Fixing the bits that bug you.

20 September 2026

Sometimes there are parts of our garden that need a refresh. They’re the bits that bug you - perhaps something hasn’t quite worked, a plant has run its course or needs moving, or something else has taken over entirely and you can’t remember what it even looked like in the first place.

A client will often say to me ‘I don’t know where to start’ and I ask them what is frustrating them the most. For example, one of my clients has a garden border that has been completely taken over by vinca minor, or periwinkle. I love this plant. But it can be a surprising brute - its trailing shoots only need to glance at soil and they’ve rooted themselves and off they run. My client and I decided to get as much out as possible as it had claimed the whole bed as its own. A hydrangea, euonymus and viburnum in the same bed had no room of their own, stunted and drowning in periwinkle foliage. And crushed in the corner: a jasmine fighting for its life up an obelisk (vinca climbs too!). Thankfully, it had rained for a full day before tackling this, so the vinca roots were easily diggable. But it was soon clear that there was actual room for the other plants to play - including a pot bound philadelphus too.

Similarly, a lost border had become a sticking point for another client. Once a riot of purple and yellow blooms and cohesive planting, an apple tree appeared in the middle of the bed from next door’s and was able to grow quickly and sturdily, leaching all nutrients out of the soil. Throw in a heatwave or two, and the flowering plants suffered greatly. A rosemary went wild and woody, self-seeded grasses took over, and the whole thing lost its way. Montrose Trees removed the apple and rosemary, and I returned to the garden to work through sacks of soil improver. We will replace the bright yellow achillea, deep purple salvias and geranium, and add in swathes of bulbs so that this border can be bright and cheerful again.

This is a good time of year to set about changing things up. The soil is softer (thanks to much-needed rain) and not rock-hard like the summer, but the temperature is mild enough to keep things healthy and happy before any risks of frost.

Are there any bugbears in your garden that you would like changing? Drop me a message - no time like the autumnal present!