Designing the Gardens at The Old Mushroom Farm

Mandy Crooks on Succulents, The Design Process & Using What You Have

Designing the Gardens at The Old Mushroom Farm's New Boutique Apartments

Mandy Crooks Designing the Gardens at The Old Mushroom Farm

Mandy Crooks is a gardener. Her love of plants has been with her since childhood. “Gardening is good for your soul,” she says. “I’d recommend it to anyone.”

Watch the full interview on The Old Mushroom Farm's Youtube

Mandy walks us through her landscaping process for the gardens surrounding the new Boutique Apartments at The Old Mushroom Farm.

Low-key famous for her gardens and extensive succulent collection, she has hosted Open Gardens and featured in publications such as House & Leisure and Tuis. Yet she makes it all sound wonderfully simple. “You can just stick them in the ground and they grow!” she laughs, speaking of succulents. Not all thumbs are quite so green, but Mandy’s encouragement makes it feel worth trying.

Pro tip: when planting succulents from cuttings, leave them on a dry surface for a week or so before planting. This allows the exposed stem to scab over, preventing rot and helping the cutting prepare for rooting.

Landscaping with succulents The Old Mushroom Farm

Mandy Crooks Gardens The Old Mushroom Farm

Mandy’s background is in design and illustration, and the crossover into gardening feels natural. In both fields, the eye responds to colour, texture, and scale. Plants become a living palette, arranged thoughtfully across the canvas of a garden bed, here in the gardens at The Old Mushroom Farm.

When selecting plants for The Old Mushroom Farm, Mandy worked with a few clear principles. The gardens needed to be resilient and low-maintenance—succulents fit the brief perfectly. Aloes thrive on the farm, and Nick’s ongoing seed collection and propagation efforts have been an invaluable resource.

Mandy Crooks Landscaping The Old Mushroom Farm

Agapanthus The Old Mushroom Farm

Agapanthus garden bed The Old Mushroom Farm

While Mandy has a deep appreciation for indigenous planting, she isn’t rigid about it. As long as plants aren’t invasive, she sees no reason to limit the garden’s beauty. Use what works, and use what’s available. One entire bed of agapanthus was relocated from Mandy’s home garden after persistent visits from hungry buck—a delightful problem to have. Now, a bold block of agapanthus welcomes visitors at the entrances to the Boutique Apartments. Bonus: they’re indigenous.

Perhaps, before long, there’ll be buck browsing quietly in the garden outside the bedroom windows here at The Old Mushroom Farm too.

Boutique Apartment Accommodation The Old Mushroom Farm

The Old Mushroom Farm Garden Design

Read more on the Boutique Apartment phase two building process, and book your Midlands farm-stay in the newly completed holiday accommodation units.