Category Archives: Blog

Need to release some equity from your home? Know your options.

Having your garden professionally designed and landscaped is a long-term investment, that hopefully will add value to your home as well as improving the quality of your life. If you own your own home you may need to find an additional lump sum to make these improvements and might want to consider using the value of your home to release some money to do this. These days you have several options: a second-charge mortgage, an equity release mortgage or a simple remortgage. All are very different products and each needs to be seen as such.  Continue reading…

Gardening: How it can benefit both us and the environment!

Gardening: How it can benefit both us and the environment!

While the weather permits us there is no excuse not to get out in the garden, however, this still leaves some of us wondering what the benefits really are?

The truth is that the benefits of gardening really are endless and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Gardening comes in many forms; from working on your own garden, to growing vegetables at school, to tending flower beds in your community. So what are the benefits? Here we list six major benefits to consider.

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The Outdoor Room : How to increase your property value!

The Outdoor Room : How to increase your property value!

A garden that is a genuine outdoor living space, rather than an overgrown jungle or kids’ playground, is not only a great feature to enjoy while you live in your home, it will also attract buyers when you’re ready to sell. It is generally understood that more than half of potential buyers will pay a premium for a home with a dedicated outdoor living space, whether it is in the form of a garden building or is open to the elements. Continue reading…

Going Wild About Flowers

‘Going Wild about Flowers!’

Plantlife, Europe’s largest charity dedicated to wild flowers and other flora recently launched the interactive Great British Wild Flower Hunt. This was in response to new research that reveals people across Great Britain are crying out to know more about wildflowers and get closer to nature.

The Hunt, which continues throughout the summer, is the UK’s first large-scale interactive guide to wild flowers. It offers everyone the opportunity to have fun and boost their botanical knowledge like never before. Continue reading…

Invasive Plants and their threat to Land Values

The names Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogweed and Himalayan Balsam may not be too familiar to homeowners in Oxfordshire. Found across Summertown in Oxford, Witney, Banbury and Bicster, they are some of the most invasive and dangerous plants known to man that can wreak havoc, not only with your garden and the environment, but also with your home.  Left uncontrolled, it can push through brick walls, concrete floors, Tarmac and drainage systems. Continue reading…

GreenArt’s Charities of the Year

We have teamed up with 2 fantastic charities to create the Kaleidoscope Garden at Oxford’s Helen & Douglas House and another to promote health, educate others & offer support to those suffering with Parkinson’s disease.

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Race to the Stones 2017

After months of training and over 1200K covered across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire, we’re all set for Race to the Stones this weekend.

If you’d like to come out to support us, we’d love to see you so here’s where we reckon we’ll be during the course of the two days – give or take 30 minutes either side. Whether it’s a quick wave and shout out or you fancy jogging along or walking with us, it would be great to see you to help us keep going for 100K.

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Sleek and contemporary design for outdoor living

Sleek design, contemporary materials and a specific colour palette were used to create a feeling of space that brings this garden into the home.

When Nicola and Trevor moved into their new home, they had a very clear idea of how they wanted their garden to be transformed to allow them to enjoy it with friends and family all year round. With full length windows and glazed doors leading from the main living room, they wanted their new garden to feel like an extension to their beautiful, modern home while creating a dramatic look and a haven for wildlife. The brief was to combine hard and soft landscaping features within a clean and structured design while providing an informal and relaxed feel to the garden.

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Chelsea Flower Show 2017

Neither George or I could make it to the Chelsea Flower Show this year so we asked our client Nicola, who despite having recently broken her foot and being confined to a wheelchair, braved the crowds to give us her very own report. As a lady who knows what she likes, this is what she said.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my day at Chelsea (Trevor not so much as he had to wheel me around in my wheelchair all day, so he was rather exhausted)! To be quite honest I had hoped to see more inspirational gardens. Perhaps we’ve just been a bit spoilt with what you’ve done as there were a considerable amount of plants and flowers that we could tick off, as you’d already put them in our garden! So, no garden envy for me”. Continue reading…

Gardening: How it can benefit us and the environment!

With the 2017 Chelsea Flower Show coming to a close, there’s a lot going on in the media to encourage us to get out in our gardens. This may leave many of us wondering what the benefits really are. The truth is that the benefits of gardening really are endless and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Gardening comes in many forms; from working on your own garden, to growing vegetables at school, to tending flower beds in your community. So what are the benefits?

Continue reading…