Garden Advice Vouchers Winter is the ideal time to decide what you want your garden to look like and plan changes ready for the spring planting season. If you need inspiration for the design or guidance and explanation on choosing and looking after plants, then maybe a Gardening by Design gift voucher is the present you are looking for. Or perhaps...
This may be an unfamiliar term for a familiar method of . As leaves fall and soft green plants die back we are able to see the structure of a planting scheme and the rigid elements that are present through the winter too. We talk about the ‘bones’ of the garden and this is a good way to think of...
As summer draws to a close we think about what might make our gardens even better for next year and the need for privacy, security and screening is a good place to start. The key decision when considering boundaries is whether you need a solid and secure barrier or more of a visual marker to deter casual wandering. Frequently back gardens...
If we have a few more hot days this summer thoughts will turn to how pleasant it is to sit by cooling and soothing water in the garden. There is a huge range of choices nowadays from a full-blown fish or wildlife pond, through mini ponds to a wall-mounted fountain. A source of water is also a great help to...
You do not have to move house or undertake a complete makeover to feel that you have a new garden in time for the summer. Changing a planting style or colour scheme can radically alter the appearance of a garden. Fairly minor changes to the layout of paths and borders can dramatically improve the usability of a garden. And whether...
Whether December is mild and wet or freezing cold it is a month when not much time is spent in the garden. So prepare to bring the garden indoors as you decorate for Christmas. There are plenty of evergreens to choose from to supplement the traditional holly, ivy and conifer foliage. The berries in this garland are from a Skimmia, unlike...
There may not be much actively growing in the garden in winter but now is the perfect time to take a long, hard look at your front garden and decide if it could do with some tweaking. We all want to walk or drive home and be greeted by a garden that looks like it belongs, emphasises the best in the...
We all have a corner of the garden where conditions are tough either because of the soil or a lack of light. Here are some suggestions for getting the best from diifficult places: If possible improve the soil & work with nature instead of fighting it & losing! Organic matter helps improve soil strucutre, wter holding capacity and also drainage. Shade is...
Jacques Majorelle Who? I would like to introduce you to an early 20th Century French artist who I can safely say has had a huge but inadvertent influence on popular garden design. Quite simply he is responsible for blue: the use of blue paint and glaze for walls, fences and pots started with his beautifully laid out garden in Marrakech, Morocco...
Sitting outside in summer offers a good chance to look at the overall layout of your garden and question whether you are making best use of the space – especially if it is small and enclosed. Using perspective and the odd optical illusion can increase the sense of space and subtly change our perception of an awkward shape. I am...
Call: 07803 045327 | Email: alison.marsden@gardeningbydesign.co.uk
