Garden Design Articles
RNIB Invites You To Experience
The Senses, 30th May 2011
RNIB's RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden offers a voyage of discovery where visitors
feel compelled to take off their shoes, according to designer Paul Hervey-Brookes.
Another Great Year Beauty With Bounty
At RHS Chelsea, 29th May 2011
The 2011 M&G Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a modern take on a traditional
kitchen garden, designed by renowned landscape architect Bunny Guinness. The title
sponsor’s garden is one that you can both live from and live with – a modern take
on a traditional kitchen garden – a beautiful, relaxing space and also a working
plot producing bountiful fruit, herbs, vegetables and flowers.
Another Great Year
For The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 28th May 2011
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011 continues the tradition of exhibiting the best
show gardens, created by the most talented designers, built with the highest level
of craftsmanship using the finest materials. Oh, and of course the plants are quite
good too!
RHS Chelsea 2011, 24th May 2010
Photos of the magnificant gardens from this years RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Decking Care, 29th September 2010
Unfortunately our climate is not kind to wood and many homeowners have learnt the
hard way that decks built in shade quickly become very slippery in the resulting
damp conditions and that it is not a surface you can just leave for years and expect
it to stay in good condition. With the correct care and attention a decked area
can easily exceed 30 years of use.
Garden Diary - August, 1st August 2010
We have had a dry summer this year and watering will be very important, particularly
for trees and shrubs which have been planted in the last two years. Their root systems
will not have developed sufficiently to cope with dry conditions.
Garden Diary - July, 1st July 2010
Hopefully one of the hottest months of the year, July should be the time to enjoy
the garden, harvest some vegetables, have a barbecue and not be too adventurous
with new plantings.
Coton Manor, 3rd June 2010
Coton Manor is a beautiful traditional English garden centred around a honey-coloured
17thC manor house. In the 1920s the present owner’s grandparents began developing
the garden and successive generations have continued this process to the present
day, making best use of its natural setting which provides stunning views across
the Northamptonshire countryside.
Sculpture In Stone, 2nd February 2010
Designers are always looking for interesting items to finish off a project and make
it unique. Sculptural items are perfect for focal points or more subtle decoration
but can often be extremely expensive. Tom Clark is a stone carver who caters for
all pockets, not only creating large figures and statues with a price tag to match
but at the same time producing casts of his most popular carvings for the smaller
purse.
Honey Bees Need You, 4th September 2009
Einstein said ‘If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would
only have four years of life left. No more pollination, no more plants, no more
animals, no more man’. So how many bees have you seen in your garden this year?
Future Gardens, 26th July 2009
If you are looking for beautiful, thought provoking and educational gardens that
have something for all the family then you couldn’t do much better than to visit
the Butterfly World Project near St Albans.
Basic Pergola and Arbour Construction, 18th July 2009
Pergolas and arbours can create atmosphere, link
different parts of the garden or provide a shady place to walk or sit. They give
instant height and allow the gardener to grow climbers somewhere other than a wall
or fence.
Sustainability - Why Bother?, 13th
March 2009
I think by now it’s only a few ‘stick your head in the sand’ people who don’t accept
that climate change is happening. There are perhaps a few more doubters as to the
cause, whether it’s natural or man-made. Then of course, if you do believe humans
are to blame there’s the problem of what we as individuals can do about it.
How To Choose A Garden Design Course,
22nd February 2009
As garden design has become ever more popular so the range of courses on offer has
also increased. Today courses can be found at universities, colleges and other horticultural
establishments. As there are no set requirements for garden design courses when
deciding on which course is right for you there are probably four major considerations:
location, time, cost and course content.
Iron In The Soul – And In The Garden, 25 January
2009
No garden designer can have failed to notice the increasingly prominent - and innovative
- use made of ironwork by the industry's trail-blazers and trend-setters. Indeed,
the Best Show Garden and the Best Urban Garden at the 2008 Chelsea Flower Show both
incorporated ironwork to great effect.
Working With Willow, 15 January 2009
It was by sheer accident that Jay Davey ended up working with willow. A chance meeting
while living in Canada, brought him to the Somerset Levels. The area is the perfect
environment for willow, where it has been grown for thousands of years.
Garden Up The Wall, 19 November 2008
We are all familiar with using plants to cover walls and fences but these are normally
planted in soil. The latest trend is for plants to be grown on the wall itself.
New Government Rules On Front Gardens In England,
13 September 2008
Garden designers need to be aware that from 1 October 2008 new government rules
regarding the paving of front gardens come into force.
Evergreens – the Cinderellas of the garden, 03
September 2008
‘Year-round interest’ is probably second only to ‘low maintenance’ as the most frequent
request from client to designer and to achieve this part of their brief designers
need to include some form of evergreen planting.
Barcham Trees: small business ethos – large scale production,
23th July 2008
For a garden designer, a visit to Barcham Trees, the largest container tree nursery
in Europe, is like putting a child in a giant sweet shop. A walk around the nursery
is likely to lead to dangerous thoughts of purchasing more and/or larger trees than
actually required.
Garden Design In Guernsey, 19th June 2008
Designers on mainland Britain have a wide range of conditions to deal with when
designing a garden, but living on an island can add a whole new list of both problems
and exciting possibilities. Helen Litchfield describes life as a designer on the
Channel Island of Guernsey.
BBC Gardeners’ World Live – always worth a visit,
19th June 2008
Every June, Birmingham National Exhibition Centre becomes the venue for a show full
of inspiration for gardeners. Following hot-on-the-heels of the Chelsea Flower Show
(the most famous flower show in the world).
The Society Of Garden Designers,
29th May 2008
In 1981 a few of the country’s top garden designers decided their industry needed
its own professional body and as a result The Society of Garden Designers was established
and today is still the only professional body in the UK dedicated solely to garden
design.
Chelsea 2008 - A Personal Perspective,
27th May 2008
I had never been to Chelsea before – I hate crowds! A friend of mine goes every
year and has her own way of getting the most out of the visit. It involves getting
up with the birds, getting on a train early enough for there still to be a seat
and arriving at Chelsea just before the gates open.
Hard Landscaping Know-How, 25th May 2008
It is probably safe to assume that most garden designers join the profession because
they love either planting or design and sometimes both.
Hear The Robin Go Tweet Tweet Tweet, 21st May 2008
No it's nothing to do with the Jackson 5 or the wildlife in your garden, Twitter
is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people using the web, your phone,
or instant messengers like MSN. The messages that people send to each other are
known as Tweets.
Plants in Focus - Dicentra spectabilis, 5th April 2008
As the early spring colour of snowdrops, daffodils and crocuses comes to an end
it is time for the early-flowering perennials to take over. One such favourite is
Dicentra spectabilis.
Working In Wood - A Green Oak Pergola, 2nd April 2008
The seeds for Williams and Marsh began when Bryn Williams, Richard Marsh and Kester
Hoefkens met while studying furniture design at Rycotewood College, Oxford.
Top Spot for Garden Design Websites,
30 March 2008
In today's computer oriented world the internet appears to be king! Every business
wants to be top of the Google listings and garden designers are no exception.
Colour in the Garden, 18 March 2008
When considering colour in the garden, plants are usually the first thing that spring
to mind, yet colour in gardens can be introduced in other forms too: paint, containers,
light etc.
Plants in Focus - Camellia, 1 March 2008
During late February and early March garden centres are overflowing with specimens
of a glossy-leaved, evergreen shrub sporting large flowers ranging in colour from
vibrant red to elegant white and even yellow.
Plants in Focus - Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose),
17 February 2008
As one of the earliest flowering plants of the year, hellebores are an excellent
choice for the winter flowering garden and each year new additions are added to
the range of colours, patterns and delicate markings of this popular plant.
Art InThe Garden, 07 February 2008
The design and build of a garden is much like that of a house: the main construction
is crucial but the fun stuff is what comes at the end. In a garden it will be planting
borders and sourcing water features, patio furniture and sculpture.
Garden Design And Property Value,
27 January 2008
It is well known that spending money on a new kitchen or bathroom will help to increase
the value of a property. However, do well-designed gardens now fall into the same
category?
How To Choose A Garden Designer, 18
January 2008
An excellent place to start is by looking at the website of the Society of Garden
Designers. All those listed on their site are Registered Members or Fellows of the
Society and will have a minimum of two years’ experience.
Inspiration for Garden Design, 15 January 2008
If you are seeking design ideas for your garden, inspiration can be found from looking
in the right books, visiting great gardens and noticing the shapes and patterns
that can be seen all around you every day.
Why Use A Garden Designer, 15 January 2008
Many people feel that spending money on employing a professional designer is a waste,
thinking it can't be that difficult to do the job themselves. But what makes a good
garden into a gorgeous garden is knowing how to put all the elements together.