I’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
Read MoreWe 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’
Read MoreRHS Tatton was a fabulous show yet again this year, despite the builds suffering from the intense heatwave earlier last week (we’ve been there and it’s hard work!). One of the standout gardens for me was the ‘Working from Home’ garden by 26-year-old Will Scholey, who achieved 'Young Designer of the Year', as well as a silver gilt medal. The design concept was to create a space to work from while reducing the homeowner’s carbon footprint. The ‘daily commute’ was a winding gravel path through native meadow planting with multi-stemmed trees. The hard landscaping was all reclaimed, and there were mounds of
Read MoreWe are just finishing the designs for this outdoor kitchen and garden design in Cheshire. This is the night time view of what it will look like from the back of the house, and as you can see, lighting is really important here. It’s so important to visualise what a garden design will look like in the late evenings and during the winter when it gets dark early. Uplighting underneath the statement trees gives a focus while soft lighting within the outdoor kitchen and dining area means it’s still useable in the evenings. This outdoor kitchen has a large covered area for prepping
Read MoreWe are still receiving many enquiries about outdoor kitchens with a full range of facilities – so now is the best time to plan out exactly what you want.It’s best to plan around where the sun falls in your garden, during the middle of summer, and decide which parts of the garden you are most likely to use in the morning, the afternoon and then in the evening.Take a look around and figure out where are the best places to cook, where you would put your dining area, and where you want a sunbathing area.Most people want a high quality
Read MoreIt doesn’t take much for a British person to light up the barbecue. Just a warm Saturday afternoon with some sun rays to tempt us outdoors. However, a few burgers and sausages burnt to a crisp really doesn't cut it anymore. Since I've been a garden designer, outdoor kitchens have grown enormously in popularity. Now the majority of my clients want some sort of outdoor cooking experience, as well as fully zoned areas, such as relaxing areas and dining areas within the garden.We’ve always use Alfa wood fired ovens because they are such a superior quality and very versatile. They are
Read Moreby 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 MoreWhen it comes to garden design, planning should take place during the colder months to allow the greatest reward in terms of enjoying the garden during the hottest months of the year," says Michael John McGarr, director and garden designer at Warnes McGarr & Co.Spring is a season full of potential for both the plants about to spring to life in your garden, but also for homeowners to lay the seeds of their garden design planning ideas.The arrival of spring also means that summer is just around the corner, so take the time now to really think about how you want
Read MoreHouzz Awards 2019 - Warnes McGarr & Co. - Award Winning Landscape Design. Awarded by the community of over 40 million monthly users, annual BOH badge highlights home renovation & design professionals with Top ratings and most popular home designs "Warnes - McGarr & Co. of Wigan has won “Best Of Design ” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation and design. The multi award winning landscape design and build company was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 2.1 million active home building, renovating and design industry professionals.The Best Of Houzz is
Read MoreBy Michael John McGarr Garden lighting in landscape design. Garden lighting in landscape design is extremely important and it is often an afterthought for most clients. However, we encourage them to think about lighting early on. In our British climate, our garden is viewed most of the year from the interior of the property so it is paramount that lighting is effective. This is particularly poignant in winter when shorter days render lighting the most effective feature within a garden.It always make me smile when clients use their garden lighting systems to wow guests at winter dinner parties. It never occurred to them that they would be
Read MoreBy Robert Warnes.Sketchup for Landscape design. I have done quite some reading recently on established landscape design principles and conventions, but rarely have I come across anything detailing the specific method and workflow we employ as a company of designers to achieve our garden designs. There will be many garden design purists out there who firmly believe that in order to effectively design it is essential to be able to put pencil to paper and physically draw the garden. I disagree. I am unfortunately not blessed with talent or skill to do this. I do feel however this obstacle can be overcome by
Read MoreBy Michael John McGarr Our niche within landscape design in 2019. Our niche within landscape design in 2019 has developed from our passion to create gardens that people can use all year round, as well as a continuing trend for outdoor living.We feel that a traditional lawned garden with flower beds around the edges is designed to be viewed through the window and perhaps mowed once a week in the summer to keep it looking spick and span. We can achieve so much more...[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3600"] Outdoor living space and outdoor kitchen in a landscape design in 2019 by Warnes-McGarr &
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