Now is the Time to Plan for a Water Feature

As the summer draws to an end and the riot of colour and accelerated growth in the garden pales and dies down, it’s easy to mourn the long days and the fruits of the year’s toil. But as the garden retreats into its autumn / winter state, now is a good time to plan major features and changes to your landscape.

Water features are a great addition to the garden and the benefits are many. You don’t need lots of space to have a water feature either, even the tiniest of gardens can accommodate a water feature, the trick is choosing the right one.

A Place to Relax and Unwind

Water has a universally relaxing quality and it’s no great surprise that the sounds of water are used in many relaxation treatments and therapies. Creating a water feature such as a gently flowing fountain or cascading feature such as a waterfall will provide you with your very own oasis of calm and a place to retreat to. An illuminated water feature will add a whole new dimension to your outdoor space once dusk descends too.

Creating a New Wildlife Environment

A water feature, such as a pond with sloping sides, will in time attract a new and diverse range of wildlife into your garden. Even without adding any species to your pond you’ll be amazed at the amount of plant and insect life that will develop as nature finds her way. Expect to see frogs, newts and toads in the garden as well as insects such as dragon flies, damsel flies and pond skaters. Small birds such as finches, sparrows and tits will flock to the pond to bathe and drink. Watching the changing phases of a pond and discovering new species throughout the year is rewarding and fascinating.

Give us a call to find out more about our range of water features, or for advice on which feature is right for you and your garden. We can supply everything from pyramids, stones and statues to ponds, waterfalls and bird baths.

Attracting Wildlife to your Garden is Not Impossible

There is nothing better than sitting down in the garden with a glass of wine and listening to the sounds of various wildlife that have set up home in your garden. But for many, attracting wildlife can be difficult, particularly if you live in a big town or city where green space is not exactly abundant. If this is something you want to put right, I can help.

The key to attracting wildlife is variety. Think of your garden as a number of habitats rather than just one. If you want to attract birds and insects, consider using the services of a landscape gardener like those found here at D&G Garden World. We know just how to make your garden irresistible to all sorts of wildlife.

Adapting your Space

If space is a bit of issue, we could put up a trellis or fencing to allow growing plants to spring up and attract insects. Alternatively we could plant a mixed species hedge in place of an old fence, a sure-fire way to get birds and other wildlife interested in your garden.

I could also help create brand new habitats in ways that you may not have thought of. Even minor things such as laying new turf and letting it grow a bit longer in certain areas will attract species never before seen or heard, like crickets or grasshoppers.

The bottom line is you do not need a huge, lush green garden to have abundant wildlife. It helps – but it is not a necessity. Landscape gardeners can always find ways to use what you have got to your advantage. Give us a call if you need some help and we’ll soon turn your garden into a wildlife paradise.

Extend your Home with the Help of a Landscape Gardener

We would all love a nice big house and huge garden, but the reality is that for most of us we have to settle with what we’ve got. As a landscape gardener I visit many properties and I often get asked to design a garden that helps create more living space. This is something that I love to do because the results are always so pleasing.

Creating the Illusion

How can I make your garden appear to be a natural extension to your home? The clever trick is to continue space from inside to out. What I could do is, directly outside your French or patio doors, build a lovely decking area so that when the doors are opened there is immediately space where you can put a BBQ or table and chairs, meaning it will look and feel like a conservatory or extension, just without the roof and hefty price tag attached.

To complement this I’d add a lighting scheme so that an intimate feel can be created once the sun goes down. It really will look like you have an extra room to your home, except it’ll be nice and cool and perfect for relaxing on those warm summer evenings.

If you need some expert help with a landscaping project this year, don’t delay in asking us for a free, no obligation consultation on just what we can do for you and your garden.

Garden Design: How to Make Best Use of the 3rd Dimension

The first step in designing your garden is to draw an accurate ground plan so you know exactly how much space you have to work with. One mistake many people make after measuring the length and width is to forget that there’s another important dimension – height. Extending your garden upwards adds visual interest, can make your garden appear larger, and provides additional growing space, which is especially valuable in a small garden.

Flat Garden
If you have a flat garden with the majority of plants at the same low level, consider using any boundary fences or walls to support climbing plants. A long, blank wall can provide year-round colour and interest if it’s covered with a carefully chosen selection of climbers. Some plants and shrubs will need trellis or guide wires to help them reach the heights while others can scramble up perfectly well on their own.

Fenced Garden
If you are planting against a fence be aware that some mature climbers can be quite heavy so check that the fence posts are firm and the fence itself is strong enough to take the extra weight.

Arches, pergolas and obelisks are popular ways of introducing some height. You can buy them ready-made, choosing a design to fit in with the overall style of your garden, or construct your own. A wide range of plants, decorative, edible or both, can be trained over them. One word of advice: a rose-covered archway looks romantic but you won’t love it if you get scratched every time you pass through! For roses without tears make sure you choose from the many thornless climbing and rambling varieties that are available.

Planted Garden
Introducing tall plants is an easy way of introducing vertical shapes into your planting scheme. For summer colour, hollyhocks and giant sunflowers are fun to grow and impossible to overlook. Bamboos are fast growing but might need to be contained, and many ornamental grasses are not only tall but also come in some striking colours.

Trees are the tallest plants you can grow, but must be chosen with care if you have limited space. Large trees too close to buildings can cause expensive problems. They will also shade a large area and take a lot of water from the ground, which will affect other plants in the vicinity.

Before you buy a tree check the maximum height it will reach and how far the roots will spread. If you have any doubts it’s always best to get expert advice. The good news is that many specialist tree nurseries can offer small and dwarf varieties that will live happily in restricted spaces.

Vertical Gardening
A relatively new idea in garden design, but one that is generating a lot of interest, is vertical gardening or creating living walls. The idea is to grow plants close together in individual pockets formed in a panel that has a built-in irrigation system. One or more of these panels are then fixed to a wall. Once the plants are established the panel is hidden beneath the foliage giving the impression that the plants are growing out of the wall. The possibility of growing strawberries next to your bedroom window is certainly intriguing!

Planning new features to add height to your garden is the easy part. Carrying out those plans can involve skills you might not have and time you cannot spare. Discuss your ideas with a professional landscape gardener and benefit from his or her experience.

Bring your Garden to Life with a Spring Makeover

Many people see spring as the beginning of the gardening year, and it’s the perfect time for a garden makeover. Any improvements you make now will get the new season off to a great start.

Here are a few ideas that can give a tired garden a quick facelift:

De-clutter: Resolve to get rid of anything you no longer want or need, but think green and recycle as much as possible. You might be able to sell or give away play equipment that your children have outgrown, building materials left over from DIY projects, even that wheelbarrow with a wonky wheel … Your junk could be someone else’s treasure and just think of the extra space you’ll have!

Make a new lawn: Most lawns can withstand a lot of wear and tear but eventually the damage takes its toll. If your ‘lawn’ has become a rutted patch of weeds replace it with fresh, top quality turf for an instant green carpet.

Coordinate your containers: Most keen gardeners have a collection of assorted plant containers that they have acquired over the years. Pots, tubs, boxes and troughs in a variety of different shapes, sizes, colours, styles and materials can all be useful, but when clustered together on the patio they might not give the overall effect you were hoping for. There is a place for a pink plastic flowerpot in the garden, but it probably isn’t next to an antique stone urn. If you don’t want to buy a complete set of new containers try rearranging the ones you already have into groups that do look good together. You can paint wooden planters in the same or toning colours, and instead of trying to hide a single ‘odd’ pot you could make a feature of it.

Be ruthless: Unfortunately, plants don’t last forever. If some of yours are past their prime they might not be worth cosseting for another year. Try taking cuttings from a favourite plant so you can replace it with a vigorous new offspring. Otherwise, get rid of mediocre plants that are taking up valuable space and treat yourself to something different that you’ll really be proud of.

Add a focal point: If the first word that springs to mind when looking at part of your garden is ‘boring’ give it some interest in the shape of a statue, sundial or water feature.

When you start improving your garden one idea will often lead to another, but tackling all those jobs is a different matter. If you need advice and help with some of the bigger projects, ask for a free, no obligation consultation from a professional landscape gardener who can turn those ideas into reality.

Gardening Jobs for February

It may be the shortest month of the year, but February can often surprise us with a wide range of weather conditions. There might be snow and frost one week, followed by a few mild, sunny days, before bitterly cold winds blow in rain and plunging temperatures again. Any work you want to do in the garden has to be guided by the weather.

But even if you can only get outdoors for brief intervals it’s well worth making the effort because some jobs are best done at this time of year. Here are some of them:

· Plant bare-rooted trees, shrubs and hedging plants as soon as possible after receiving them so they don’t dry out. If you are unable to put them straight into what will become their permanent positions give them a temporary home in any spare corner. There’s no need to worry about planting them ‘properly’ with correct spacing or staking. The only important thing is to make sure the bare roots are covered with soil.

· Snowdrops are a welcome sight on grey winter days but they are notoriously difficult to grow from bulbs. They are best planted while ‘in the green’ shortly after flowering so now is the time to buy them in. If snowdrops are already established in your garden you can lift and divide the clumps to spread them further. Do you have some to spare? They’d make a lovely Valentine’s Day gift for someone!

· If you need to prune apple and pear trees this year you must do it soon while they are still dormant. If their buds are beginning to open, you’ll have to leave it until next winter. The aim of pruning is to remove any dead or damaged wood, allow more light and air into the tree, and thin out overcrowded fruiting spurs. By doing the latter, fewer apples or pears will be produced but they will be larger and of better quality than if the tree is left to its own devices.

· Prune summer flowering clematis now to ensure a good display later in the year.

· If you have rhubarb now is the time to force an early crop by covering some of the crowns with lightproof buckets, boxes or specially designed pottery forcing jars.

· Start sowing vegetable seeds if the weather allows. If you are not sure when conditions are right follow nature’s lead and observe what wild plants are doing. If new weeds are sprouting so will the hardier vegetables like early carrots, parsnips and broccoli. Onion sets can also be planted.

· And talking of weeds – the earlier you tackle them, the fewer you’ll have to deal with later.

· If you will need some expert help with a landscaping project this year, such as building new walls, giving your patio a makeover or installing new decking, don’t delay in asking a local professional landscape gardener to visit and give you a free, no obligation consultation. Finalizing your plans now will enable the work to begin as soon as the weather improves and you will have the whole summer to enjoy your new garden.

Five Reasons to Build Fences and Walls Inside Your Garden

Walls and fences are most commonly used to define and protect the boundaries of a garden, but they are also useful and decorative in many other situations. Here are just five reasons why you might want to include them in your garden design. Once you start thinking about it, you will probably find a lot more!

Privacy
If your favourite sunbathing spot is overlooked by a neighbouring building, or the back garden is easily visible from the front of the house, a fence or wall can be used as a screen against prying eyes. Its position is more important than its size so check your plans from all angles.

Shelter
Sunshine is wonderful, but if your patio is sometimes too hot for comfort create a patch of dappled shade by adding some decorative fencing panels. They will block the glare while still allowing a cooling breeze to waft through.

If your garden is exposed to strong winds you might consider putting up walls or fences to protect tender plants. Solid barriers can make the problem worse as the air deflected on one side causes turbulence on the other. The aim of an effective windbreak is only to slow the airflow so choose a fence or wall with plenty of gaps in it.

Dividing garden rooms
Use walls or fences to separate the vegetable plot from the lawn, or children’s play areas from your flower garden. They can be incorporated into the design of each ‘room’. For example, a low stone wall marking the edge of an ornamental garden can incorporate planters for flowers; a simple picket fence around a play area could be painted in bright colours.

Shape-changing
Steeply sloping land that is difficult to cultivate can be shaped into more manageable terraces with the help of retaining walls. It can be a big job but the transformation is usually worth the effort. The same idea can be used to add height and interest to a flat garden. A series of natural stone or brick walls can be backfilled with soil to gradually raise the ground level.

Design feature
For best results, incorporate internal fences and walls into the overall design of your garden. You don’t have to restrict yourself to rectangular brick walls or brown wooden fences. They can be made in all shapes and sizes and from a wide range of materials to suit any style of garden. They can be curved, angular, undulating, and in any colour you can imagine. Use them to harmonize with their surroundings – or to act as a contrast.

A well-built stone wall is a work of art in itself. Instead of hiding it behind plants you could even make it the main feature!

If you have some ideas for using walls and fences to enhance your garden but are not sure which materials to use, or you want advice on the best way to tackle the job, contact a professional landscape gardener who will be happy to visit and explain all the options in a free, no obligation consultation.