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So were these fears well founded? Almost all of our group were disappointed and were vocal in their views about how crowded, unkempt and frankly messy the gardens were. The planting seemed ill considered with the strangest of planting combinations, where one type of plant would have sufficed there were five. The wide and varied use of predominantly cheap materials seemed to spoil great swathes of the garden and more statues than you might expect to find in any museum.

The lack of unity, the bringing together of ideas, forms, colours was evident in abundance. There was no coherence or glue in which to hold the assembled array of plants and materials together to provide anything substantial or memorable.

But perhaps this is to miss the point of this garden?

It strikes me that it is a very personal space. One created by a husband and wife team of Sir Roy Strong and his late wife Julia. It is a garden of experimentation, one that is evolving and changing, one that celebrates the life and achievements in a way that evokes emotion.

As a garden designer, one of the key things that I try to achieve is to bring out the clients personality in their garden. I am told that I achieve this well. To do this in my own garden however I find very much more challenging – the point that I am seeking help and guidance from John Brookes. The point I am making here is that to design your own garden is not an easy task for anyone, even if like Lady Strong you have a design background (albeit that her forte was stage set design).

Whilst the garden may leave many puzzled and disappointed the garden wasn’t created for them. I applaud the fact that they have achieved something that is so personal but from a garden design perspective most of it left me cold. There was too much incongruity and an overwhelming feeling bought about by the volume of planting and statuary. For me less would have been more. Not a garden I will rush to see again but equally I’m glad that I have seen it, as much to remind me what not to do. For some however the cost has left a bitter taste that a garden that is open to the public should be so far from excellent.

I’d love to hear your views if you have been to the gardens, feel free to leave a comment.

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.

Dan’s delivery style is easy going and effortless much as the gardens he has created and he had his audience well primed with open laughter. How can gardening be so amusing? To those that appreciate that gardens take time effort and patience to create – it is finding that by illustrating the errors made with good grace sits well with a knowledgeable audience.

Locating a water feature right outside a bedroom window – those of a certain age would appreciate this one…When told by a garden visitor that he was “lucky to have a south facing wall” in which to grow plants that required a sheltered, sunny aspect – his research concluded that no matter where you were in the world every house had a south facing wall (he had just made best use of his!) Planting Scleria secans (Razor grass) right next to an entrance door only to find guests losing their feet while walking past…The elegant mush left behind when Agapanthus succumbs to the winter frosts – how important is this to the winter garden??? Or bales of Phormium hacked down in dismay after 10 years thanks to three blindingly cold winters. Buying large rocks to place in the landscape, when two generations previously had spent their entire agricultural lives removing such monoliths from their land – surely he would have been disowned for paying to have them bought on? Yes we rocked with laughter!

Every gardener will have experienced some of these travesties and understand that you can only laugh and then learn from your findings – seeing others trip over the same hurdles gives us reassurance that we are not alone in our battle to create something special in our outdoor space. We know that when it does all come together it is really rewarding – when it doesn’t – laughter is surely the sweetest tonic!

This is a relatively new London green space with a mix of parkland and more formal garden areas. When I say parkland its not anything like the scale of say Hyde Park and the layout is much more formal and structured. The tree planting is what strikes you first with areas of single species of tree planted in extensive grids

 with paths mown through the wider meadow grass areas guiding you through form one area to the next – with views out to the engineering feat that is The Thames Barrier.

Large groups of school children snake through the park or sit in attentive circles and still the peace is shattered by the endless pounding!

There is a pavilion which acts as a memorial to The Victims of War in the London Borough of Newham – it bears a striking resemblance to the pavilion used by Robert Myers in his Chelsea garden for Cancer Research UK with the circular cut out in the roof.

The element of the garden that I had particularly come to see however was the large rectangular formal garden with ribbons of topiarised Yew hedging trimmed in undulating waves running the entire length of the garden, crossed overhead with angled walkways.

The dominant yew was broken with subtle blocks of colour again using single species of plants as block planting, including Iris, Geranium, Perovskia, Hemerocallis, Choisya, nepeta, Ceanothus, Lavandula, Rosmarinus, Sedum, Potentilla, Acanthus, Philadelphus, Anemone, Salvia and others.

The effect was perhaps best seen from overhead (the garden is almost underground) as closer scrutiny identified the problems associated with maintaining such an elaborate garden.

 Some of the yew was in less than prime condition and it was evident that the irrigation system appeared to be in hot demand and not really up to the job. Light availability caused by the ever hungry Yew hedges also had an impact – but this is perhaps to be over critical of a hugely adventurous garden that was a pleasure to be in and enjoy – below ground I was also impervious to that wretched pounding too!

One aspect that both surprised me and inspired me was the way that the boundaries of the park had been carefully constructed to fit in to its immediate surroundings – plants, trees and shrubs formed symbolic barriers in the form of the structure over the river and the blocks of flats that run along its western boundary.

This shows that even in an urban environment you can help a garden fit in wherever you are.

I am glad I made the effort to go and spend some time here and it lived up to my expectations well – so if you fancy exploring London beyond the normal limits, take a trip on the Docklands light railway and enjoy The Green Dock  – it will improve with maturity – not least because they will have finished the pile driving before too long so then you will be able to enjoy it in peace!

An excerpt from the full article :

First impressions of the garden are clearly crucial when trying to sell or let a property.

Over half – 55% – of prospective home buyers rated the state of the garden as important as the inside of the house.

The top turn-off for buyers is junk such as old fridges, mattresses and toys littering the garden – cited by 71%.

Other off-putting gardening gripes are dog mess, cited by 63%, overflowing rubbish bins (54%), plants intruding into the walls of the house (53%) and dilapidated sheds (52%) or decking (50%).

Sellers should also take care to avoid too many weeds (47%), uneven or grubby patios (46%), overgrown lawns (42%) and untrimmed trees (41%).

Privacy is the main thing home buyers look for in a garden – cited by 61%. After that, a patio (54%) and lawn (50%) top their wish lists.

But millions of homeowners are failing to tend their gardens regularly and 45% do not grow any plants or flowers.

As a garden designer seeing results of research like this is quite alarming. Creating a great garden that meets the needs of the owners is one of the challenges we face every day. I am frequently asked by people for a ‘low maintenance garden’ and while ‘no maintenance’ isn’t really an option you can certainly design gardens that will look great without too much knowledge or experience.

A recent project transformed a very dull rectangle that was both high maintenance and un-attractive

in to a usable space that not only added value to the property but also added value to the owners and their pleasure in being able to use the garden

Getting a garden designer to help you with this transformation will help you maximise the value of the space and will ensure that you don’t end up with costly mistakes.

So don’t lose out with your property, the garden is such an important part of it and with a little help you can be really proud of it. We’ll take you through the process and ensure that all your requirements are met, not only offering advice on suitable plants but also on layouts that will maximise your benefit – frequently coming up with ideas that wouldn’t be considered either by yourself or by simply employing the services of a landscaper.

What are you waiting for get out there and enjoy your own personal outdoor world!

This however pales into complete insignificance when the people who get most excited about the garden is the the people whose garden it is! when their friends and family also get excited about it then that is a huge bonus too.

I have recently been working on a project which started as a complete ‘bomb site’. You could barely see the garden for stone, rubble and general mess.

The Before Shot

Working on a project like this you develop a great relationship with the owners and watch their delight as things progress. They are doing much of the work themselves but call upon me as required to help with plants and other advice. My latest visit showed some dramatic developments and wildly enthusiastic owners!

Great progress!

Whilst the content is clearly aimed at the US there are a lot of universal ideas here to share!

The other day, the 60 Second Marketer team sat down and came up with 51 low-cost or no-cost ways to promote your business during a recession. There are enough good ideas here that you should be able to use a good number of them for your business and, as a result, grow your sales and revenue.

We’ve broken them down into several categories to help you segment and prioritize which ones you’d like to use.

Here goes:

Web 2.0/New Media Ideas:
1. Upload presentations on your area of expertise to SlideShare (best if you’re in a service business or if you’re a consultant). Do this regularly. It generates buzz and increases visibility.

2. Supercharge your blog by writing one new post a day for 45 days in a row. It’s what Chris Brogan has done (several times) and it’s made him one of the most relevant social media bloggers today.

3. Create a LinkedIn Group around your cause or discipline. Don’t just do this – do it, then put some effort into promoting it. It won’t work unless you nurture it and add relevant content just about every day.

4. Create a Facebook Group. Ditto.

5. Create a YouTube Channel. The best way to do this is to offer “How To” videos. Please don’t upload 5 minute videos from the CEO that regurgitates old press releases. Just don’t do that. Really.

6. Create a viral video. Way harder than it looks. Just search under “Funny Office Videos” in YouTube. Still, if you can make it work, it’s worth it.

7. Send a message to a prospect via video on Facebook. It’ll help you stand out. Just use your webcam. Easier than you’d think.

8. Get a Twitter account. Don’t over-promote yourself or your company. Instead, provide useful Tweets on a regular (daily) basis.

9. Do a social media scavenger hunt to get prospects engaged with your company or brand. Place code words in your Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace pages. Add them to your Twitter page and your website. The first customer prospect to collect all of them wins $100. (The 60 Second Marketer is going to do our own social media scavenger hunt with BrandMovers in 4 weeks, so be on the lookout out.)

10. Comment on other people’s blogs. Provide really useful stuff, too. Don’t just say, “Nice post.” And don’t bother putting your web address in your response since it’s usually recorded in the response anyway. Just be a good member of the blog community and write something useful and helpful.

11. Do a webinar. Make it interesting. Don’t over-sell your product or service. Just be helpful.

12. Make sure your blog is built INSIDE your website. When you use Blogger or some other free service, you’re not driving traffic to your website, which is where you want people to go. So, for example, make sure your blog is at www.MyWebsite.com/blog, not www.MyWebsiteBlog.com.

13. Re-post someone else’s blog posting on your blog. Give them credit with a link back to their site. Get their permission. (If they know anything about generating awareness, they’ll gladly let you use the posting. Hey, why don’t you re-post this blog on your website?)

14. Ask a friend to write a guest post for your blog. You’ll get a break from writing your blog. Plus, they’ll promote their article to all their friends and associates.

15. Contact high school and college friends on LinkedIn and Facebook and tell them about your business.

Time-Intensive, But Big Impact:
16. Interview local CEOs for an eBook. This accomplishes two things. First, it gets you in front of high-profile businesspeople who may be future clients. Second, the final eBook is a great door opener when you promote it to other businesses.

17. Conduct primary research that your customers/prospects would find interesting. Offer it for free – provided they supply their name, company and email address.

Events:
18. Hold an International Party at your home. Set up different rooms with food from different countries. One 60 Second Marketer staffer did this several years ago and the party is still talked about today.

19. Hold a Battle of the Corporate Bands party. There are a ton of corporate bands out there who would love to play for free. Bonus Points: Donate money raised at the event to charity.

20. Conduct a Chili Cook-Off. This one has been done to death, but it still creates buzz and builds awareness.

Oldies but Goodies:
21. Create a referral program: It’s an old idea, but a good one. If your Customer Lifetime Value is $1,000, then giving a $100 gift certificate every time you close a customer is money well invested.

22. Start an eNewsletter that provides tips and techniques. This is perfect if you’re, say, a real estate agent. Provide tips on home staging. Mention your services in the margins.

23. Create an online magazine. This has worked like gangbusters for BKV, the parent company of the 60 Second Marketer. It’s a lot of work, but may be worth it.

24. Write hand-written thank you notes. You’ll be surprised at their impact.

25. Return calls from salespeople, even if you don’t want their product. They’ll be so flattered, they’ll talk your company up to everyone they come in contact with.

26. Hold an open house at your office.

27. Better still, throw a party for your suppliers. They’ll be flattered. And honored.

Charitable Affiliations:
28. Donate to a charitable cause on behalf of your customers or clients. Let them know, but not in an overt or obnoxious way.

29. Sponsor the Kids 4 Change program at A School Bell Rings. This is a program that engages elementary schools in the U.S. to raise money to build schools overseas. It can build awareness for you and your company in the process.

Personalized/Customized Ideas:
30. Go to one of those pottery painting stores you find in the mall that fires the pottery you’ve painted. Paint a coffee mug for your clients. Give it to them. They’ll think of you every morning. Seriously.

31. Buy a bottle of wine, take the label off and put a new one on with your company logo on it. Give it to a high-value prospect.

Buzz Marketing and PR:
32. Ask your friends to talk you up. It works. Really. And it’s cheap.

33. Write your own eBook. It worked for David Henderson. He wrote a useful eBook and, in the process of promoting the eBook, promoted his traditional book as well.

34. Write an article for a magazine. Or write an article for a blog.

35. Write a press release each week for 8 weeks in a row. Make it relevant and helpful. Don’t broadcast it out – send it to specific journalists who you’re familiar with.

36. Give away a week’s stay at your lake/beach house as part of an online promotion on your website. Don’t have a lake or beach house? Borrow a friend’s!

37. Sponsor a company service day where every person in the office helps clean up a park or an old cemetery. Promote it. Gently.

38. Take a journalist out to lunch. They’re interesting people. Don’t sell your story too hard. Just build a relationship and follow-up a week later with a good story idea.

39. Invite your biggest customer out to dinner. Simple, yes. But it works.

40. Get a local high school group to help you clean up a park. Put 30 ten dollar bills under 30 random pieces of trash. Tell the kids. The park will be clean in no time.

41. Get 10 members of your office to go down to the street corner to raise money for your local Red Cross. Wear hats with your company logo on it. Donate the money to the Red Cross.

42. Give one of your products away.

43. Give 10 of your products away.

44. On one random Tuesday every month, give your product or service away for free for one hour. This is especially effective if you’re a restaurant, a florist, a spa or even a dentist. Make it a random Tuesday for just one hour. Macaroni Grill did this when they first opened their doors as a way to build mid-week traffic. It worked like gangbusters.

45. Call in to a radio station talk show. Mention your company name – gracefully.

46. Contact the producer of the TV news with a good, relevant and helpful human interest story.

47. The Programs Director at most local trade organizations is almost always looking for people to do speeches at upcoming events. Contact them. Be prepared to send them a one-sheet on your topic and why it’s relevant to their audience.

48. Always be the first person to ask a question at a luncheon or event. There’s usually a pregnant pause when the speaker finishes and says, “Any questions?” Be prepared for that pregnant pause and be the first to ask a question. Identify yourself and your company. Ask a smart question. Or ask a mediocre question. But ask!

49. Talk about your business at parties. C’mon, get over it.

50. Ask your building if you can put a sign up in the elevator about your business.

The wildest and Craziest Idea of All:
51. Take 500 $1 bills with a yellow stickie on them. Write your URL on the yellow stickie with a mention that the first person to contact you off of your website gets another $500. Go into an office building, a mall or a hotel with an atrium. Throw the 500 $1 bills with your URL on them off the balcony. Video tape it and upload the video to YouTube. Promote the YouTube video on your website. Watch the buzz start flowing almost immediately. Seriously. It’ll work.

That’s all folks. These are some of the best ways we know of to grow your business with little or no money. Oh, and one other thing – our attorneys say that if you try idea #51, it’s at your own risk. We aren’t responsible for twisted ankles, fist fights or riots.

Are there any other ideas we missed? Tell us what you’ve done!

Link to the original article

As far as a social network is concerned I have a wide circle of contacts through various local events and family life (having 4 children provides me with a “wide” local network). Having moved around the country somewhat adds an extra network of friends up and down the country.

Great, I have a network but how do I communicate with all of them on a regular basis? How do I tell them who I would like to be connected with? Not so simple. There are only so many hours in a day and my family see to it that even this is restricted!

My first “real” networking venture was 4N who have a 50/50 rule: 50% business and 50% social. I started meeting business people locally and connected to the group online via the 4N forum. Now I had access to a growing national audience and by chance the 4N forums lead to me discovering Twitter. Twitter, a social network based on the simple idea of letting people know what you are doing right now in less than 140 characters! I’ll admit I was nervous at first. Some people had thousand of followers and I had a handful!

Then things started to change…

By optimising your use of space you can transform your life, often for less than the cost of moving.

I was approached by a family recently who were sad that they were having to move from an idyllic spot because the house and garden were not meeting their needs. The estate agent drew up particulars and they were preparing to sell. The particulars omitted the garden – which was quite small and very overgrown – completely unusable space and a major factor in the decison to move. The lack of garden was reflected in the asking price, along with pessimism from the estate agents about their ability to even get a sale. As a last resort they sought my professional guidance.

Understanding what their requirements were I set to work in creating usable space for them in the garden, providing seating and storage, opening up views and adding attractive planting better suited to the site. So now they had the garden they needed to sell the property – then the realisation hit them – what I had been able to create for them answered all of the reasons they were looking to move! They now had two very usable garden rooms, massively increasing their usable living space. The house was not for sale! They have since gone on to develop the interior space by going up into the roof space!

Naturally the family are delighted, they have kept their home and have made it work for them. The cost was less than it would have to move. When they do come to sell they have a much better proposition for the new buyers.

Would you benefit from making more of your place?

If you would like to seek professional advice you can contact me via email tim@timmatchamgardendesign.co.uk or via my website or phone 01225 812840 or mobile 07792 707334

Twitter though is gaining a strong business following and a number of key businesses within 4Networking have started to use it to good effect. The beauty of the system is that it is very simple, and that, I believe, will ensure its success. The basic concept is to answer the question: What are you doing now? You can only use up to 140 characters so each post is kept short and manageable. Brilliant.

When you add to this the ability to add links to websites, blogs, articles of interest you have the potential for some exciting possibilities.

Updating is easy and can be done from any internet connected computer or even your mobile phone so it has great flexibility.

So what business uses can it be put to? I have started interjecting snippets of useful tips within the social chatter. Free advice particularly on my area of knowledge which is garden design. I am not trying to sell anything simply demonstrating my knowledge and expertise to my followers. I can link these posts to my websiteor blog should anyone wish to gain a greater insight.

I have had assistance in getting up and running with Twitter in particular from Gary Gorman a fellow 4N member – there is plenty of additional functionality that can be added and he has been most helpful in getting me up and running. I am still learning and am enjoying the discoveries!

Another 4N member Julian Wellings has started to explore practical uses for it. Embedding the feed direct in to live web pages. Examples of this are for his tennis club and squash club where it is an easily updatable information link that members can view online or by follow on their own Twitter site.

A number of 4N members have embedded it in their forum signature so that it appears every time they make a posting – keeping people abreast of latest developments and boosting search engine rankings at the same time. Examples Lesley-Anne Hornbogen Mark Beaumont-Thomas Helen Silver & Brad Burton.

On a non business front it is also fun to keep up with the likes of John Cleese, Jeremy Clarkson, Barack Obama and Stephen Fry.

Will it have an impact on my business – too early to say but its free and fun so I’m going to keep going until it proves otherwise! I’m sure it will develop and more ideas will come in time. If you haven’t tried it yet why not join in?