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
Read MoreWe 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
Read MoreEven though we don’t go outside into our gardens as much during the winter, they are still full of wildlife. It’s important to make sure they have plenty of nourishment until the nature bursts into life again in the spring.This year has been particularly mild (we’ve still had tomatoes in the greenhouse until recently!), so flowering plants have survived for a lot longer. However, we do have frost forecast in the coming weeks so think ahead!There are still plenty of small garden birds outside, feeding on seed heads and berries, but by keeping seed feeders full, this ensures that they
Read MoreLight 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
Read MoreOctober is an excellent A good time to plant a hedge an evergreen hedge, as we usually have fairly mild temperatures and a decent amount of rainfall. Not only are they a stunning natural sustainable barrier for your garden, but they are a diverse and healthy habitat for all types of British wildlife.An evergreen hedge is a great idea if you want to provide year-round privacy, and both hornbeam and beech are great choices for standard hedges.However, if you want something a little different – and to provide wildlife with food – go for a hedging plant that produces berries.Here’s
Read MoreThis excellent article (below) that featured in The Observer on Sunday, talks through the issues of climate change and droughts and how it affects grass. The end of grass is so ubiquitous and has so many uses. It's so common we don't even notice it, but we certainly notice when it stops growing through drought. Just this summer, large parts of the southern parts of the UK saw months of brown dry grass as it simply hadn’t rained for months. What isn’t always obvious is that grass (including corn) is used for feeding large amounts of domestic and farmed animals. However,
Read MoreAutumn 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
Read MoreSeptember 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
Read MoreI'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
Read MoreA ‘borrowed view’ is a classic garden design technique and is not to be underestimated. Within a design, we can include the wider view seen in the distance, as well as features such as large trees within neighbouring gardens, and include them within the overall design. A garden design should always be set within its own landscape, taking inspiration from the natural flora and fauna. Taking note of the local trees, types of plants that flourish and natural landscape materials is a huge consideration with playing with a design. The beauty of a ‘borrowed landscape’ is that it extends your view and can make an
Read MoreBuilt in 1892, this steel viaduct used to bring heavy rail traffic in and out of the Great Northern Warehouse, but has been unused since 1969.It has now been reclaimed for public use and turned into a ‘sky garden’ by the National Trust. It recently opened, allowing just 100 people per day to have a guided tour and give their feedback.One of our team recently visited the site and the planting was stunning as expected, with trees chosen for their specific historical uses, as well as lots of bountiful flowering borders.It’s brilliant to see another visitor attraction which gives city dwellers the opportunity to see greenery
Read MoreI’ve been pulling the picture together for this beautiful garden and outdoor living area in Thistleton in Lancashire. We commissioned a bespoke concrete bench for the perfect contemporary look, set off by the grasses.Calamagrostis were the grasses chosen for this garden for their upright feathery plumes, and gentle rustling sound. This perennial has a really long growing season from early spring. In the summer, the silvery pinkish flowers look stunning and then turn into golden seed heads from autumn onwards. It’s easy to look after and just needs a winter cut, ready for the next growing season. We added a row
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