Articles
Go wild in your garden
As our countryside comes under increasing threat from land use changes it’s our gardens that can play an important role in conserving and encouraging wildlife. Here are some ideas about helping out in the Winter and planning for the Spring and Summer. The days are short and the nights can be very cold at […]
Swimming pools make a return!
Over the past 10 years we have designed and installed many new swimming pools but the past year has seen a surge in interest as we stay at home more and enjoy longer, warmer Summers. Dan answers some of your questions about adding a pool into your garden. 1 A bright blue pool is fine […]
Get ready for summer
It’s a little dull and very wet in January but we want you to think about the summer. A long hot summer. We’re already really busy this year and have been commissioned for lots of new gardens in 2021 from small courtyard gardens to large countryside gardens. From bird baths to swimming pools and raised […]
Why you should plant a tree this autumn
It won’t have escaped you that many of our trees are suffering from climate change and the direct impact of population growth. HS2, the current Government’s flagship capital investment project is currently cutting a swathe through ancient woodland, removing centuries old iconic and ordinary trees alike. Possibly one of the greatest impacts that humankind […]
Garden design in awkward spaces
Dan Bowyer gives some ideas on how to make the most of compact city garden spaces? Do you have a tiny urban garden space that needs some inspiration? Dan has come up with a top 5 checklist of some ideas for you to inspire the way forward. 1. Make your garden part of the house […]
Deck the halls
Cards on the table – I am not a big fan of the idea of Christmas trees. But I have to weigh up the senseless felling of hundreds of thousands of trees each year against the knowledge that they form an important part of many farmer’s income. I also know I’m in a minority so […]
Swimming pools are back!
Over the years we have created many swimming pools both in the UK and overseas and they are becoming very popular in the UK again after a long run of hot summers. Dan recently answered some questions for Homes & Gardens magazine on this very subject. A bright blue pool is fine for summer, but […]
It’s Bulb Time!
Get planting now for a splash of Spring colour!
It’s bulb planting time again and the garden centres and nurseries are stocking up with some stunning bulbs for next spring! After a hot summer where we’ve escaped a hosepipe ban it’s great to get back into the garden and be planting something that actually copes with dry conditions. What should we start with? Well […]
Some great bulbs to look out for
Spectacular tulips include Tulipa ‘Flaming Parrot’ orange with red markings and Tulipa ‘Groenland’ white with green markings. Narcissus actaeaand Pheasants Eyeare the nearest to the wild daffodil you’ll get and give off great fragrance. Don’t forget the Summer bulbs such as the Alliums –Allium Christophii and Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ are real stars. The Foxtail Lily Eremurus stenophylluscosts a fortune in florists in the […]
Other jobs for the Autumn
The variable summer has taken its toll on some plants and many have suffered so its time to tidy! Planting – This is the best time of year to plan for shrub and tree planting. We plant hundreds of trees in the Autumn so plan your border early, plant now with the best of the […]
Summer heatwave
Since April we seem to have had little or no rain. Apart from the occasional downpour that does little to revitalise the soil we’ve all been relying on regular watering in the garden since early Spring And all the evidence from the weather forecasters is that we are in for a real blazing summer so […]
Easter in the garden
Jobs to do in your garden this Spring
Easter is when it always feels like the gardening year steps up and our borders, allotments and flowers start demanding our attention. So now you need to give your garden a good spring clean and set the scene for a great summer outdoors. If we’re really lucky a dry Easter break might let us have […]
Expressions of interest – gardens with meaning
Andrew explores the rise of the conceptual garden in modern garden design
For the garden lover one of the great joys of travelling is visiting those great gardens around the globe that make up our shared garden history. Be it the Huntington Library Garden, Hidcote or Sissinghurst, the Alhambra, Versailles, Kirstenbosch or the Rikugien Garden there are so many to see. If they are the Turners and […]
Water – the defining element – conservation, control and creativity
Water has always been an essential and defining element of our landscapes and gardens. It’s a symbol of wealth and power, personified in the great European houses of le Notre’s Versailles and Vaux le Vicomte and the great English parks such as Lord Carlisle’s heroic Castle Howard. It’s an expression of the art of garden […]
Swimming Pools make a comeback
For long the preserve of the wealthy and those with plenty of sunny days the swimming pool is starting to become the must have luxury for new garden owners. We’ve been designing pools into our overseas projects for many years but we have started to see a new demand for swimming pools in less traditional […]
Designing our future landscapes
Our garden design business has a distinctly different model than most others in that over a decade ago we decided we wanted to travel a little, see the world and when we got there, design some gardens. A combination of environmental concern about all that travel and our embracement of new technology means that over […]
Drought busting
All the indications are that this year is heading towards being another dry one with a long hot summer and a lack of water. The past two winters have been wet so we’ve topped up the reservoirs but even if we don’t get a hose ban we need to think about how we can future […]
Jobs for the summer
Summer is here and it’s VERY HOT! Beat a hosepipe ban by mulching and saving every last drop of water for the garden. If its rained and the lawn is still growing then you need to start cutting the lawn twice a week if you want stripes. Cut regularly, weed and feed. Keep cutting the […]
Jobs for the winter garden
It might be February but there are still a few jobs you can be getting on siwth to be ready for Spring. Prune back roses and other shrubs that need controlling now. Remove fallen leaves from ponds and lawns and put into a chicken wire frame to start making great leaf mulch. Finish autumn lawncare […]
Jobs for late autumn
We’ve been asked alot this week about autumn tidying so here are soem tips to get ahead of the game by starting your autumn chores now! Finish planting spring bulbs and early summer bulbs such as Alliums – these will look great next year at a fraction of ready grown prices. Keep dead-heading roses for […]
Gardens at the cutting edge
The news seems full of how we’re all turning our hand to growing our own vegetables and fruit again. Gardening has come back into fashion as we strive for some balance in our lives – and our diet – but talking to the professionals you’ll find that there’s much more happening in garden design and […]
Our favourite Mediterranean gardens to visit next year
Like many horticulturists our love affair with the Mediterranean started with plants. We have a fascination for the history of exotic plants arriving in Europe and nurserymen like Philippe Andre de Vilmorin who helped introduce many of these plants to Europe. Plants like Westringia the coastal rosemary, and Grevillea, now commonplace around the Mediterranean but once spectacular introductions […]
Great garden design takes more than flower power
One of the more noticeable fashions in garden design over the past year has been an interest in all things green. It’s a trend that started some years ago when we started to embrace all those grasses that you now see everywhere. Garden designers have got a little bored with all that wavy grass and […]
Biodiversity – what does it mean for our gardens?
I’ve lost count of the number of times that someone has shown me where foxes, badgers, rabbits get into their gardens. Or where they manage to get birds nesting, newts and frogs swimming or even just a few nesting solitary bees. Covering some 4% of the 93,000 square miles of this island we’re lucky that […]
Designing the Blind Veterans UK garden
We’ve been working with Blind Veterans UK for 4 years, ever since we were asked to help them with a new Woodland Centenary Garden at their newest centre in Llandudno. This garden went on to win 2 Britain in Bloom Awards and special mention as an ‘outstanding neighbourhood garden’. We have also helped the charity […]
Planting the Blind Veterans UK garden
When you visit a garden show the planting design is always the element that visitors are most interested in. This is especially true of Hampton Court which attracts some very keen gardeners and plant collectors. This year we are celebrating the work of Blind Veterans UK with a community garden for the members, their families, […]