Talking About Gardening and Garden Design on TV, and Why This Matters for Your Garden Too

This week, I had the pleasure of being interviewed on Yle’s morning TV programme here in Finland. I have to admit, it felt both exciting and slightly surreal. I got a call on Tuesday, and I sat in the TV studio on Wednesday morning.

The conversation itself was quite short, just 10 minutes, but the topics were anything but small. We touched on spring gardening, colour, biodiversity, sustainability, and the ways our gardens are changing right now.

The original interview was in Finnish, and if you’d like to watch it (no captions included), you can find it on Yle Areena here.

I also wanted to share some of that conversation here in English, not just as a little behind-the-scenes moment, but as something that might also be useful and encouraging for you.

What I would like to highlight from the interview is this: people want gardens that feel good to live with. Not perfect gardens. Not overly styled gardens. But gardens that feel personal, beautiful, practical, and alive.

And honestly, I think that’s a very good direction.

People are asking for more colour now

One of the things we touched on was colour, and I wanted to clarify this a little more here.

For quite a while, garden colour palettes often leaned toward softer, more restrained, more harmonised combinations. And of course, that can still be beautiful. But now I’m hearing something different from people, very directly.

They say: " We want colourful flower combinations”.

Not just a tiny accent here and there, but real colour. More life. More energy. More joy.

I think that makes complete sense. After long winters, especially here in the north, people are craving vibrancy. And it’s not only happening in gardens either. You can see the same shift in interiors, too. People seem less interested in everything matching perfectly and more interested in spaces that feel expressive, uplifting, and full of character.

That doesn’t mean a garden needs to become chaotic. It simply means we can be a little freer again. A little braver. A little more playful with planting.

Gardens should support life, both yours and nature’s

Another important theme in the TV interview was biodiversity, which is becoming more and more important in Finland, the UK, and around the world.

We spoke about how gardens are never only for us. They are part of a wider living environment. And when biodiversity is considered from the beginning, a garden becomes richer in every sense. More resilient, more interesting, more alive.

We also talked about spring garden care, and that sometimes the kindest thing is to do a little less:

• For example, when the ground is still very wet after snowmelt, it’s best not to walk too much on the lawn. Wet soil compacts easily, and that affects how well the grass grows later.
• And with flower beds, it’s worth waiting a little before rushing in to rake and tidy everything. I usually advise holding off until temperatures are consistently above about 10°C (50°F), so overwintering insects have time to wake up and move on. That small pause in spring gardening can make a real difference.

This is one of those lovely reminders that gardening isn’t always about acting quickly. Sometimes it’s about noticing timing.

Nature is always trying to find balance

We also discussed pests, which, of course, come up every season.

I think it’s helpful to remember that nature is always trying to move toward balance. Aphids, for example, often appear on plants that are already under some stress or growing in conditions that don’t quite suit them. Then, in time, ladybirds and other beneficial insects often arrive to help rebalance things.

That doesn’t mean we do nothing. But it does mean we look a little deeper.

With some pest slugs or snails, for instance, there really is no shortcut. They need to be monitored and collected throughout the season. They are persistent, and dealing with them takes ongoing effort.

But in both cases, one of the most important parts of the solution is choosing the right plants. The right plant, the right place, matters enormously. Healthy plants in suitable growing conditions are always a better starting point.

Sustainability also means reusing what is already there

Another topic we touched on was sustainable material choices, and this is something I care about deeply.

People increasingly want to reuse materials in their gardens rather than always buying new, and I think that’s such a positive shift. Old paving, slabs, edging stones, natural stones… There is often more potential around us than we first realise.

My advice is usually to start very close to home: first, look at your own garden and see what could be reused there.
Then ask on social media, browse local marketplaces, and contact landscaping contractors or green industry professionals who may have suitable leftover materials.

There is clearly growing interest in this, but the field would also benefit from more organised systems, so that reusable materials are available in the right quantities when people actually need them. At the moment, the will is there. The structures around it are still catching up.

Good gardens do not have to be the most expensive ones

We also spoke briefly about garden construction costs, which is such an important subject because cost often shapes what is possible.

One thing I always like to remind people is that the overall cost can be influenced a great deal by how a garden is designed and built. If you do some parts yourself rather than outsourcing absolutely everything, that can naturally make a difference.

And in many cases, gardens with a stronger emphasis on planting and greenery are more affordable to build than ones with extensive hard landscaping, large patios, or big terrace structures.

That doesn’t mean hard materials are bad, not at all. They are often necessary and beautiful. But it does mean there are many ways to create a lovely garden, and more planting is not only softer and more ecological, it can also be kinder to the budget.

My perspective comes from both Finland and the UK

Something I touched on briefly in the interview, but which deeply shapes my work, is that I bring perspective from both Finnish and British garden cultures.

I studied in London, and I’m an MSGLD (member of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers), which means I’ve completed the society’s adjudication process to demonstrate my competence and be accepted as a full member. Alongside my professional background in Finland, this gives me a valuable view of both garden cultures, their differences, similarities, and how they are evolving.

And one thing I find especially interesting is that in both countries, despite their different traditions and styles, thinking about biodiversity is becoming increasingly important.

That feels hopeful to me.

I want to help people create the garden that truly suits them

At the heart of all of this is the work I do with clients.

I help people create gardens that fit their lives, their hopes, and the reality of their site, through garden design, consultation, and teaching. And because I also offer online consultations, I can work with very different clients in very different parts of the country and the world, sometimes even on the same day.

I love that. It means I can help more people shape a garden that genuinely feels right for them, not just visually, but practically and emotionally too.

More than anything, I wanted to leave people encouraged

TV interviews are often short, and this conversation could easily have become five different blog posts. Maybe it still will.

But if there was one feeling I hoped to leave with viewers, and with you here too, it is this:

Your garden does not need to be perfect to be beautiful.

It can be colourful. A little experimental. Still taking shape. More nature-friendly. More you.

And spring doesn’t have to begin with pressure. It can begin with noticing, with ideas, with small steps, and with a bit of excitement about what this season might become.

That, to me, is a very good place to start.

P.S. You can also watch the original Finnish interview on Yle Areena here (click the 'Katso' button on that page). Yle is Finland’s national public broadcaster.