Image provided by: @gardenwithjonny
You don’t need a huge garden to enjoy a gorgeous lawn, beautiful flowers, specimen shrubs, high-yielding fruit trees, and a place to grow vegetables. Popular Instagram gardener @gardenwithjonny shows how she achieves all this and more by sharing her inspiring outdoor space with family, friends, and her very cold pet cat. Find out how this fun-loving, firefighter and fitness enthusiast got interested in gardening…
What inspires you in the garden?
Gardening is one of my favorite ways to relax and my passion for it has grown over the years. I draw inspiration from my Dutch roots.
What is your favorite style?
Image provided by:@garden with johnny
My garden is a west-facing space that blends contemporary and traditional styles that I have been developing for seven years. The area is divided into distinct areas: a summer border lined with dahlias and salvias, and a shady forest-like area filled with ferns, hostas, and maples. Two patios are the perfect place to relax, from a family barbecue to a quiet evening by the fire.
What are you most proud of?
Image provided by: @gardenwithjonny
One of my proudest accomplishments is an espalier apple tree growing in a small space and a neatly striped lawn. (You know what my lawn looks like).
There’s always more to do and my next project is a new patio, but I love how my garden continues to evolve.
Top gardening tips
Image provided by: @gardenwithjonny
My winter gardening tip is to remove fallen leaves from your lawn, paths, and borders. If left untreated, the surface can become damp and slippery, and can harbor pests and disease. Instead, collect the leaves and use them to make mulch (a great natural soil conditioner).
Mulch is rich in organic matter and improves soil structure, moisture retention, and aeration. This is especially beneficial for woodland plants, but can enhance any garden flower bed. Additionally, this is an environmentally friendly way to recycle garden waste, reducing the need for peat-based compost. Simply stack the leaves in a bin or bag to keep them moist and let nature do the rest.
Grow like Johnny
A compact, slow-growing variety that provides great seasonal color
Image: Japanese maple ‘Little Princess’ by T&M
If you’d like to purchase the plants Johnny grows, here’s a quick shopping list.
We hope you’ll learn more about Jonny Hinks from @gardenwithjonny. If you would like to read about other inspirational growers, check out our #tmfeaturedgardens series on Instagram.
Thompson & Morgan’s horticulture team produces a wealth of content about gardening and food production. Since the first seed catalog was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest mail order seed and plant companies. Through publishing catalogs and operating an award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the highest quality products money can buy.
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