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.
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Garden designers need to be aware that from the 1st of October 2008, new government
rules regarding the paving of front gardens come into force.
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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK's leading gardening charity dedicated
to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. The shows it organises are
a great source of inspiration. Visiting one or more of the shows in 2009 will be
well worth the time you spend there. More...
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. More...
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. More...
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. Many people make
the mistake of buying a book of designs and expecting to find one the exact shape
and size of their garden. Disappointment is sure to follow as no two gardens are
the same. More...
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), it might be thought that the British
gardener would have had enough of show gardens and expensive lawn mowers. But apparently
not! With its special mix of live gardening entertainment, fantastic plants and
shopping opportunities Gardeners’ World Live attracts thousands of people every
year. More...
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.
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It is probably safe to assume that most garden designers join the profession because
they love either planting or design and sometimes both. However, it is less likely
that they will profess a huge knowledge of construction and yet it is hard landscaping
that forms the foundation for most designs. More...
‘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. Evergreen plants are often considered
to be boring, but they come in a huge range of size, leaf colour and shape.
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