What's it all about?

The blog that is. Well, I'm Jo, and I am a small (5'4) gardener, with a small (14ft at it's widest x 30ft at it's longest) town garden in East Yorkshire. So, my gardening is on a small scale, and 'The Small Gardener' covers me, my garden, and the type of gardening I'm doing. Clever, huh?

I'm not an expert gardener. I watch Gardener's World and that occasionally gives me ideas. Generally I use it for a 'what needs doing now' guide. Otherwise I find most of the info I need on the net. (How did we cope before the www.?  We can't have had books on everything.) Or, I learn by trial and error, you can always move a plant if it's in the wrong place.

I will be using this blog to show the transformation of the garden. Hopefully I will be passing on some useful info about creating a garden on the cheap (which I believe you can do with a bit of research, and being in the right place at the right time). Plus, I will pass on any space-saving garden things I find in the shops, or online, for people a bit short on acreage like me. And, I will pass on any discounted, or just generally cheap, garden items that I find, because even if your garden is bigger than mine you'll still appreciate saving a few pennies. Everyone loves a bargain.

I will also be sharing my discoveries of East Yorkshire. Because, let's face it, unless you live here you've probably have no idea what's here. I certainly didn't before I moved up here. And I would imagine you have no inclination to visit either, because I didn't have it on my list of places to visit either.....


I like to get out into the country for walks, see a bit of wildlife, discover little villages, quaint pubs, small plant nurseries..... you know the thing. I'm not a one for wearing all the gear for walking, I usually go out in jeans and a pair of standard boots. So this blog isn't going to be about hiking for miles and miles at a time. Just weekend walks and days out. Things I would do if I was visiting any other area for a weekend. If you like the look of one of the walks, you could expand it if you wanted. The blog is for getting the original point of interest noticed.

Where I come from in the South East I was very near a couple of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I was very disappointed when I first got up here and I looked for one to visit in East Yorkshire only to discover there weren't any. But, as I have found out, all is not lost. In fact, there are many places that I would consider just as good as the AONB's that I lived near in the South. That's what this blog is also about, showing that it's not the 'back of beyond' here as most people probably get the impression it is from the media and general lack of coverage on any nature/countryside/wildlife programmes. You never know, I may inspire you to visit.

And, finally. I will be using my other blog, Josara Design to showcase some of my craft items (most of which I make for use in my own garden and if I like them I'll add them to my shop on Folksy.com, because I find the choice of garden ornaments a bit restrictive. So the two blogs compliment each other nicely.

So, there you go. Gardening, shopping, crafts, nature, wildlife, and a countryside and coastal travel guide. What more could you want?