I have often found my first idea is not always the best idea. Also how much I want to spend on it. Thumbs up again👍

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

The discussion about paths was very helpful. I would love to hear some opinions about maintaining stones, concrete,and outdoor furniture. I’ve resisted stone sealer or even chemical cleaners. Ive just brushed a little dishwashing soap onto slippery stones and aged teak furniture. Seems to work ok.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

I've been thinking about trying to do something along the same lines myself, so I'll keep an eye out for a good expert.

Really lovely! And so helpful 💚

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you think so!

@alisonwise3444

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely! Have you thought about collaborating on a book together?

I'm not a gardener so l need a lot of help. I discovered your channel and l have found it very useful and watch your videos all the time as l feel lm going on a long journey creating my small garden. It's a valuable resource of information. You have helped me a lot, thank you and keep making these videos, they are easy to follow for beginners too.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Thank you 🙏

Just stumbled across this great channel. I’d like to see some design videos that address where to put a clothes line and play areas for children as well as areas for garden for adult areas. Perhaps some videos looking at designing for specific shaped blocks, for example a series on designing corner acre blocks or examples of houses facing North…East…West etc and how to work with the sun.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

Жыл бұрын

That's an interesting idea, I'll see what I can find.

Lovely video ladies x

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Super helpful 🤗

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Nice Tips 👍👌🌱

Very informative!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

What a very interesting video.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Your videos just seem to get better and better, Alexandra! We have just moved into a new build, so I have the unenviable task of creating a garden from scratch. To say I feel daunted by the task is to put it mildly. Perhaps investing in a garden designer is the way to go.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

A good garden designer can be a huge help, because they can look at the whole garden and your lifestyle, while we, as homeowners, can get very bogged down in 'what shall I put here'. If you're in a new build, the soil is quite often full of rubble, so one thing you can get on with is to check that, and start taking out any stones or building leftovers as it really doesn't help plants grow! Good luck, an exciting project.

@eliev7844

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden thanks Alexandra xx

Prefer garden before the renovation ! Looks like a natural framework for imaginative planting. After photo looks like an architectural makeover with plants as an afterthought !!

Never spoke about soils etc and how it can affect the choice of plants etc. Good idea about clothing fences with climbers until you want to repaint said fences or repair them!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Repairing and repainting fences is probably only necessary once every five or so years, and many climbers are fine to be cut back or gently pulled back, then to grow back up again.

A truly informative and not intimidating video! There is one scene when you are both standing next to a tree trunk with soft orange and yellow leaves with a hydrangea behind it. Are you able please to tell me the name of the tree/ shrub? I don’t think it’s a cercis canadensis as it did NOT look bushy - a feature I liked. Thank you in anticipation!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, and I'm so sorry, but I don't know which tree it is. One of the trees in the garden is a Prunus cerrula, but I don't think that's the one you meant.

@carefreedelight2355

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry, not to have been more precise; it’s when Polly starts to talk about structure of trees and shrubs - you move away from thePrunus and then there is a clear shot of what looks like a small tree or shrub with autumn colour ( that’s the one I would like to know the name of if that’s possible) It is framed by white heads of hydrangea. It’s a beautiful shot and then Polly moves on.

I was wondering, how might you design a garden around a pond is a relatively small thin/long garden?

Interesting presentation , however I have a big problem with urban Foxes as my garden is very large ( very unusual in London ) , keeping an open well tended veg and flower is very difficult . Also we have pesky squirells digging at the grassed ares which I have to repair from time to time

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

I sympathise - I have friends in Australia where the critters are larger and more voracious than any we have here and they build huge netted cages for their fruit and veg - some of them look lovely, so they're not eyesores. I think the squirrel issue is getting worse in most UK gardens, too, so many friends of mine have mentioned it and my dog is hysterical about squirrel sightings all day long. I'll keep looking for some solutions, though.

This is a question I've wanted to ask for some time: at one time, in a suburban back yard, I used pea gravel, not for a walkway, but for a mulch. (Pea gravel is made of small rounded stones.) It looked great at first, but cleaning it of what I call "vegetable trash" -- leaves, twigs, seeds -- was a huge task. Is this not an issue in the U.K.?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, this is an issue. It's one of the reasons why gravel needs topping up from time to time, as in my garden fallen leaves etc seem to mix with the gravel to create a layer of earth. I have seen people use larger pebbles. However, I think that every material needs some maintenance - if you have a gravel mulch, there'll be less weeding (but not no weeding) but some of that time saved will be spent clearing the gravel of fallen leaves etc. So perhaps the choice is not about how low maintenance a material or treatment is, but about how much you personally like or dislike doing the chores that the material needs. But gravel does look lovely as a mulch, so that goes into the decision-making mix too! I've found bark mulch reasonably low maintenance and nice looking, but once again, it has its downsides (it breaks down and some weeds get through)

What are the huge Ammi-like flowers at the start of the video? Thanks for another great interview!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Amazingly, they are hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'. Big white pom-pom flowers, quite airy for hydrangeas.

@joannemurphy7407

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Starting at 1 minute in I should have said.

Great video. What is that beautiful tree with the dark raw silk-like bark? It looks like a cherry of some sort… see around 4:44

@trevorpringle1480

2 жыл бұрын

Prunus serrula

@great-garden-watch

2 жыл бұрын

@@trevorpringle1480 gorgeous. Thanks!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Trevor is right, Prunus serrula

The thing I've noticed is how the sunlight changes with season's. It's had to move pots and noticed how the same plants will perform so differently according to sun exposure.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Very good point!

Alexandra HELP PLEASE 🙏 At 13.55 in PollyAnna’s design what are the four stunning upright tree canopy’s please? I can’t quite work it out but I think they might be exactly what I’m after 😍 I need show-stopping height on a large patio. Thank you A. So look forward to your videos.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

I believe that those are hornbeam, cut to shape. If you're searching for suppliers near you, I'd suggest putting 'pleached hornbeam' and 'pleached carpinus betula' into a search engine. They're lovely, arent they?

@paigeturner165

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden thank you so much 😊

At 9:07, there is a terrace with several very skinny trees (?), perhaps 8' tall, with a metal armature at the top, and a riot of greenery above. What are they? Very elongated standards?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

They are posts - it's like a very see-through screen, more about marking out a space than about screening anything, although it creates a clear division between the terrace planting and the borders.

❤

Garden designers often talk about painting the walls / fencing in a darker colour, can you please recommend a dark grey colour to use? Thanks..

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

It very much depends on what your walls or fence are, so I'd suggest trying out patches. Go about two shades darker than you think you want because everything looks a bit lighter outside. Both Cuprinol and Ronseal have a good range of outdoor colours, and Farrrow & Ball are always lovely, though more expensive.

@duraidmkillu4541

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden thank you. Would you say very dark grey is the colour to go for? Or dark green..

I can't have a water feature, it would end up being a bath and drinking spot for the neighbors dogs. I have always wanted a fish pond. Any suggestions to keep it dog free?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

What about a raised water feature or pond, depending on how athletic the dogs are? You can also put a grille across the top, which is an additional safety feature if there are small children around. There are a couple of raised ponds in this video at about 1.39 and 2.05 kzread.info/dash/bejne/oZOhpMegaM6Zcso.html. And I'll keep an eye for more smaller ponds and water features for future videos.

How do you get to the lists she always says are below.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

Жыл бұрын

On mobile, click on the title of the video, just below it when it's playing and a short description comes up. At the end of that, you'll see 'show more', so click on that. on desktop you can see the first part of the description just below the video, so click on the 'show more'. Hope that helps!

Very informative thank you, although the logic of 10% of your property value to invest in a garden doesn’t make much sense given size and plans are likely the main factors. If it adds that value to my home I’d like to try retain that value where possible

Appropriate gardening guidance to know when to seek professional garden designers. Thank you.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

I second Pollyana's advice to not make one's dining area too small. We had a lovely plan prepared by a Landscape Architect and when we saw how big he wanted to make the dining area, we balked! And we made it much smaller. Ten years later, we had it enlarged because it always was too small! The original design would have been better. We paid for the design, why on earth didn't we trust him and just follow it??!!!

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

Жыл бұрын

Such an easy mistake to make!

Whether this furniture survive heavy rains ?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

It should do. They are weatherproof cushions although I imagine she would take them indoors if there was a long very wet spell.

@ArunKumar-eu4sc

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden okay, thank you

@ArunKumar-eu4sc

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Please make a video on furniture types suitable for outdoor and how to maintain them, thanks

White is an equally good backdrop and the plants pop in front.... and actually will make the yard feel bigger and hold the light better with a white fence. IMHO

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Also a good option.

@coolwater55

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I like the looks of both dark and white as a backdrop many times. But in the end, personal preference is white. Thank you for the exceptional videos on gardening!

Прекрасный сад и прекрасный канал но очень жаль что нет субтитров

May I suggest shortening the introductory remarks? Surely most will know to subscribe, which buttons to click, etc?

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

It is something I think about, which is why I also mention the chapters first, so people can click over it (just run your cursor along the bottom of the video if you're on laptop or desktop). But in the UK, quite a few people don't actually realise that if you want to see a video from a particular channel on KZread you can 'subscribe'. And many think that 'subscribe' means paying money. I think that as time goes on, that's slowly changing. But thank you for your input.

Pity every answer begins wit ''So''

Merci !

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much too!

down the road aways in my neighborhood someone has a pump running on their porch and a giant pot, I guess it was meant to be a water feature but it doesn't seem to do much, I can hear it running like 2-3 houses away, I'm glad I don't live next to those people, why live in a peaceful area only to pointlessly make stupid noise, it's why I hate people, inconsideration knows no ends

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

Oh, dear, I do agree that sometimes water features can be quite intrusive for neighbours

I really enjoy your videos, however…commercials that interrupt the learning experience every 3-4 minutes is really annoying.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

Жыл бұрын

I'm sorry to hear that. It's entirely organised by KZread and although creators can change some of the settings, it wouldn't necessarily lead to a better experience. The idea is that the algorithm should serve an 'ideal' number of ads, rather than too many, but I will pass your comments onto KZread. It can vary depending on time of day, and I imagine there will be fewer ads in the next few months, but it's not something I know a great deal about or that I can influence much.

This discussion is very irritating indeed because it's garden design without consideration of the big picture. Given the proximity of this video upload to the Global Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, I am appalled at the fact that sustainability of materials isn't front and centre of this discussion. There isn't any consideration taken about looking at the plant species present both on the site or locally before designing or revamping a garden. There isn't consideration about incorporating either native species or fruit tree cultivars developed for use in the local area with the local conditions. Also the conversation about garden lighting. We aren't discussing lighting the way safely between the house and a garden gate, but just illuminating for swank. Black mirror effect in this country? The majority of urban skies in the UK never get properly dark. We know that street lighting is affecting the breeding, feeding and sleep cycles of birds and insects. We also know that gardens are a significant nature resource for the country. So why are we lauding lighting schemes and not looking at the carbon footprint of our garden designs?

I couldn’t get any benefits . It so obviously daily and basic. Sorry

People need to lose their love affair with lawns already. Horrible water and time suckers, over-fertilized, do nothing for wildlife or birds. The hours wasted on mowing alone is ridiculous, not to mention the gasoline and chemicals people put on these things.

@TheMiddlesizedGarden

2 жыл бұрын

I think there's a balance. For example, organic lawns sequester carbon and all lawns also absorb rainwater, reducing the chances of flash flooding. Many people (myself included) don't water or fertilise their lawns at all, or use any weedkillers on them. The new initiatives to cut mowing to once every two to three weeks also reduces the impact of petrol or battery driven mowers. That slightly longer grass is also hugely beneficial for butterflies and other pollinators, and I have certainly often seen flocks of birds on my lawn, picking out worms, beetles and other grubs.

@onemanfran

2 жыл бұрын

We don't water or fertilise our lawn. The worms and blackbirds adore it. I'd always have some lawn in my garden.