A garden flowing from The Downs
We trickled a pebbly stream into a formal slate-faced, stepped water feature to connect our client’s garden to the local environment and give plenty of space for growing vegetables and entertaining friends.
We trickled a pebbly stream into a formal slate-faced, stepped water feature to connect our client’s garden to the local environment and give plenty of space for growing vegetables and entertaining friends.
Following on from my earlier blogs on wildlife gardens and ponds you’ll have guessed by now that, allied to my professional interest in gardens and all things horticultural, is a fascination for wildlife and, in particular birds.
Autumn leaves can be very evocative and one of the most dramatic signs of the changing season. But by the time they come, many of the jobs you need to think about to prepare your garden for the cooler months, should already have been started.
To save you having to worry about what you need to be doing in your garden during the Autumn and Winter so that it is ready to burst into life again in the Spring, we’ve put together an Annual Garden Care and Development Programme.
A visit to the beautiful grounds of Howbery Park last week to interview candidates for our new team (more on this later) prompted me to highlight what I feel are the most important features of our landscape – trees. I think they’re brilliant.
This is what you’ve been waiting for – borders in full bloom and vegetables producing fine crops. Now’s the time to enjoy those long summer evenings relaxing and entertaining friends.
Although there’s plenty of work to be done, you can do it a more leisurely pace than during the hectic months of Spring. Take time to take a closer look – you’ll see some welcome visitors going about their work – like the bumble bees and hover flies – but also pests and disease. Aphids, for example, can be easily dealt with by simply squashing, so long as they haven’t taken over – so catch them early. And don’t forget to look after our feathered friends too – keep your birdbath topped up and enjoy watching them have a splash!
If you want to take stunning photos of your garden during the summer to remind you of it throughout those cold and wet winter months, then it’s worth thinking about the best way to go about it before you start.
Local photographer Shannon Lee Robinson from SLR Photography is working with us to capture some special images of the gardens we’re creating.
Personally, I think that May is one of the best months in the garden. As magnolia and cherry blossom begin to fade, wisteria, rhododendrons, poppies and foxgloves all start to take centre stage. As this year’s new foliage starts to appear, we’re treated to a burst of sharp acid green that creates a vibrant backdrop to the emerging flowering plants. Herbaceous plants almost seem to be growing in front of your very eyes and any water in the garden – from streams to ponds to patio pots – begins to team with life.
