Uncategorised Archives - WM Design Studio LTD

Looking at low-maintenance planting design?

How many of us have spent good money on bedding plants or exotic plants that have either shrivelled up and died or needed to be watered every day throughout the summer? Although we get plenty of rainfall in the UK, there can be weeks where we have very dry periods which can really affect the more delicate garden planting. I have long advocated for designing gardens and creating planting schemes using both native and drought-tolerant plants rather than plants or trees that require intensive care and extra water. Naturalistic planting design has become much more popular in recent years, and is now

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July 8th 2022

Adding the glamour to a wildlife garden

It's a common misconception that wildlife gardens can't be 'sexy' and that growing food in your garden is the reserve of those with land to spare. The Cloud Nine Kitchen Garden put paid to that.Particularly relevant to small town and city spaces, the garden dealt with issues of food security, wildlife conservation and sustainability in a tiny 6 x 4 metre plot.This was my first show garden, at RHS Tatton Park in 2015, and my first chance to show the world my passion for gardens. Back then, the majority of garden designs did not incorporate wildlife and ecology but I wanted to showcase

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May 27th 2022

Rewilding at RHS Chelsea

It’s great to see themes of re-wilding in the spotlight at this year’s RHS Chelsea show, a year after I launched my Rewilding garden at RHS Tatton. The concepts of re-wilding have really captured people’s imaginations in the past few years. Traditionally the RHS flower shows were all very formal and very high maintenance, so I do enjoy seeing elements of wildness and ecology being brought in to demonstrate how we can all enjoy our gardens, while still sharing them with wildlife. Of course, the true essence of the concept of rewilding is diluted slightly in such a managed format such as a show

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May 27th 2022

Northern Roots – one step closer

Planning permission has been submitted this week for the UK’s biggest urban farm and eco-park in Oldham. If this goes ahead – and fingers crossed, it should – this new 160 acre site will be amazing for the local ecology and wildlife, as well as the local community. The plans include a visitor and learning centre, a natural amphitheatre and a swimming pool, as well as community allotments and growing space and a café. I think it's a really exciting development and have been following the news since it was first announced. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-61471562A boulevard in the skyAnother interesting development in for planning

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May 20th 2022

Should you avoid bedding plants this year?

Already we’re seeing garden centres and supermarkets stacking up the bedding plants – and we cannot deny the allure of planting up pots, hanging baskets and planting borders with brightly coloured flowers this Easter.So what’s the problem with bedding plants?In short, they are really quite bad for the environment. Any nature and ecology-based landscape designer or architect will avoid designing in bedding plants to a planting scheme.Most bedding plants are not native, so won’t survive our winters. This means they’ve been grown in large intensively heated greenhouses, using up water and electricity – which let’s face it, is not cheap!They

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March 30th 2022

An edible garden

The Eat & Shelter garden was designed for homeowners to be able to cook, use the surrounding An edible garden and create a unique habitat for wildlife too. This is an ultra low maintenance garden which proves that you can provide for wildlife while still having a luxury contemporary design.Eat and Shelter combines contemporary planting with plenty of texture from grasses and tall flowering plants, with a top-of-the-range Alfa pizza oven and fire table. Edible planting such as thyme, rosemary, fennel and chives means diners can simply pick herb and salads straight from the garden to add onto their meal.Taking

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March 4th 2022

Should we ban the use of peat?

Just this week we are starting to see stacks of potting compost bags in the supermarkets – mostly on some kind of offer. But what a lot of people don’t realise is that they include peat, taken from the UK’s valuable peat bogs. By grabbing those cheap bags of compost, we are unwittingly contributing to the destruction of the UK’s valuable peatlands – essential for our fight against climate change. So why is peat used in our potting compost? It has a great ability to retain water and nutrients so is a very good growing medium. Home gardeners use 66% of

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February 25th 2022

Plant a tree before spring

Tree planting season is coming to an end so now is a great time to think about investing in a multi-functional specimen tree to get Plant a tree before spring. It’s important to look at the end size of a tree compared to the size of your garden – you don’t want a 20m high Scots Pine in a small back garden in 10 years time! There are many benefits to using the beautifully named Mophead maple (Acer Platanoides ‘Globosum’) within a garden planting scheme, including its autumn colour. Its round tight canopy carries a contemporary look which allows underplanting of bulbs

Categories: Advice and tips, ecological landscape design, ecology, Garden design, landscape architecture, Landscape design, Uncategorised
February 18th 2022

Thinking about functional planting

However much we love a certain plant, flower or tree in our gardens, we should also be asking ourselves – what function will this have within my eco-system? All plants are multi-functional in many ways, so it makes sense for a garden designer to plan out a new landscape as a mini eco-system, with every plant in the right place. While my design aesthetic is to create the ultimate in luxury, I also bring into play the ecology of the surrounding landscape. What are the functions of plants?Climatically, plants are important, as we all know. As our climate changes, we must also

Categories: Advice and tips, ecological garden design, ecological landscape design, Garden design, landscape architecture, Landscape design, Uncategorised
February 11th 2022

Longridge architect designed paragraph 80 landscape plan

Creating a landscape design for an architect-designed build

I’ve been working on designs for the Paragraph 80 house that I’m working on with Jackson Crane Architects. Paragraph 80 is a planning regulation that allows houses to be built in the countryside if they meet very tough specific criteria. Having an ecology and landscape consultant on board definitely helps the planning process – and my job is to ensure that the surrounding landscape is enhanced by the project. Currently we are working on detailed landscape plans, which will include interior grow spaces, with historic local fruit species. The new landscape concludes with a foraging walk through the wilds beyond. The new concept will

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January 14th 2022

Merry Christmas to all

I've been sat at my desk this week, mulling over the year gone by Merry Christmas to all and planning out the year ahead. One of the highlights of my year was creating the Rewilding Garden at the RHS Tatton Show in July. The build period for any flower show is intense - you have a short amount of time to push your own boundaries and create a mature garden worthy of a panel of judges. But then once it's done, I have four days of chatting with visitors, who are just as passionate as I am about nature, ecology and really high-end

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December 17th 2021

Thinking about a green roof?

There are so many benefits to creating a green roof - they don't just look pretty (and they really do look attractive!).One of the key benefits is that they absorb and use rainwater, which means it doesn't end up in our drainage systems. This article below by Gardens Illustrated says that in the summer a green roof can store 75% of rain, while in the winter it can store 40% of winter rainwater. The water stored will feed the plants but can also be evaporated back into the atmosphere. Green roofs can work really well in a domestic setting on a garage,

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December 10th 2021

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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