Take a look at this short video about how it works and how you can make money from it too.

There are regular information updates and help available both from head office in Toronto, Canada and here in the UK

You have nothing to lose by signing up free – Banners Broker are so confident in their product that you will also get 1,000 free Ad impressions

To sign up go to Banners Broker you’ll be glad you did. If you’d like to find out more check out my Banners Broker microsite with news and tips

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!

Wouldn’t it be great though if instead of having to sow fresh seeds each year you just waited for the plant to come up and produce food for you? You are probably getting interested now – particularly if you have limited space and time. You heard right plant once and crop for ever!

Of course fruit trees and bushes fall in to this category – but here we look at two plants that are easy to grow, require very little maintenance and will just keep going!

First up is rhubarb.

I have just been given a couple of portions of root from a friend who has split their existing plants. Splitting them every few years helps to keep the fresh and strong. So splitting them has two benefits, firstly they help keep the plants healthy but also provide an opportunity to give plants away. If you start now then in a couple of years you too can give a piece of root away to someone else to have a go! Rhubarb can be grown naturally or many people force them under special clocheswhich helps blanche the stems. Picking is easy simply pull the stalk away from the base when it is ready to eat. Take care to discard the leaves to the compost as they are poisonous and shouldn’t be eaten.

I am not a fan of the texture of rhubarb personally but I do like the flavour! My favourite recipe simply involves cutting the stem in to inch long chunks and simmering for a few minutes until reduced to a soft texture. Adding banana helps soften the flavour a little, and add honey as a sweetener. Blend with some custard and chill in the fridge.

Secondly is root artichoke

 - again this is a plant once crop for ever vegetable. Jerusalem artichokes have an added bonus of producing tall sunflower like blooms. Best planted towards the back of a border. A neighbour kindly left a bag of their split out stock and in a couple of years you will be able to as well ( not to me – I already have some!) These are a root vegetable resembling a rather knobbly potato and they have a sweet flavour that combines well with potato. Be warned though! These are often referred to as f**tichokes for good reason!

The joy of both these plants is that they easily combine with a regular flower borderwhilst producing food at the same time – a real bonus! Anyone feeling even more adventurous can also try globe artichokes which are a real treat – if slightly messy, to eat! The plants are very architectural and make quite a statement so make sure you have plenty of room for these beauties.

So for food crops that don’t need an allotment or green fingers why not try rhubarb and artichoke and add some variety to your kitchen dinner table. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve!

Blanche Surman, Affinity Marketing Executive at NFU Mutual comments, “We are thrilled to become official insurance providers of the Garden Network. NFU Mutual recognises the need to play an active part in community life and reach out to country-based groups and organisations like this one. We hope that Garden Network members will find the relationship of real benefit.

Tim Matcham, Director, the Garden Network said, ”The Garden Network is very pleased to be working with NFU Mutual to provide comprehensive home, garden and other insurances to the Garden Network members. “Regardless of location, country or city, NFU Mutual can provide the same excellent coverage. NFU Mutual is well respected, has a proud heritage and is able to deliver the quality insurances and service that Garden Network members and supporters expect. Our association is all the more exciting because we share the same values of excellence and environmental concerns.”

Such great news for the Garden Network – the network that is growing places!

The first thing I do is to soak the seeds for a couple of days. Add them to a saucer of warm water and sit them on the window sill. This helps them to germinate quickly.

Once they have soaked I then place them in one of my simple recycled newspaper plant pots. make a small impression in the compost with a pencil so that you don’t damage the seed then cover over with compost. Make sure the compost is moist without being wet. Best to water the pots from the base rather than the top as this will encourage root growth.

Your paper pots can be stood in a plastic container or in recycled yoghurt pots. Tie them together loosely with garden twine or string to keep them together.

Tip:- if you have a Phormium (New Zealand flax) try tearing a leaf length ways in to long strips – this can then be used as twine!

You should see the new shoots appearing within about 7 days.

For a longer season sow some of your packet now and then wait a few weeks before planting a few more and so on. The seedlings need to be kept warm and shouldn’t be planted out until the weather is a warmer and we have had the last frost.

Note this can also be used for peas and other garden vegetables. Sweet pea seeds are harmful though and you should was your hands after handling them.

Now all we need to do is wait and watch – ready for the next stage in creating great seedlings – more to follow!

Following instruction manuals on how to do something is not in my nature. I am the type of person who is determined to figure it out for himself without the heavy burden of having to read instructions first!

So when I was asked to review this book I faced an interesting challenge. I was actually going to have to read some detailed instructions on how to create fabulous 3D rendered garden designs using Vectorworks – complete terror set in!

I have had about a years experience of using Vectorworks and have achieved a reasonable standard of 2D drawing skills, complete with rendering, insertion, labelling and reporting on plants, much of which was achieved following a days training with Tamsin – so I knew the basics (or at least I thought I did!).

Make no mistake I still have a long way to go to be called an expert on Vectorworks but the book has shown me how to take the 2D basics and transform them in to potentially thrilling 3D work.

What I found useful about the book was the way it was set out – in a straightforward, logical sequence with exercises demonstrated with simple to follow exercises and an accompanying CD. Before setting about a task we are given a taste of what the section is aiming to achieve, followed by short, well written, numbered sequence of instructions accompanied by screen grabs to add further clarity.

For me this won’t replace face to face tutoring but it does allow you to progress at your own pace and review procedures at any time. The power of this CAD tool is huge and finding the bits that mean you can make a difference to your customers is now much easier. Presenting 3D plans and walk throughs rather than a 2D representation of the garden will make a big difference for many of my clients who fail to grasp the way a garden will look when just faced with plans.

My only criticism is the small format, which while handy, also means that the screen grabs are frequently rather small and therefore hard to see – but that’s a minor criticism of a book that delivers a cost effective route in to using the power of Vectorworks Landmark.

You can contact Tamsin Slatter through her website and the book can be purchased through her or through other Vectorworks resellers

In a sustainable woodland culture the leaves from the trees fall to the ground where they break down slowly to form a lush carpet of water retentive organic material, harbouring all manner of beneficial activity which stimulates the natural environment.

In most gardens we don’t want the whole garden covered in leaves decaying slowly, so we can collect them up – storing them in a large pile ready for re-distribution once the breaking down process is complete, thus mirroring the natures own efforts. When clearing the leaves don’t be too particular – a light scattering on the grass will soon be taken down by worms and help with the health of your lawn. Be sure to leave plenty under shrubs and hedges too for creating a natural winter habitat for creatures like hedghogs.

Once collected, the leaves can be left to do their own thing. I keep them separate from general compost as the method of decomposition is quite different. Compost, which is high in nitrogen breaks down aerobically with the action of bacteria. Leaves by contrats which are predominantly carbon break down significantly slower, anaerobically.

Leaves collected ready for breaking down

Leaf mould is low in nutrients but is an excellent soil ameliorant. It promotes water retention meaning less need to water and also with worm activity promoting healthy soild for your prize plants. Leaf mould is one of natures very best free gifts and now is the time to be collecting them up to make use of this wonderful sustainable resource

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!

One of the best trees for such garden is the Sorbus or mountain ash, sometimes also known as the rowan tree. It wins on nearly every count. It is a small tree that performs well in most soils, preferring slightly acidic. Relatively slow growing and has an extended season of interest. White flowers in spring are followed by clusters of bright orange-red berries. The mid green pinnate leaves turn yellow in autumn. Meaning that this plant gives value for a good long time.

Sorbus aucuparia

For many of us, a conservatory is high up on our ‘wish list’ – a room to be used all year round, a bridge between the house and garden, a calm and tranquil space that lets us shelter from the elements but allows us to enjoy (almost) being outside.

The thought of being able to linger over the Sunday papers ‘in the garden’ without putting on an extra layer or jumping up to retrieve the business section from the rose bushes, is very appealing but in reality how often does this happen?

A great number of conservatories become an overspill from the main residence. I have seen many used as playrooms with an array of brightly coloured plastic scattered across every surface, storerooms with the windows blocked out to prevent items from fading, games rooms where the snooker table is so large you have to squeeze around the edge of the conservatory, laundry rooms with washing hanging from the cross beams and ‘pet’ rooms, with dog kennels, aviaries and multi-story hamster cages, all far removed from the original idea of a conservatory, in the traditional sense.

It is often quicker, cheaper and less messy to add on a conservatory than build an extension and in some cases you don’t even need planning permission.

However, if you are considering an addition to your home and wanting to add value as well as space, bear in mind how the room will be used. Possibly you do need extra storage for the kid’s toys or an area to contain your dogs but if the space is off the main sitting or dining room, a conservatory may not be the best solution!

A conservatory that becomes an aspirational improvement to a home and by that, I mean one that really enhances a property; possibly enlarging the kitchen or providing an additional sitting or dining room, a room that can have many guises but fuses with the rest of the house, always adds to the value and saleability of a home but a glass ‘box’ that simply exists to store extra clutter will never be anything more than an eyesore!

By Helen Silver www.propertystylingcompany.co.uk

M: 07789 488446 T: 01225 330088

See Conservatories and Garden Rooms