Abbie Silivistris Gardening & Horticulture

30/10/2026

✨ The Gardeners Guild ✨

I’m pleased to report that Abbie Silivistris Gardening & Horticulture is officially a member of The Gardeners Guild (TGG).

Established in 2006, TGG maintains a register of certified gardeners who offer garden maintenance as part of their services.

Becoming a member reflects my commitment to professional standards, ongoing horticultural knowledge and quality garden care.

Members must hold at least one government-endorsed horticultural qualification and are required to abide by the terms of membership.

TGG therefore provides you with greater assurance when selecting a gardener.

28/10/2026

🍁Autumn/winter pot planting begins!🍁

The days are getting shorter and the nights darker, so why not add a little colour and joy to your doorstep?

I’ve been busy planting up clients’ pots with some lovely seasonal plants to help brighten things up over the coming months.

I’m really enjoying experimenting with planting combinations and have been inspired by the wonderful winter pots that are available from Longbeck Nurseries 🌱

19/10/2026

🌱Committed to Learning & Growing🌱

Exciting news!

Making A Difference - Garden Maintenance is becoming…

✨Abbie Silivistris Gardening & Horticulture✨

As my business has grown, and my journey in horticulture has developed, I’ve decided it’s time for a more personal name that better reflects me and my work.

You’ll notice I’ve chosen Achillea millefolium (aka yarrow) in my new logo. According to ancient folklore, it represents:

🌿Courage - Something I needed a considerable amount of when I made the decision to leave my career as a midwife and become self-employed.

🌿Healing - Working outside and getting my hands in the soil has helped calm my nervous system and brought a sense of peace to my life.

🌿Protection - Learning how to care for plants in a way that promotes their long term health and improve biodiversity has given me a real sense of purpose.

There’s also a lovely connection to home, as yarrow grows wildly along the headlands at Marske.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my business so far. It really does mean the world to me.

Here’s to new beginnings, continued learning and always growing.

With love,
Abbie

02/10/2026

🌻📚 RHS Garden Workshop

I’m eager to keep expanding my horticultural knowledge and so this morning I attended a 2 hour ‘Looking Good in the Garden in Autumn’ workshop at RHS Harlow Carr.

It’s the first time I’ve visited Harlow Carr and, oh my word, I think I’m in love! No explanation needed - just look at the photos!

RHS Advisory staff member, Esther Woolff, gave useful advice on:

🍁 An introduction to the season

🍁 Classic plant choices for the season

🍁 Design choices and how to get the best from the plants

🍁 Essential jobs to do

Afterwards, me, Sim and Cal explored Harrogate and visited Husk Bar Cafe & Bottleshop for a ‘There is a Garden Within Me’ Verdant IPA.

I think it’s safe to say I’m garden obsessed! 😄

26/09/2026

🌻’MAD’ in New Marske

So pleased with this border that I planted in early June! It paid no attention to the drought and hasn’t stopped flowering all summer.

In fact, it’s still blooming now and is buzzing with insect activity as you can see in the video!

It’s so important to provide pollinators with late season pollen and nectar which will help them survive the winter.

🐝🐞🦋🪲

23/09/2026

🌻’MAD’ in Marske

Managed to restore some order to this garden which was enjoying its freedom far too much!

Many a path was found, and even a secret garden was revealed 🧚🏼

As you can imagine, it’s full of wildlife and I’ve done my best to not disturb it too much whilst also making it more accessible by foot!

18/09/2026

🌻’MAD’ for wildlife

I’ve started creating wood and leaf litter piles in a few gardens that I care for in order to support the local habitat and improve garden health.

Key benefits of wood/leaf piles:

🪵Shelter
- Branches and leaves can block wind, snow and rain creating a cosy place for small animals and birds to keep warm.

- Tunnels and gaps in the wood allow small animals to escape from predators such as owls and foxes.

🪲Foraging
- Birds and predators dig through leaf litter and rotting wood to find insects and grubs.

- Decaying wood supports the wood lice, beetles and spiders.

🍄Soil Enrichment and Garden Health
- As the wood and leaves rot down they feed soil fungi, beneficial bacteria and microorganisms.

-Decomposing organic matter releases essential micronutrients back into the earth, nourishing nearby plants and trees.

- By housing natural predators like ground beetles, spiders and insect eating birds, the pile helps keep garden pests in balance without the need for harmful chemical pesticides.

If you would like me to create a wood and leaf litter pile in your garden (and I haven’t already!) then feel free to ask 😊

13/08/2026

🌻📚Passed the RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture with 90% and a Distinction!

My last two exams were in June:

🌱PCA 2 tested our hands-on skills and involved a RHS examiner assessing us on 3 more practical tasks - this time it was turf laying, mowing a grassed area and potting off. We then had to identify a number of plants by their Latin names.

🌱The OCA was a multiple choice test with 80 questions testing our theoretical knowledge of horticulture.

It was such a worthwhile course and I’m so pleased I’ve done it!

28/07/2026

17/07/2026

🌻’MAD’ in New Marske

Really grateful to this client who allowed me to use his garden as a project in order to develop my border design/planting skills.

Plants include:
🌿Taxus baccata
🌿Pittosporum tennuisima ‘Golf Ball’
🪻Geranium Roxanne® (‘Gerwat’) (PBR)
🪻Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
🪻Nepeta grandiflora ‘Summer Magic’
🌼Erigeron karvinskianus
🌾Stipa tenuissima

Looking forward to seeing how the border develops as the plants establish.