What is Companion Planting? Companion planting is a great way to attract the right pollinators whilst keeping enemies at bay. The purpose of companion planting is to keep a natural balance in your garden, saving time and money by grouping plants together which complement each other. Although the idea has become more prevalent recently it is not new. Nearly 10,000 … Read More
Garden Planning Ideas: Spring-Flowering Bulbs
A well-designed garden always has lots of bulbs involved. There are hardly any areas of a garden that bulbs can’t be planted. You can plant bulbs between shrubs or herbaceous plants, in rock gardens or in the lawn. In planning a garden, bulbs are a very useful addition to a planting scheme and even if you don’t have a garden … Read More
How to use Sculpture in the Garden
Using sculpture in the garden A piece of garden sculpture can act as a focal point to draw the eye and bring the whole thing together. You may feel your garden needs to be punctuated with interesting features – at the end of a pathway, for instance, or edging some steps. You might want to emphasise another feature, such as … Read More
How to Design a Garden from Scratch
Practical Tips on how to Design a Garden It might sound a little daunting to design a garden from scratch. Perhaps your garden is overgrown and wild, a blank canvas and uninspired or designed for another purpose and you’d rather use it in a different way. It could be the children have left home, the trampoline dismantled, and it’s time … Read More
How to help honey bees – in the garden
10 ways a gardener can help honey bees. All over the world honey bees are facing problems of survival, the reason for which are numerous but sadly usually related to human activity. We’ve put together some ideas on how to help honey bees in the garden here: The native, dark European Honey Bee – Apis mellifera has shown a sharp … Read More
Sustainable Garden Ideas
Creating a sustainable garden Ironically, although we create green spaces in the landscaping industry, it takes effort and motivation to create a truly sustainable garden. Over the last ten years, I’ve witnessed an increasing demand from clients to create a sustainable garden and gleaned a few ideas along the way. If you’re interested in having a more sustainable garden here … Read More
How to improve soil quality
10 Ways to improve soil quality If you want an abundant garden jammed with healthy plants the essential ingredient is good garden soil and getting it right is a continuing process. There are no short cuts, it can be hard work to improve soil quality and takes years. However, if you get the soil right, you will be rewarded with … Read More
The gardens at Rousham
Getting inspiration from Rousham gardens In his ‘Around the World in 80 Gardens’ television series, Monty Don described Rousham as ‘The greatest masterpiece of English Gardening – a flawless work of genius.’ Designed by William Kent in the 18th Century, it remains virtually unspoilt, which is part of this garden’s unique charm. William Kent – Garden Designer William Kent was … Read More
Gardening Trends
Changes in gardening habits Things move at a gentle pace in the horticulture world, we don’t tend to change our gardens just like that. Instead, we like to see things grow and to enjoy the fruits of our labours, so fashions naturally take some time to have an impact. Nevertheless, certain trends do tend to catch on, sooner or later, … Read More
Climbing Plants for a Wall
Finding the Right Climbing Plant for a Wall One of the best ways of making the most of precious garden space is by using the third dimension and going upwards. Most houses have at least one wall that can be planted against and the front entrance is a particularly important place to consider what, if any, climbing plants are chosen … Read More