Business news Archives - WM Design Studio LTD

Mini wetlands in all new developments

We massively welcome the new legislation that Mini wetlands in all new developments will have to have Mini wetlands in all new developments, such as ponds and rain gardens, designed within them to help with flooding.We believe that all residential gardens should contain some element of a rain garden, which is a garden planted with plants that can cope with excess stormwater and help absorb it.Known as SuDS (sustainable drainage systems), these small wetland areas capture and slow down heavy rainwater. Instead of pooling and overflowing the sewer system, it is designed to be naturally absorbed into the ponds or

Categories: Advice and tips, Business news, Cheshire, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, ecology, Garden design, Housebuilding, landscape architecture, Landscape design, Michael John McGarr
January 20th 2023

Happy New Year and welcome 2023!

We wish a Happy New Year to all of our friends and clients.Our New Year’s resolutions are to continue pushing the boundaries of high-end garden design, working with the best quality suppliers and being as ecology and environmentally friendly as we can.There is no doubt that people value their homes and their outdoor spaces even more, after we’ve all lived through numerous lockdown situations. More and more people are now working from home, so want to create garden offices or work-friendly outdoor areas. Creating a truly wonderful and flexible outdoor space can massively expand your living space and how you can enjoy your garden.Creating

Categories: Business news, Cheshire, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, ecology, Garden design, innovation, landscape architecture, Landscape design, Manchester, Michael John McGarr, Residential garden, Wigan
January 6th 2023

Winter time reflection for garden design

Winter is a time for reflection for all aspects of our lives. And there is no better time than to start thinking about what you want from a garden re-design.This is a great time to look properly at the space you have and take the time to reimagine what is could be. It’s time to grab a cup of tea or hot chocolate and just look outside and begin to imagine what your garden could look like with proper planning and design.What do you want from your outdoor living space? Is it more socialising space? Is it more space for creative planting?

Categories: Advice and tips, Business news, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, ecology, Garden design, landscape architecture, Landscape design
December 16th 2022

The perfect borrowed view

The photo above of a recent client’s garden is a great example of how we should always draw in neighbouring features and The perfect borrowed view. The garden pictured above had a large established overhanging Norway maple.This deciduous broad leafed tree is a fantastic tree for a garden and is brilliant for wildlife. A number of moth caterpillars feed on the leaves, while the flowers provide pollen for bees and other pollinators, and the bird and small mammals eat the seeds.From the offset, we decided that this beautiful specimen would be integral to our garden design, and that it would

Categories: Advice and tips, Architecture, Business news, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, ecology, Garden design
November 18th 2022

The Role of Lighting in Landscape Design | WM Design Studio LTD

Light up your gardenThe festive lights at RHS Bridgewater demonstrate how important it is to have good lighting in the winter. By using coloured uplighting at the bottom of individual trees, you can draw attention to specimen trees that you want to highlight.As designers, we wouldn't usually recommend going as far as the photo above (!), but we can certainly draw inspiration from the colours and ideas.The above image of one of our garden designs shows how we use uplighting to highlight certain areas and draw the eye around the garden.At a time when you may not use your garden much at

Categories: Business news, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, ecology, Garden design, garden lighting, landscape architecture, Landscape design, Manchester, Michael John McGarr
November 7th 2022

Grow late flowering plants for the bees

This week I’ve been spotting some fabulous late-flowering perennials, which due to the mild October and smattering of sunny days are still covered in various types of bees.The bright purple blooms above are Aster x frikartii 'Monch', spotted at RHS Bridgewater recently - looking very healthy and being enjoyed by bees. I've also recently spotted a classic ‘butterfly bush’, otherwise known officially as Buddleia, which was covered in honey bees. These are fast-growing late flowering plants, come in various wonderful shades of purple, pinks and whites.And lastly, ivy is another fast growing and late flowering evergreen perennial, which when left to

Categories: Advice and tips, Business news, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, ecology, Garden design, innovation, landscape architecture, Landscape design
October 21st 2022

Visiting a slick new urban park

The Visiting a slick new urban park has been hugely popular and extremely busy over the past few weeks. This is the first city centre park to be opened in Manchester in more than 100 years, but it has been designed for the 21st century.East Piccadilly has recently been changed from a pretty dodgy derelict area to a burgeoning district of new apartments, leisure and now this beautifully designed park.While not huge, there is a lot crammed into Mayfield Park, with bridges and winding paths taking you over the River Medlock, which was uncovered from its tarmac covering.The kids play area

Categories: Advice and tips, Business news, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, Garden design, landscape architecture, Landscape design, Manchester
October 14th 2022

Plant your fruit trees this autumn

Autumn is a brilliant time for buying and planting bare-rooted fruit trees. It’s cheaper to buy them bare-rooted and gives the plant a good chance to settle in before growing season starts in the spring time. Planting an apple or pear tree (or maybe both) makes for a classic British garden, especially when you get a glut of fruit and offer them around your neighbours, and you have to eat apple crumble every weekend. In the springtime, both apple and pear trees have a really pretty white flower, which smells delicious. There's a huge selection of flavours and varieties of fruit, and size of

Categories: Advice and tips, Business news, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, ecology, Garden design, innovation, landscape architecture, Michael John McGarr
October 4th 2022

First new park in Manchester city centre for 100 years

Mayfield Park is central Manchester’s newest municipal park in more than 100 years. This park has been six years in the planning and covers 6.5 acres just near Piccadilly station, and runs along the River Medlock. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the landscape architects have planned a new municipal park for the 21st century. The family-friendly space has a kids play park, areas to host live events, and is situated right next to Escape to Freight Island, an open-air food and drink hall. It also demonstrates the city’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions and creating more green spaces for well-being. Find out

Categories: Advice and tips, Business news, ecological landscape design, Garden design
September 23rd 2022

How to create a stunning display of lavender

September is a great month to plant lavender bushes, perfect for attracting bees and butterflies and giving a great long summer display of beautifully scented flowers. However, it’s important to select the right type of lavender to give it the best start. Although French lavender is beautiful, it’s not as hardy as an English lavender. So firstly, ensure you select a Lavender Angustifolia for hardiness through the winter. Secondly, I do recommend you buy from a good garden centre or nursery rather than a supermarket. Lavender needs well-drained soil and a sunny position. Don’t plant individual plants too close together as they will

Categories: Advice and tips, Business news, ecological garden design, ecology, Garden design, Lancashire, Landscape design, Manchester, Michael John McGarr, Residential garden
September 16th 2022

Sneak preview of a new garden design

I've been working on a new rooftop garden design which has amazing borrowed views of West Lancashire. Creating a rooftop garden is completely different to designing a usual garden outside a house. Weight limits are of course one of the initial concerns, as well as slightly different environmental situation.In this garden design, we’ve selected an Amelanchier tree, also known as a juneberry tree. This stunning specimen tree is a deciduous tree, with a beautiful white flower in the spring and an orange leaf in the autumn. This is a hardy species and will not grow too large for the space.Sedum has

Categories: Advice and tips, Business news, ecological garden design, ecology, Garden design, Michael John McGarr
September 9th 2022

Luxury high-end outdoor kitchen equipment

We have recently started working with Fesfoc, which is a very high end, top quality outdoor kitchen equipment manufacturer, based in Barcelona.They offer true craftsmanship combined with advanced technology to create the ultimate in outdoor cooking.There is a choice of professional-level gas or charcoal grill, which is designed to cook to perfection.They also have created a stunning outdoor sink and storage unit in stainless steel for optimum resistance against weather and wear.Their products really do create a stand-out high-end luxury experience, so we’re really excited to continue our relationship and bring more of their products to the UK.Castlefield Viaduct opensThe ‘skyline’

Categories: Business news, Cheshire, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, Garden design, landscape architecture, Landscape design, Manchester, Michael John McGarr, Outdoor kitchens, Residential garden
August 12th 2022

Warnes McGarr & Co. Landscape Design.

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Based on 10 reviews

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Patrick Gormley

16:52 22 Feb 21

WM Design Studio completed a large landscaping project for us at our previous house. They managed the project from... initial design through to build completion. Throughout the process they delighted us from a design that was both sympathetic to the wider area but also blended with our new home extension. They were professional, friendly and respectful during the build and minimised the disruption associated with a large build project. My wife and I were thrilled with the end results and I would have no hesitation in recommending.read more

Christine Burke

13:23 07 Jan 19

WM Design Studio is a very professional company. Everyone we worked with were intelligent and professional. The design... ideas involved things we wouldn't have been able to think of ourselves and included levelling and transformation of a wasteland at the back. As it was a big project for us there were bound to be minor issues and these were all resolved in a timely and professional manner. The budget was negotiated fairly and the work done was of a high quality. It was worth paying for good workmanship and excellent knowledge in all aspects of our garden design and construction.read more

beccy weeks

06:11 24 Dec 18

We had no idea what potential our garden kept hidden as a secret. These guys design unlocked the potential by... designing a living space that matched exactly what we wanted and kept the theme of our house extension running through the garden to the very end. We are really pleased with the design and the pragmatism around staging the delivery to give us exactly what we want. I would recommend to anyone wanting an amazing outdoor living space!!read more

Mike leary

09:48 20 Dec 18

Michael of WM design studio has been instrumental to gaining planning permission on my project. His industry knowledge... and anticipation of what was required have delivered a scheme which fulfils all the requirements of not only myself as the client but also of a very particular design review panel. Recommend without hesitation!read more

Carolyn Hughes

16:38 19 Apr 18

Having worked with WM Design Studio, I am constantly impressed with Michael's creativity, dedication and... professionalism.read more

Norman Willson

20:16 16 Mar 16

"Many thanks to the team--especially Rob --who did a very professional job. Everything looks fine and I am busy... planting out in the new beds.” Norman Willsonread more

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