April 2020

The month dawned sunny and bright, but also with the horrible Covid-19 virus looming large in everyone’s lives.

Since the lockdown was put in place on 23 March, the weather has been sunny and welcoming, and a time when we all want to be outside, with friends and family. But we need to stay home and stay safe, and for some who are luckier than others, that means in your garden, and in good health. Or maybe you can help someone nearby with their garden?

But where to start? After a wet and windy winter there are so many things to be done, where should you start? Well, anything is often better than nothing so here’s a quick list:
– It’s ok to now remove old seed heads and flower stalks, collect up leaves and put in a bag to start as a compost bin, or start a new compost heap if you have one
– tip out any compost bins, and spread the contents around shrubs, over flowerbeds, across your veg bed
– look at the seeds you have, and try to get those you need (it used to be easy by going to the garden centre, but not so now)
– sow some veg seeds and flower seeds and keep on a sunny windowsill
– in the garden, lift and split any big clumps of plants, and move plants that are maybe in the wrong place?
– start hand weeding and digging out perennial weeds, and hoeing off annual weeds but check first as they may be poppies, or marigolds, or nigella
– leave the dandelion flowers for insects, and then pull the flowerhead off before it sets seed
– watch the birds nesting, the bees flying around, and help any beneficial insects by sowing predator friendly flowers like Corn Marigold
– tip out pots with dead plants, and tip out plants that need repotting with new compost, but in a bigger pot
– try leaving any grass to grow long, just keep a small bit mown for sitting on
– plan what you’d like to grow, salad and herbs can be easily grown in pots and windowboxes and saves trip to the shops
– if you have a greenhouse, tidy it up; if not, see if you can make a coldframe from pieces of wood, or a plastic sheet, for when seedlings are too big for the windowsill and need to move out

24 Feb brings snow

It’s beautiful and sunny now with a white carpet of snow everywhere, but it’s only pretty in your garden and the woods. On the roads cars are stuck and drivers are bored.

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Check your shrubs aren’t laden down with wet heavy snow, as it can break the branches. Just give them a gentle shake to remove the snow. And watch out for snow falling off a roof or gutter onto your pants or pots. It’s heavy and with smother or break your plants. Most winter flowering shrubs and flowers will bounce back once the snow is gone.

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January plans for the year ahead

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Have a look at your garden, and see if you would like to change anything.

All of it? Just one bit?

Over the next few months I’ll be working on this site and putting up pictures of gardens that I have worked on. You might like to use some of the ideas and en-corporate them into yours.

Or you may just be inspired! Or you may want me to help!

Some are big landscaping projects, others are just a re-planting of existing beds.

Be brave, dabbling probably won’t get you the garden you want.

You need to make a plan of what you’d like, and then either dig out what’s there and re-plant what you’d like, if it’s just a border. Or get a landscaper in to use a mini-digger.

August in the garden

For the first time in ages it’s lovely to see the soil baked dry, plants wilting, and water butts empty, and late summer descends. Borders that are established, or were planted early in the year should be in full flower now, and lovely to look at. It’s worth taking photos and making notes of what has done well (so yo can repeat it) and what hasn’t (so you can sort it out). You can take seeds from plants that have finished, and then cut the flower heads down if you want everything neat and tidy, or leave them alone for the wildlife to use. many useful insects overwinter in dead flower heads, and birds eat the seeds over the winter.

Spring is Here

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Spring is here and crocuses are blooming everywhere under the snow, so you might like to be thinking about getting out into your garden to see what’s been going on this Winter.

Garden Design Ideas

Having a garden that suits your needs means you enjoy being in it, whatever the time of year. Garden Design Ideas can help you maximise your enjoyment from your garden, whether you want to relax with a cup of tea, or play an energetic game of football. Some gardens end up being a mill stone for the owner, but by thinking about garden design ideas you will be able to have the space you want, and to be able to enjoy being in it.

Firstly you should look at your garden and briefly note what you like, and don’t like, and what you would like to have. Look for a picture in a book or magazine that gives an image of the sort of garden you’d like, or think of friends’ gardens or places you have visited. The elements that you like are all garden design ideas for you to plan to have.