Blog

carbon landscape

What is a carbon landscape?

I have been researching this brilliant project, which protects a unique landscape which is based on carbon, stretching across Wigan, Salford and Warrington. The Carbon Landscape Partnership is a £3.2 million project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project connects the landscape across the three different boroughs, including reclaimed mining land. These landscapes include the wetlands of Wigan, the mosslands in Salford and Warrington and the Mersey Wetlands corridor. This project covers an amazingly diverse landscape of waterways, fen lands, wet grasslands, wet woodlands and lowland raised bogs. By protecting these amazingly diverse parts of the North West, we have the chance to save

Read More
cornus in the winter

Planting for winter

Winter is the best time for adding new plants to your garden, especially for planting trees. This is because they are not actively growing at this time, giving them plenty of time to bed in and get settled before spring arrives. When planning a garden design, we must think about what it will look like all year round. During winter, there are plenty of trees and large shrubs that have interest for homeowners and wildlife too. Here are just a couple of ideas for stunning winter planting. Cornus sanguinea (common dogwood)Cornus is one of the most-loved winter plants due to its flame-coloured stems.

Read More

Garden trends 2022

The trend for creating luxury useable outdoor living space looks like it’s set to continue into next year.Gardens are no longer just a lawn that needs to be mowed every week in the summer. Every part of our outdoor areas can be turned into well-designed space that can be used for living, socialising or relaxing. Outdoor kitchens are still hugely popular and can be extended to include bar areas, cinema screens or high spec wood-fired pizza ovens. The other trend that’s going to continue into next year is thinking about ecology and wildlife. We all acknowledge that we need to share our land with the

Read More
Can you enjoy your garden in the winter - WM Design Ltd

How do you enjoy your garden in the winter?

This week’s rainy, windy weather has inspired me to think about how people can enjoy their gardens all year round. It’s easy to think that in the UK, we should all put away our garden furniture at the end of September, give the lawn one last mow and wait for spring to emerge.But with the right garden and landscape design, you can extend your enjoyment of your outside space through our darker months.LightingBy installing high-spec lighting throughout the garden, you can enjoy your outdoor space even when you’re not outside. With strategically placed lights, under statement trees and garden features, you

Read More
Michael John McGarr being interviewed for BBC Gardeners World

The future of landscape design

In November, I will be speaking at Futurescape, the two day show in London by the British Association of Landscape Architects. This is where the industry comes together to discuss new trends, the future of landscaping and new products.I am on a panel with four other prominent landscape and garden designers, discussing the future of landscape design. Since the Covid pandemic, many of us have really been embracing outdoor living, socialising and cooking, and this trend is not slowing down!More hedges?After last week’s ode to hedge planting, I spotted this offer from the Woodland Trust, who can subsidise costs if

Read More
low maintenance garden design Michael John McGarr

Low-maintenance garden design- experiments, developments and lessons in outdoor living.

by Michael John McGarrThe first question that many clients ask me on that very first consultation meeting is can I design a beautiful garden that will stay beautiful? How do I create a high-spec luxury outdoor living space that is really and truly low maintenance?My contemporary outdoor living spaces are actually naturally low-maintenance. I would not design a stunning space and then tell you that the huge lawn needs mowing twice a week and you need to hand-weed dandelions out of it (who could be bothered to do that?!).I won't leave you with swathes of bedding plants that need to

Read More

RHS gold – what does it mean?

by Michael John McGarrThe quest for RHS gold is a long and arduous one, and one which is all too familiar to myself.Our gold medal achievement at RHS Tatton 2017 for the futuristic garden design '2101' was a triumph, which took almost a year to plan and just a few short weeks to execute on the ground.Scars, blood and a descent into alcoholism were just some of the by-products of achieving an accolade on the highest stage of one's industry.Overnight success?The myth of the overnight success is prevalent across all industries. The winner holds up the awards for the cameras

Read More
Warnes McGarr & co award winning garden design

Six ways you can help the environment in your garden

by Michael McGarrEnvironmental issues are top of the news agenda at the moment, and the recent State of Nature report really hammered home how perilously the UK's fragile ecology was faring.This article I read on the BBC stated that:- In the UK, one in seven species are threatened with extinction - 41% of UK species specified have declined since 1970. - one in five plants are at risk of extinction - wildflowers have been lost at the rate of one species per year since the 1950s.These facts and figures are horrifying and I just hope that our Government will take heed of this

Read More