Tag: lawn

F Words garden design guide: flooring, fencing and features no 1

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The F Words is how I see a garden as I look at it. If you divide your garden into these three parts, you can take realistic steps towards your dream garden look. Today we’re going to look at the first F – flooring. Stay tuned to find out about fencing and features!

Chelsea Flower Show 2018 Plants

Picture the scene. I am at a TV colleague’s house for the first time, supposedly to collect some tapes. But it soon becomes clear that I’m the victim of what we call in the trade a ‘green ambush’.

I can see it coming when he opens the back door. “Any chance you can have a quick look at my garden while you’re here and give me some advice?” Got me – hook, line and sinker!

So I find myself standing in this cold, overgrown garden with him. His family are all watching me. Just as I go to open my mouth, he adds, “Oh and we don’t want to spend a fortune”. Bang goes the bulldozer recommendation then!

But I take a quick look and think of my F Words guide. In moments I am on a roll and they are cooing with inspiration.

One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is to confuse garden design as an art form with practical garden renovation. But, and this is really important, you do not need to be a 400-metre Olympic contender to enjoy running.

There are simple, cheap, easy and achievable ways to create a garden to be proud of. For a small amount of money and a couple of weekends, you can completely make-over your garden.

Flooring

By flooring, I mean anything on the ground. This could be your lawn, patio and/or decking.

Lawn

Man cleaning lawn mower blade. Preparing to mow some grass.

This is a must for households with children and pets, but also for people like me who still believe that a lawn is the essence of a traditional garden.

Boost

You can rejuvenate your lawn with a programme of aeration and feeding. Aeration involves getting fresh air down to the roots by making holes in the lawn. This also reduces soil compaction and improves drainage. Aerate once a year by pushing a garden fork deep into moist soil at 6 inch intervals. Follow with a generous sprinkling of lawn feed.

Replace

It’s easy to replace your old scrappy grass with a lush new lawn. If you want instant results, buy new turf and have it laid. If you’d like something more affordable, you can prepare and seed a new lawn, but get a consultation from a garden lawn centre expert on your soil type.

Patio

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Don’t start worrying about cost of a new patio – you can revamp your existing one in an afternoon! First, get out any weeds. Then use a patio cleaner to scrub off dirt and algae. For the best results, hire a pressure washer from a DIY centre – you’ll only need it for a day, and it makes it look brand new!

Make sure you fix any uneven slabs in properly. You can replace broken ones, but for a cheap fix just rip them up and put plants in their place! Alpines and succulents are great for this. Brush a new layer of sand over the patio to fill in the gaps between slabs and stop weeds coming back.

Decking

Journalists and TV interviewers are always begging me to say that decking is old fashioned and on its way out. But I don’t think this is necessarily the case. Wood in the garden adds warmth and style, and it will stay with us for a long time yet.

If you have a deck, revamping it is easy. A good scrub down and an oil-based treatment will give it new lease of life.

For those of you who would like decking in the garden, try something a bit different. I always recommend oak – it gives a rich, timeless look.

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Read the entire F Words garden design series

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Flooring

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Fencing

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Features

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For more garden planting ideas, check out my blog:

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Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:

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May 27, 2014
How to: integrate patio furniture into your garden design

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The Liana Furniture Range

The birds are singing, the plants are growing – even the sun is shining! It’s finally starting to feel like spring, and your garden is coming back to life. So let’s get outside and make the most of it! After a long day at work, there is no better place in the world to relax than your own garden.

Easter is usually the time of year when people start visiting the garden centre looking for new plants and shrubs to revamp their garden. Then you’ve got the rest of the summer to get outside and enjoy it. And for that, you need good patio furniture.

Often, people spend loads of time planting the perfect garden, but don’t put a lot of thought into finding the right furniture set. One that complements your garden style and design, and works best for you. Here are my top tips for integrating your outdoor furniture into your garden.

Sizing decisions

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The Celtic Rectangular Table

It sounds obvious, but make sure you take into account the right size table and chairs for the space available. If the set is too big it will make your garden look cluttered, but too small and it will feel awkward and out of proportion.

Before you go shopping, measure the space, building in extra room to comfortably pull out the chairs without falling off the edge of the patio.

If you have any doubts about a furniture set you’re thinking of buying, take the table and chair measurements home with you. Then cut the same shapes out of old cardboard or newspaper and place them on the patio so you can see the set dimensions. Et voila, no expensive mistakes!

Make it intimate

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The Heritage Double Hanging Chair Beech by Hartman

Unite the different areas in your garden by creating an intimate seating area for dining and relaxing. This works well in big gardens with room for multiple seating areas. But if you have a small garden, be a little creative!

Nestle a bistro table and chairs at the foot of a tree or large shrub for atmospheric privacy. Or create your own instant hideaway by arranging large pots of tall evergreens around a bench. Simply half-hiding your garden furniture will make it feel like part of your garden, rather than an add-on.

Illusions of grandeur

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The Celtic Bistro Set designed by David Domoney

You can also create the illusion of more space by choosing a furniture set with an open design. This directs the eye through the furniture rather than to it, making your garden feel bigger. It will also subtly harmonise the set with your garden plants and flowers by allowing their colours to show through.

Storage solutions

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Artemisa Aluminium Set

Storage space is at a premium for most of us, so outdoor furniture should be fully weatherproof. This means you can leave it outside all year round, rather than bundling it into a shed when the weather turns. You also won’t need unsightly covers that turn your furniture into an eyesore!

Choose something waterproof like resin weave, which fits in with wooden garden features like trees and fence panels. Or try a rust-proof metal like aluminium, which blends in with any garden style.

Secondly, if you’re garden is small, look for stackable or foldable chairs so you can reduce the amount of space your furniture takes up. And make sure all soft furnishings like cushions and covers are neutral-coloured and detachable, so you can wash them.

Furniture heaven

Follow these tips and find your perfect furniture set. One that fits in with your garden and even makes it look bigger! After all, outdoor living should make your life easier, not harder.

Now get out there and enjoy it!

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For more garden planting ideas, check out my blog:

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Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:

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last=”false” border_position=”all” border_sizes_top=”0″ border_sizes_bottom=”0″ border_sizes_left=”0″ border_sizes_right=”0″ first=”false” spacing_right=””][fusion_imageframe image_id=”43061|large” max_width=”” style_type=”none” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”none” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]https://new.daviddomoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pots-and-planters-500×750.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”30px” bottom_margin=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://new.daviddomoney.com/quick-guide-to-pots-planters-containers/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_self” link_attributes=”” alignment=”center” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”rgba(1,149,51,0)” button_gradient_bottom_color=”rgba(1,149,51,0)” button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#0e540f” button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#0e540f” accent_color=”#0e540f” accent_hover_color=”#ffffff” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”large” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” border_color=”#0e540f” border_hover_color=”#ffffff” border_top=”3px” border_right=”3px” border_bottom=”3px” border_left=”3px” border_radius_top_left=”0px” border_radius_top_right=”0px” border_radius_bottom_right=”0px” border_radius_bottom_left=”0px”]Pots and planters[/fusion_button][/fusion_builder_column_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_6″ layout=”1_6″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”true” border_position=”all” element_content=”” border_sizes_top=”0″ border_sizes_bottom=”0″ border_sizes_left=”0″ border_sizes_right=”0″ first=”false”][/fusion_builder_column_inner][/fusion_builder_row_inner][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” 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April 22, 2014
Public Gardens: Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

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Sir Harold Hillier was born in 1905 to a horticultural family. His father was Edwin Lawrence Hillier, a world authority on conifers, and his grandfather Edwin Hillier founded Hillier nurseries in 1864.

The business was eventually passed onto Harold, who realised that gardening was becoming more hands on for those living in the new, post-war housing developments. He began a mail-order system and delivered plants across the UK. This year the nursery celebrates its 150^th anniversary.

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But Sir Harold wanted to diversify the family business. In 1953, he moved with his wife from Winchester to Jermyn’s House in Braishfield in Hampshire. The land around the property was mostly fields and paddocks, and he set about turning it into a garden and arboretum.

Much of Sir Harold’s time was devoted to collecting new plant species, and he travelled widely. He brought back many plants from visits to Japan, Korea, USA, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, which still grow today in his gardens.

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Sir Harold was closely involved in the garden design process, often seen out on site with his head gardener and a stack of plant labels. He once said he aimed to “create as attractively as possible as great a collection of plants as I was able to add to those already collected by my father and grandfather.”

Over the course of 25 years, he grew and nurtured an incredible collection of plants and trees which is still studied today by scholars. He was even knighted for it in 1983.

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By the time Sir Harold died in 1985, he had made the gardens a charitable trust and handed them over to Hampshire council so people could carry on enjoying them long after he was gone.

Today the gardens are home to over 42,000 plants and trees in a 180 acre site and are visited all year round by people from all over the world. You can also visit Jermyn’s house to try the tea room and walk along Magnolia Avenue – one of the garden’s most spectacular spring sights.

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The gardens are enormous and made of distinct sections. There’s a pond area and bog garden full of water-loving plants, as well as woodlands and wood valleys and a Pinetum. The Himalayan Valley that leads to the pond is lined with azaleas, pieris and rhododendrons that become pink floral carpet in May.

You can also walk along Centenary Border, the UK’s longest double border. Hillier called it their most ambitious project, with over 30,000 plants creating a visually stunning array of texture and colour.

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The gardens are also home to the world’s largest winter garden, showcasing plants that look their best in cold months to dispel the myth that gardens don’t look good in winter.

You can wander the Acer valley, with Japanese and other maple trees shaded by grand, mature oaks. Or try the spring walk, hydrangea walk or heather garden, all featuring beautiful varieties and bold planting schemes.

Throughout the year, Hillier Gardens also run events, workshops and concerts to allow visitors to make the most of the gardens’ resources and atmosphere. Find out more.

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April 10, 2014