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...
A few tips on lawns as the summer progresses from my WoolliesAskAlison twitter tweetorial: Established, healthy lawn withstands dry summer without watering. Top may go brown but will recover when it rains. Spring & summer lawn feeds high Nitrogen for lush green growth, autumn higher potassium for tougher leaves pre winter. Newly turfed or sown lawns need to be watered in dry periods...
If you don't get a free copy of the Town Crier magazine - here is my June article It is easier to create a tropical-looking garden in our temperate climate than you might think and does not require without a greenhouse to protect all the plants in winter. Choose plants with a strong architectural shape or big leaves but survive temperatures...
My tweetorial on Planting Plans for the Woolly Green #WoolliesAskAlison Q&A on March 6th Work out number of plants needed for space & don’t be tempted to overfill or you’ll be dividing and removing in 2 years General rule plan on 3 large or 5 small perennials per sq. metre. Large shrubs 1 per sq.m, small shrubs 2-3 sq.m Draw up a plan...
Longer lasting than cut flowers and less fattening than chocolate, the gift of an hour or two of advice and ideas to enhance your Valentine’s garden is the ideal present for a gardener or ‘would-be gardener’. A Gardening by Design visit can solve problems, supply design ideas, maintenance advice and a realistic plan whether you have a blank canvas, changing needs...
Winter is an ideal season to plan and build in the kitchen garden as there is little to harvest or plant. Raised beds have gained popularity recently so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at why you might use them and offer a few practical tips. If you find that ‘the ground is a long way...
November sees the final flourish of autumn leaf colour before the usual gales finally strip deciduous trees and shrubs of their old foliage and they descend into dormancy to sit out the cold of winter. Have you ever stopped to think about why nature provides this colour burst? It is all to do with recycling! The chlorophyll that turns leaves...
Once deciduous trees and shrubs have lost their leaves and hardy perennials have been cut down for the winter, late autumn is a good time to look at the overall layout of your garden and question whether you are making best use of the space – especially in a small enclosed garden. Using perspective and the odd optical illusion can...
Call: 07803 045327 | Email: alison.marsden@gardeningbydesign.co.uk
