Description

You haven’t failed, and you don’t have a “black thumb”—you’ve inherited an ecological crime scene. New-build handover days promise neat turf, but within months, ground crushed by 20-tonne machinery collapses into a concrete moonscape where traditional advice written for deep loam fails. Drawing on 40 years of UK horticultural experience, this guide provides a practical roadmap to turn dead contractor clay into a lush sanctuary. Inside you will discover the 10-Minute Screwdriver Audit (zero-cost tests to map hardpan), No-Dig Sheet-Mulch techniques (building a soil sponge using cardboard and compost without rotavating), Taming Winter Swamps (constructing zero-maintenance rain gardens), Drought Defence (DIY ollas and deep-root soaking rules), and Microclimate Engineering (cooling baking fences and calming wind tunnels).

The New-Build Garden Survival Guide