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Earthly Comforts Latest Posts …

The Things That Stay

A darker reflection on garden gnomes, exploring their unsettling presence, permanence, and the quiet sense that they observe rather than simply decorate.

Enough Is Enough

Why redefining what a “good” garden means leads to less pressure, more resilience, and gardens that truly fit real lives.

The Quiet Return of Hedgehogs

A reflective essay on the quiet return of hedgehogs, exploring why some gardens see them again while others never do, and what absence really means.

Erysimum

A reflective, experience-led look at perennial wallflowers (Erysimum), exploring their long flowering, resilience, and quiet reliability in real British gardens.

Lychnis

Lychnis (campion) is a bright, short-lived garden plant that self-seeds lightly and brings colour as an interruption rather than a backdrop.

Gardens of Imagination

An exploration of whimsical and fairy-style gardens, examining why people create them, how they function in practice, and what they reveal about our relationship with outdoor spaces.

British Insects

A thoughtful introduction to UK insects, exploring the small, often overlooked species that quietly sustain Britain’s landscapes, ecosystems, and seasons.

Guardians Beneath the Soil

A reflective exploration of the history of garden gnomes, their origins in folklore, and what they reveal about how we understand and relate to the land.

Nigella

Nigella (love-in-a-mist) is a short-lived annual with a layered lifecycle, offering fleeting beauty, architectural seedheads, and a lesson in patience for gardeners.

Dusky Cranesbill

An observational essay on Geranium phaeum, the dusky cranesbill—an understated, shade-tolerant perennial valued for longevity, foliage, and quiet presence in real gardens.

Pulmonaria

Pulmonaria explored as an early-season garden plant, linking colour-shifting flowers, spotted leaves, and the quiet urgency of feeding pollinators in late winter.

Working With Worms

A reflective look at starting a worm farm, exploring why patience, restraint, and observation matter more than setup or speed.

When a Lawn Starts to Fail

A reflective guide from a gardener’s perspective on advising clients through lawn recovery, from ants and compaction to reseeding and long-term balance.

Australian Insects

Explore Australia’s flies, cicadas, and true bugs, revealing how sound, speed, and decomposition shape ecosystems and everyday life.

Moving a Phormium

A reflective guide to moving mature phormiums, exploring timing, division, and the realities of transplanting established garden plants.

Verbascum

An observational essay on verbascum — a temporary, architectural plant that brings scale, patience, and prehistoric calm to real gardens.

A Quiet Reputation

A reflective essay on building a professional gardening brand through trust, consistency, and quiet reputation rather than testimonials or marketing.

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