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
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 MoreMayfield 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
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
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 MoreThe RHS Tatton Flower Show launched on Wednesday this week – and by the time you read this newsletter I will be on my way to take a look. While doing big shows is amazing, it’s really nice to be going this year as a visitor. This time last year, I had just launched the Rewilding Garden, created with Cheshire East Council. In the month run-up to the show, we cordoned off a 10x10m area of the parkland where our garden would be, and allowed wild flowers and plants to grow naturally, and based other planting around this. The whole idea was to
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 MoreFive years ago we were in the middle of building the ultra-futuristic ‘2101’ garden for RHS Tatton, which went onto win a gold award. The concept was around planting for climate change, with huge cowboy-film style Saguaro cacti, as well as the large round ‘mother-in-law’s cushions’ golden barrel cacti. We used large format porcelain paving to create a large path and seating area, with shaded pergola to shade from the intense sun. There was also a rain garden, designed to absorb excess rainwater, for climate extremes. People don’t realise just how much work goes into making a show garden picture-perfect, planning every
Read More