Gardens

Create a stunning display of succulents in your garden

Posted on June 23, 2022 at 4:01 pm

Succulents can add a wonderful touch of the tropical to any garden whether in pots or rockeries and are very easy to grow and care for. They can be grown as an indoor plant or as an outdoor plant on a sunny patio.

Choosing the right pot for your succulents will depend on the size of the plant and whether you want just one specimen plant in the pot or whether you want a few plants that complement each other in one shallow pot. Once planted, it is good to top the soil with fine gravel as this will make an impressive display and show off the succulent more effectively.

Succulents come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes and can create a wonderful display on a rockery in the garden. They need very little maintenance and can survive in dry conditions with very little water. These hardy plants can even be planted to grow on gravel paths where they spread rapidly to create a carpet of colour.

Particular varieties to look out for are the deeply coloured Semponium “Destiny” which won plant of the year at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show and Houseleeks with their brightly coloured rosettes which change colour with the seasons.

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How can I make my garden more low maintenance?

Posted on April 25, 2022 at 9:48 pm

Lots of people enjoy having a nice outdoor space to enjoy, especially as the weather starts to get warmer. However, with most people working many hours throughout the day it can be hard to find the time to put into maintaining your garden.

So, how can you make the most of limited time and make your garden as low maintenance as possible? Large flower beds can take quite a lot of upkeep as you’ll get weeds growing in between your flowers and the soil needs to be regularly turned over and aerated to keep your plants growing well. An easier alternative would be plants in pots instead. These can be easily maintained and moved around to suit your outdoor space.

Area’s of grass can be easily tidied up if you are able to mow it fairly regularly and can really soften an outdoor space making it more usable for all the family.

For patio areas a super-low maintenance option would be poured resin either over your existing slabs or over concrete as this gives an attractive wet-look to the area and ensures that weeds cannot grow up between your slabs.  This option is very low maintenance but can be quite costly so you may want to shop around to ensure you get the best price.

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How to attract birds into your garden

Posted on January 13, 2022 at 5:34 pm

There is something very peaceful about sitting in your garden or living room and watching birds flying around. You may want to attract more birds or other animals in to your garden but are not sure exactly how to go about it. If you have a cat or a dog which is good at catching animals then you may want to think carefully before trying to attract them. Most birds are quite used to having to contend with other animals but if you encourage them to nest then you may have baby birds around who are not quite as good at getting away!

Firstly, a bird table is a great addition and the first step in welcoming in wildlife. There are a number of different types of bird tables you can opt for or if you don’t have room for a table then you may instead choose to hang bird feeders from the branches of a tree or from your fence.

A bird bath is another item that can look beautiful in your garden but also gives birds another reason to come back. If you do opt for a bird table, be sure to try and top up / change the water often.

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Do you still need to maintain your garden during the winter months?

Posted on November 2, 2021 at 7:26 pm

With the colder, wet weather now upon us many people are wondering what level of gardening they need to maintain during the winter months. If you are not an avid gardener, you may well think that you can now leave everything as it is until next spring but if you really want to look after your lawn and flower beds then there are a few things that you should continue to do.

This colder period of weather is the perfect opportunity to make good progress with building the garden you’ve always dreamt of. During the winter months, things grow a lot slower, lawns don’t need cutting as often and weeds are not coming back with vengeance like they do in the summer. This allows you more time to concentrate on the other elements of your garden hat you want to finish. Maybe you started a rockery a while back and never got to finish it, or you wanted to add edging to the lawn but could never find the time. Now may be the perfect opportunity to complete all these little projects that you have in mind and help you accomplish the garden of your dreams in time for you to enjoy next summer.

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Creating a winter wonderland in your garden

Posted on October 20, 2021 at 6:03 am

Although some people are still dubious to use the word Christmas, there is no hiding from the fact that it is now only a couple of months away and will soon come round.

If you like to put up decorations at Christmas, you don’t just have to put them up inside. Why not let the rest of your community enjoy them but putting some decs up outside or that can be seen from outside. Lights around roof pitches or windows often look lovely at that time of year. You can opt or have multi coloured lights or you may decide to stick to a theme such as blue and white or red and green.

You can often pick up some fantastic deals on Christmas outdoor decorations, if you are willing to buy early. Reindeer or Santa sleighs often pop up on roofs or in front gardens and can really look quite magical. You may need to think about the security of them if you are going to be leaving them on a front lawn. Some people even have to bolt them down to avoid them getting taken.

It may be worth asking the neighbours if they are ok with you putting up lights if it is going to be seen from inside their property.

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Looking after your garden during a heatwave

Posted on July 18, 2021 at 9:11 am

It is important that when we experience hot weather in the UK, you think about your garden and what you need to do to look after it. If you only have patios and grass then investing in a cheap sprinkler that attaches to the hose pipe or watering your garden with a hose at the end of the day may be enough to keep on top of it. If you have lots of plants in your garden then you should water these on a daily basis. It is important to only water your plants in the evening time or very early morning. If you water the plants in the day then they may get scorched by the sun.

If you are not great at remembering to water your plants then you could put water bulbs in that slowly release water to the roots over a few days, although this may not be enough if the weather is really hot.

If you are going away and the weather is going to be hot then you could ask a friend or neighbour if they would mind popping in to water them. If your plants are all in pots you could even put them on the front of your house and ask your neighbour to water them when they are doing their own.

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Is your garden getting out of control?

Posted on May 26, 2021 at 1:12 pm

It is so easy to leave your garden to grow and before you know it, it has gotten out of control. As we have been having a lot of rain and some nice sunny days in between, it is likely that the grass and plants have been growing super fast and so no soon had you mowed it, it needed doing again. If you leave it until it is too long it becomes a much bigger job and you may find that your lawn mower struggles to cut it properly. If you can adjust the height you may have to cut it in the highest setting first then drop it down and cut it again.

Weeding is another job that often needs doing regular, but if you are not a keen gardener then you will probably not take much enjoyment from this job. The best time to do weeding is when the ground is a bit wet as the weeds will pull out easier and the ground will be softer to dig in. Don’t try and mow your lawn when it wet, especially with an electric lawn mower as it will clog up quickly and cut out. It is also not a good idea to use an electric lawn mower in the wet!

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Adding a touch of colour to your garden

Posted on March 23, 2021 at 1:04 pm

With spring well under way, many of us are starting to turn out attention to our gardens. Often over the winter months, our gardens get a bit neglected and we do very little in terms of maintenance. Once the warmer weather is on its way and the beings start to get lighter l, it is nice to be able to have some time out in the garden getting it ready. Social restrictions are also starting to be lifted which means that from the end of March up to 6 people or two households can meet outside. This is the perfect motivation to get your garden looking lovely. Planting some brightly coloured flowers or having hanging baskets and potted plants around really will brighten up an area. It can make a huge difference to a garden. You may decide to just get some seasonal plants that you replace every year. These are usually quite cheap and look nice for a good few months. If growing them from seeds, be sure to start them off at the right time. Too early and it may be too cold, too late and you may miss the season as to when they are supposed to flower.

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Filling your outside space with potted plants

Posted on January 27, 2021 at 2:58 pm

If you want to take up some gardening or want to add some life to your outside area, you may decide to do container gardening. This is essentially creating beautiful areas of the garden using potted plants rather than planting them in the ground. This type of gardening is perfect for those that have a small garden or are renting somewhere temporarily. It is also great for those that are not great at gardening and just starting out. It allows you to love plants around without having to disturb them which can be great if you need to change the layout of your outdoor space from time to time.

Adding potted plants and hanging baskets really can transform an area and add a touch of beauty to any space. If the plants die it is easy to take them out of the pots and plant something else. You may decide to go for a certain colour scheme one year and then the following year change the scheme.

Most people have container plants on their patios or decking. This allows you to keep them near to where you can see or your seating areas, allowing you to keep an eye on them. It often means that you check on them more regularly than if they were planted directly in to the ground.

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Getting the most out of your garden all year round

Posted on October 31, 2020 at 1:24 pm

For many of us our garden is a place where we can relax, sit in the sunshine, or shade, enjoy a barbeque with friends and generally chill out but are we getting the most out of our gardens all year round or do we not venture past the patio doors from October to April?

Living in the UK we get used to the weather being unpredictable and so even in the summer months we can have a week or more of wet weather and so it is a good idea to have an area in the garden that is covered over and yet still open to the fresh air. This may be a summer house or a gazebo either a permanent feature or a removeable one. If this area has seating that is protected from the elements and a type of heating it can be used in every season not just summer.

Inflatable hot tubs have become extremely popular this year and despite the weather, a dip in a hot tub is enjoyable. Gazing up at a starlit sky whilst relaxing in the beautifully warm water of the tub is a must in the cooler months and is a totally different experience. Some people prefer to site their hot tub under a gazebo where it is protected from the weather, so this is an alternative option.

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