Simon's Garden Shed

11/10/2026

I’ve been asked about the plants in my last video so hopefully this will work. The lists are for the most obvious plants from left to right and are in the captions.

09/10/2026

The “long border” at Shed Towers is still hanging together nicely. A couple of things have gone over but the rest will be fine until the first frost.

07/10/2026

Our Breakfast with Santa events are back for 2026, bookings in person only at The Crossbar 🎅🏻

02/10/2026

I’ve rashly signed up for the 90 Miles in October in support of Mind. Mental health is something I take seriously as it was a wobble in my own that ultimately made me switch to being Simon the gardener (so it worked out well in the end!). I was lucky to have the support of family and friends so I didn’t have to rely on Mind but their online support was really helpful when I ultimately got off my medication. More so than the GP’s. This is going to be a challenge as although I’m outside all day sometimes I don’t do that much distance. There’s a lot of weeding on my knees so I can only do 3000 steps some work days. I’m going to give it a good go outside of work so if anyone could spare a couple of pounds I’d be really grateful. Thanks

Help Simon Clark raise money to support Mind

18/09/2026

Credit to The Crossbar staff who did an excellent job of watering their flowers over a challenging summer for plants. (They followed their instructions very well 😂). Talking of watering, keep an eye on pots even when it’s rained. Rain doesn’t always get caught by the pots, especially where there is a lot of foliage or they’re close to a building.

06/09/2026

I was taking some photos of plants for something else and came across this chap on a sedum. When I was a child we had one in our then family garden and they used to be smothered in butterflies. It’s sadly rare to see that many all together nowadays.

17/08/2026

It’s been a while since I last posted on here. It’s been a busy summer so far and the weather has been challenging for gardens and gardener alike but hopefully we’ll have some “normal” weather shortly. My own garden has taken the same battering from the heat as everyone else’s but I’m choosing to treat this as a learning opportunity to make changes to the planting or improvements to the soil in places so that Shed Towers will be better suited to the inevitable hot summers that’ll come in the future. In the meantime here’s a couple of holiday photos. One for inspiration, seaside plants have to cope with drier conditions and one because it’s pretty. Obviously I take pictures of plants on my holiday 😂

21/06/2026

A summer solstice early wander around Shed Towers. It’s not perfect but I think it’s nice.

09/05/2026

Box moth caterpillar seems to be endemic across the Midlands, they can defoliate a bush in days so it was time for a change here at Shed Towers as three large plants have been removed from long border. This has meant an excuse to go plant shopping on a regular basis and moving some existing plants around. It’s also given space for other plants to really shine like these alliums. Change in a garden is a good thing.