The winter garden often looks drab, unloved and uncared for – the blaze of summer and autumn plants has dried and withered leaving a sorry tale of what came before. Most of us abandon the garden in the winter months in favour of the warmth of the fire inside reading books and endless reality TV programmes! Take a look around you – I think you will find that there is plenty going on in the garden, so don’t just sit and wait for the daffodils to appear take a look at what is already brightening up your garden this winter.
Entries Tagged as 'gardening'
Garden Design | Nothing happening in the winter garden?
January 21st, 2012 No Comments
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · enjoy · garden design · gardening · Plant · snow · striking display · weather · Wiltshire
Garden Design | The winter months
November 14th, 2011 No Comments
Making the most of your garden in winter calls for the expertise of a garden designer. Many gardens seem to lose their appeal as the leaves drop and the perennials fade from their autumnal glory. What can be done to enliven and enrich your outdoor space as the evenings draw in?
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · enjoy · garden design · gardening · lifestyle · low maintenance · Plant · Wiltshire
Guest blog | Adding Solar Fountains to the Garden
August 25th, 2011 1 Comment
A beautiful garden is a place to marvel at nature, relax the mind, and entertain with family and friends. It’s a chance to show off all the hard work you’ve done, choosing just the right plants and creating the perfect arrangement to display them. But what if you’re looking to add a little something extra to your garden? Where do you turn? One of the best, most eco-friendly ways you can do that is by adding a solar fountain to your garden. Here are some things to consider when purchasing one.
Tags: Bath · benefit · Chippenham · imagination · low maintenance · reduced carbon · sunshine · Wiltshire
Gardening | Garden Design | Plants looking good – Verbena bonariensis
August 2nd, 2011 1 Comment
Verbena bonariensis is a design favourite. It fits well in to many types of planting scheme and isn’t too fussy about its position. It prefers a light bright sunny aspect as befits a plant that originates from Buenos Aires (bonariensis – and you thought that plant names were confusing!)
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · garden design · gardening · Inspiration · low maintenance · Plant · striking display · sunshine · Wiltshire
Garden Design | Making more of your borders
July 28th, 2011 No Comments
Do you sometimes look out at the garden and wish for something a bit different but aren’t quite sure what? You are not alone. The garden can become a bit like wallpaper that’s been around for a few years and it is suitably inoffensive and ‘does the job’.
Take a look at your garden – would it cheer you up to see some changes for the better? Feedback from my customers strongly suggests that you would – so don’t leave it any longer – we can start straight away!
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · enjoy · garden design · gardening · imagination · Inspiration · lifestyle · Plant · striking display · Wiltshire
Garden Visits | The Veddw
July 14th, 2011 1 Comment
Visit to The Veddw I had made a point of not researching the garden before arrival so knew nothing about what to expect. The standard for the day had been set by our earlier visit… It is fair to say that as a garden designer I find the challenge of designing a garden for yourself is not always the easiest challenge so how had Anne & Charles fared?
The site in Monmouthshire near Tintern Abbey borders the Chepstow Park Woods might be described as challenging but you can see immediately that it has potential. My first impression was how well the garden blended with its surrounding environment, drawing you from the garden to the open landscape.So have Anne and Charles created a garden worthy of merit? Does their Borders Idyll stand up a as garden that deserves any accolade? They have managed to do a number of things very well, including making it personal, having respect for the history of the site, incorporating it in to the landscape and stamping their own very indelible mark upon it. They make no excuses for it. But don’t take my word for it and don’t look at the pictures and pass judgement. Gardens are for visiting in the flesh. Be prepared to be challenged. This is not ‘just another garden’ garden. I look forward to returning.
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · garden design · garden visit · gardening · Tim Matcham · Wiltshire
Gardening | Corsham Gardeners’ Question Time
July 6th, 2011 No Comments
t is fair to say we had no real idea what to expect or how to go about our first attempt – what sort of questions were we going to be asked? How could we prepare for every eventuality? How many books would we need to help us? How dry could we stay? Would anyone have any questions for us?
Our fears were soon banished as people braved the weather and came forward with their questions. There were plenty for Michelle on growing vegetables and fruit which is really encouraging – particularly as this was a food festival! Although some were rather unexpected – Can you grow Apples & Pears in Bangladesh? I bet the real Gardeners’ Question Time never had a question like that! We reasoned that it was probably too hot and that they should stick to citrus!
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · Corsham · gardening · Plant · weather · Wiltshire
Gardening | Garden Design | great plants – Campanula sarastro
June 8th, 2011 No Comments
Campanula ‘Sarastro’ – one of many wonderful Campanulas but somehow this is the daddy of all the bells! Large dark purple-blue flowers with a slightly unreal waxy appearance that start to appear from May onwards.
Tags: enjoy · garden design · gardening · Inspiration · low maintenance · Plant · Soil pH · striking display
Gardening | Garden Design | Inspirational Gardens | North Court
April 29th, 2011 No Comments
My family are all keen gardeners which made the decision to earn a living from my gardening knowledge fairly straightforward. Setting up as a Garden Designer on the outskirts of Bath brings back memories of past generations who shared my love of the garden. Last weekend I was lucky enough to return to a garden that probably is the greatest influence on that passion.
The gardens are at North Court in Shorwell on the Isle of Wight.
I hope that I have captured some of the spirit of these wonderful gardens and that it helps explain my passion for gardens and gardening – I feel very lucky and am delighted that they are in such safe hands now. I am already planning a return in the Autumn!
Tags: enjoy · garden design · gardening · Inspiration · Paeonia mlokosewitschii · Plant · Sissinghurst · Soil pH · striking display · Vita Sackville-West
Garden Design | An evening with Dan Hinkley – rocking with laughter!
March 17th, 2011 No Comments
It is perhaps appropriate that tomorrow is Red Nose Day 2011. What better way to get you in the mood than to listen to an American, with a passion for gardening and an almost British sense of humour – his dry wit had clearly missed most of his American audiences but was most definitely not lost on his very english audience tonight.
Though organised by Derry Watkins of Special Plants fame (who was keen to point out that her gardens were now open on Tuesdays) – who is of course american herself, Dan Hinkley drew a large audience to the Bath University Gardening Club to illustrate a talk on two Pacific North West gardens. The climate there seemed pretty similar to Britain with some oddities bought about by its coastal location.
Tags: development · enjoy · garden design · gardening · Inspiration · Plant · weather