Episode 176: Gardening on a Gradient

This week’s guest is Carol Smith, garden designer, lecturer and author of the book ‘Gardening on a Gradient: Designing and Establishing Sloping Gardens’. Interestingly, the book is relevant to home gardeners and professional designers and covers everything from the initial garden site assessment and survey, right through the design process to the final stages of planting, as well as inspiration and ideas from sloping gardens around the UK. If you’ve ever faced the challenge of a sloping site, you’ll know how tricky they can be but fear not, Carol is here to help you tackle them. Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Large hairy house spiders What We Talk About Main drawbacks to gardening on a gradient and any advantages Is it more expensive than gardening on the flat? Gardens that slope back towards the house and drainage issues Making changes to levels and water run off Soil moisture and temperature ranges across a slope Surveying a sloping site Retaining soil More naturalistic ways to deal with a sloping site About Carol Smith Carol Smith is a professional garden designer and freelance lecturer. She has worked on several award-winning show gardens and teaches on all aspects of garden and planting design.  Links Gardener’s Guide to Gardening on a Gradient: Designing and Establishing Sloping Gardens by Carol Smith Other episodes if you liked this one: I Want to Like My Garden with Rachel McCartain  Natural Stone with Giles Heap of CED Patreon Membership