Some tips for landscaping

If you've never tackled a landscape design before, you might be overwhelmed by all the choices you can make. But the same principles that guide your room setup inside should guide your designs outside, too. Here are seven ideas for landscape design for beginners.

Idea 1

Make a list of needs and wants. Do your kids need a play space? Do you want to grow vegetables? Would your family gather on a patio? Do some very rough sketches of the yard with thoughts of where you want to place things; it's a great organizing principle for landscape design for beginners. "These aren't master plans, just ideas," says Marianne Lipanovich, author of the Big Book of Garden Designs (Oxmoor House, 2008). "The one I did for our front-yard overhaul was literally a few lines and a couple of circles, but my husband understood the plan, and we went ahead with formal planning out on the site. You can easily play around with ideas without a lot of time and commitment."

Idea 2

Study the sun and wind patterns. You might want to place a patio on the west side of the house, but it will get lots of afternoon sun, which means dinnertime in August won't be relaxing -- just hot. And wind whistling around a corner will quickly extinguish a fire pit. Those are common mistakes in landscape design for beginners. Your design should take into account what the sun and wind do at different times of the day and year. "You'll need solutions to temper the problem," Lipanovich says.

Idea 3

Live with it for a while. Coming to quick conclusions about your yard can lead to choices that don't work in the long term. "In our yard, there are certain areas where you want to go and sit that I wouldn't have thought of when we first bought it," Lipanovich says.

Idea 4

Start small. Home and garden television shows are masters at revealing complete outdoor makeovers in just three days -- but they have a crew of 60, which is not a situation enjoyed by landscape design for beginners. Part of creating a landscape is slowly developing a plan and enjoying the process. From your master plan, start with a small flowerbed. Go out and work on it for an hour or two when you have the time, and worry less about filing everything up right away. "Give yourself some time to see how things develop. Plants grow and things fill in, and people forget that. The point is to take time and do it in pieces so you are happy with the final results," Lipanovich says. "If you get into this thing and want to get it done, you'll take shortcuts and be too sloppy and tired to do it well."

Idea 5

Work around a focal point. Any good garden design has a focal point or series of focal points, and it's an easy principle to put in place in landscape design for beginners. That may be a sculpture or a stunning plant, a tree, or a series of shrubs. "The point is to draw your eye and move it through the landscape," Lipanovich says.

Idea 6

Focus on scale and pacing. It's the trickiest principle in landscape design for beginners, but scale and pacing give your yard a pulled-together look. There will be variations in size, shape, and color, with tall plants against a building or in the back of a flowerbed, and paths that lead people through the space. "You'll want to repeat some elements, whether it's a certain plant, a common color, or even a shape, so there's a sense of cohesion," Lipanovich says. "But you also don't want it to be monotonous, so try adding an occasional element that's different from the landscape and will stand out."

Idea 7

Be open to change. Unless you're strongly devoted to something, be honest about what you like -- and what may fall out of favor. "I find myself over the years discovering that I really liked one thing and that it now no longer reflects me, so I take it out," Lipanovich says.
Remember: Patience is key to landscape design for beginners. If all of that bare space is too much to look at, and the kids and dogs are tracking in mud, rely on temporary solutions -- annuals, fast-growing groundcovers that you don't care about for the long term, even mulch -- to cover an area while you're figuring out what you want. "Large landscaping features like trees can be hard to move; annuals can be taken out, and small perennials and shrubs can be transplanted if you realize they're in the wrong spot. But in the meantime, you have something out there," Lipanovich says.

Continuing from our last blog, here are some tips keeping the pests out of your garden or alllotment without the use of chemicals. 

 

Weed control without Herbicides

 

Regular hoeing will prevent weed seedlings becoming established,

although long-rooted perennial weeds such as docks and dandelions need digging out. Never leave bare soil exposed, it is an open invitati

on for weeds to colonise. In the ornamental garden dense ground cover plants, such as bugle, berginia or periwinkle, will swamp out most weeds. A thick mulch will prevent annual weeds coming up, and organic mulchs such as chipped bark or compost will gradually break down, enriching the soil as they do so. Inorganic mulches include plastic membranes

and gravel.

In the vegetable patch ground is often left bare over winter. As well as allowing weeds to colonise valuable nutrients will be leached out by

the winter rain. Instead sow a green manure in the autumn, such

as alfalfa, agricultural mustard or clover. These will smother any

weeds and hold onto any nutrients. Long-rooted species will bring up nutrients from deep underground. In the spring green manures can be dug in, or are a valuable addition to the compost heap. If ground is left bare in the summer for short periods between crops it can be covered by plastic sheeting, sheets of cardboard of old carpets to prevent weed seeds germinating.

 

 

Encourage Useful Predators

Aphids (greenfly), slugs and snails are probably the most annoying garden pests. The good news is that although you may not find them very appetising they are top on the menu for a wide range of predators.

Song thrushes are adept at smashing snail shells,hedgehogs, toads and ground beetles will all gobble up slugs; and aphids are consumed in huge numbers by ladybirds and hoverfly larvae, lacewings and bluetits. Other useful garden predators are millipedes, earwigs, frogs, bats and most small birds. By welcoming these animals into your garden you can

save your plants from excessive damage

Going Organic!

So my wonderful wife and I are celebrating our two year anniversary today. One of the first things we ever bought together (I say together, I didn't really want one) was our allotment. 

Having been left empty for a good six months I was very happy to take my father’s method of clearing the area. The Dr. Sparkes technique was a yearly event when I was a child and involved several jerry cans of petrol, a lighter and a very stressed out mother. 

After the good lady wife firmly refused despite my argument that it had always worked for the old man, I had to look at other options. I purchased a good 20l of industrial strength weed killer and a load of phosphorous fertilizer and was all set to get to work. 

Allotments are an interesting social experiment in communal living. While in general patrons don't "live" there, every other social convention must be obeyed. This led to several of my neighbours staring, frowning and eventually shouting as I unloaded my chemical arsenal from the car. 

I was informed in no uncertain terms that all of the allotments were organic and while not written in the charter, use of chemicals generated the same kind of feeling the UN might have towards a Middle Eastern dictator with a similarly large stockpile. 

As you can imagine, my first visit to our newly rented plot didn’t go down to well but after some time, some hard work and plenty of advice from my now well loved neighbours, the Organic Method is the one we have adopted and the one I will be writing about over the next few weeks.

 

What is Organic Gardening? 

Organic gardening has much in common with wildlife gardening. Organic gardeners do not use chemical pesticides and fertilizers; instead they try to work with nature, not against her. They aim for a healthy, fertile soil and encourage a complex natural ecosystem where predators help keep pest species under control. The organic approach aims to minimise the impact on the wider environment, by re-cycling as much as possible and avoiding the use of materials from non-renewable resources, reducing inputs and outputs. The result is an attractive, healthy and productive garden.

Most organic gardeners claim their vegetables are tastier than those grown using chemicals!

Books and websites on organic gardening hold lots of useful advice for the wildlife gardener.

   

Ways to go Organic

Going organic can seem a little overwhelming if you are used to

conventional gardening. Even if you are not brave enough to go the whole way, if you follow some of these guidelines your garden will become healthier for you, your family, and for wildlife.

    

Improving the soil

Soil is wonderful stuff! A rich soil is a highly complex mixture of rock

particles, fragments of decaying organic material, and tiny living 

organisms. Healthy soil is full of bacteria, fungi, microscopic worms and other life forms. These all help recycle nutrients and so encourage the plants to grow. The organic materials provide food for the microrganisms, help retain water and nutrients, and give the soil structure. 

Organic gardeners believe in feeding the soil, not the plant. They aim to build up a healthy, fertile soil, full of organic material, which will in turn support strong, healthy, disease-resistant plants. The way to do this is to add plenty of bulky organic material to the soil at regular intervals.

Perhaps the best material is home-made compost – easily made by recycling your garden wastes but that takes time and patience, neither of which I have.

Other sources of organic matter are well-rotted animal manures, leaf mould, composted bark and spent mushroom compost.

These bulky materials also help the soil retain moisture, so less watering is required during dry spells. Sometimes additional nutrients are required, particularly in the vegetable plot, with the heavy demands of fast growing crops. Organic gardeners use natural fertilizers such as bone meal, dried seaweed and pelleted chicken manure. These break down slowly in the soil, making their nutrients available to plants over a much longer period than chemical fertilizers. They also fertilize the whole soil micro-organism community. 

so that was our first step, next time...how to get rid of the nasties!

What to be doing in your allotment right now.

(From RHS)

How to acquire allotment abundance

Many gardeners contact the advice team this season with tales of woe about why they have not been able to sow and plant their veg garden or allotment

Naturally I grieve for their loss of one of the best growing seasons for years, experiencing dearth when they should be experiencing abundance. However, this does not last long as late July onwards is a very important time to sow crops for next year and, if the autumn is kind, for October and November, so these horticultural miscreants have a good opportunity to make amends.

Spring cabbage is a luscious fresh food for March onwards, and will make sweet little cabbages for June if you let it. Here at Wisley we aim to sow in early August in a seedbed or module tray and plant out in September or October. You can gather alternate plants as suggested for spinach below. Pigeons should be excluded with nets.

Salad onions can be sown in August to overwinter and be ready to gather from March in the south and April elsewhere. Covering with a cloche after sowing will keep the leaves dry and free of downy mildew that can be a problem on allotments, breaking out the following May to infect other onion crops.

Spinach tends to go to seed sown in summer, but sown in the first week of September it produces abundant leaves in April. By sowing and thinning to leave one plant every 15cm (6ins) you can harvest every other plant and leave the remainder to grow for later harvesting.

Spinach beet is an even easier option – a July sowing will produce abundant leaves the following spring before going to seed in May. Pigeons relish spinach beet, but find proper spinach not to their taste – too sour one assumes!

In the south, at any rate, calabrese sown now can give a useful crop in October, but safer bets especially in northern areas are turnips and kohlrabi. These are mighty quick growing and delicious boiled and glazed, although microwaving is a very good alternative for gardeners pushed for time. Sown in September turnips won’t make roots but are useful greens for March and April even in cold areas where spring cabbage can fail.

Spring salads can be enhanced by hardy lettuces such as Winter Density sown in early September and thinned to 20cm (8ins) apart in October. These lettuces have a hard life but this gives them plenty of flavour and abundant ‘bite’ just when you need salads for the first warm days of spring.

Timely emergence is important, so rake and stir the ground well to kill off slugs and weeds. Then a few days later, water freely in the evening and sow into moist soil the following morning.

Country Supplies and Timeless Timber

There has been a ton of buzz around our new pods and sheds which are arriving in the next couple of weeks from our friends at Timeless Timber.
TT- conducted a survey titled "What do you do in yours?" The results were pretty interesting.

With half of Brits admitting all of their storage space is full of clutter,  and one in three (32%) finding their current home too small, high-quality garden sheds are now being seen as a solution for homeowners craving extra living space.

Neil Horton, sales director for Timeless Timber, said: “We carried out this research to highlight some of the challenges facing homeowners across the UK. We found that more space is longed for and that most people would rather extend their existing home than move house, but all too often an extension is unaffordable.

“The traditional cluttered garden shed at the bottom of the garden is a thing of the past. A Timeless Timber garden building creates stylish living space at a fraction of the cost of a traditional extension, but with all the same benefits. The needs of the homeowner are changing, and this product range responds to that by offering durable, secure and stunning looking designs that transform outdoor space into an extension of your home.”

Timeless Timber’s garden buildings are constructed to feel like homes on a smaller scale, with floors manufactured from pressure treated timber joists – as used in traditional home construction – and overlaid with a plywood floor which has a slip resistant and easy clean surface. Walls are strong, load bearing and timber clad, the roof is weather proof for 20 years and all Timeless Timber sheds come with mortice locks for security.

Building the ultimate ‘man cave’

As part of the survey, Timeless Timber asked Britain to imagine what the ultimate ‘man cave’ and ‘woman cave’ would look like.

According to British men, the ultimate man cave would include:

• Widescreen TV (48%)
• Computer or laptop (46%
• Large sofa (34%)
• Soundproof walls (29%)
• Beer fridge (24%)
• Pool table (20%)
• Games console (18%)
• Slot machine (10%)
• Weights (7%)
• Ping pong table (6%)
• Bean bags (5%)

With mess and clutter blamed for being the main cause of arguments in nearly one in six families, additional living space is top of the list for households across the UK. A quarter of those surveyed even said that having more space would lead to a happier living arrangement, and one in seven said there would be less stress at home as a result.

Women painted a very different picture when asked to imagine their dream ‘woman cave’. It would include:

• Walk in wardrobe (29%)
• Big bed (28%)
• Flat screen TV (20%)
• Candles (17%)
• Wine fridge (17%)
• Mood lighting (16%)
• Treadmill (12%)
• Magazines (10%)
• Foot spa (10%)
• Dressing table (8%)
• Chocolate fountain (7%)
• Make up / nail station (7%)
• iPod dock (6%)
• Yoga mat (4%)

General tips for Patio Laying

 

 

How to lay a patio

No matter what your project or materials you are using, if you have decided to do it yourself there are a number of factors you need to be aware of and important steps you need to take. Here are some examples of the steps required to cover the most basic patio paving installation.

Before you start...
Draw a simple plan of your home and garden, sketching where you would like areas to be paved. Once your plan has been finalised, lay out lengths of string to mark out the dimensions of your purposed patio in position. When you are happy with this, let the digging commence.

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STEP 1: Site Preparation
Mark the pegs beforehand to indicate the depth and remember to allow for a gradual slope away from your property. Using the tape measure mark out the patio area. Check the corners, using a builders square. Removing topsoil is easily done using an edging iron and cutting the turf into manageable squares. Simply scoop with a spade and remove using a wheelbarrow and skip.

The excavated depth should be 150mm or 6 inches from the finished patio level. Measure the final depth of excavation using the pegs and strings.

Check the depth at the edge using a tape measure. Compact the soil with the Vibrating Plate Compactor and re-check the overall depths and slope of the area using the pegs and spirit level.
If you find soft spots in the soil, further excavation may be required. These spots can then be filled and consolidated with sub-base material.

Check all 90° corners and depths thoroughly before putting down the sub-base material.
When using excavation machinery please follow the manufacturer’s guidelines including acceptable levels of exposure and in particular use ear protection.

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STEP 2: The Sub-Base
Having tipped the sub-base material into the laying area, rake into position to a consistent depth of 100mm or 4 inches.
Once the area is covered, check the depth using a spirit level, pegs and string line.
Compact the area using a Vibrating Plate Compactor, making sure the entire area has been compressed at least twice. Check again for any sinking areas. If this occurs, an extra depth of sub-base material should be considered.
Once the sub-base is smooth, flat and to the appropriate level, check the drainage slope with a straight edge and spirit level.
When using the vibrating plate machinery please follow all manufacturer’s guidelines including acceptable levels of exposure and in particular use ear protection.

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STEP 3: Preparing the Mix and Laying Paving Flags
When preparing the cement mix, please avoid direct handling of cement, always cover your skin.
Either using the cement mixer or wheelbarrow and shovel, prepare a mortar mix of 5 parts building sand, 1 part cement and add water to create a doughy consistency.
To check this is correct use the ‘snow ball’ test, pick up a handful of mortar mix and squeeze into a ball, when you let go the mix will retain its shape without oozing water or falling apart.

Starting in the corner, trowel a bed of mortar to cover the area intended for the first paving flag. The depth of the mortar bed should be approximately 35-40mm. Level off but ensure the mortar is not compact as you want the flag to sit within the mix about 10-15mm deep.

Remember when lifting and carrying paving units always consider the weight before attempting to lift. If it is heavy, get help. Take care not to trap fingers whilst handling paving units.
Lower the first paving flag into position, holding it diagonally will make it easier to lower it. Settle it cleanly into the mortar without sliding it about so a good bond forms between the mortar and paving flag.

Line up the paving flag with the string lines and gently tap it into the mortar using the rubber mallet.
Repeat the process, continuously checking against the string line. Also, use the spirit level to check the surface is at the correct level.

Check that no edges are standing up proud simply by running your hand over the joints. Ensure consistent gaps, ideally of 10-15mm between the slabs.
Leave the slabs for at least 24 hours so that the sand cement mix can set.

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STEP 4: Cutting
Great care is needed and it is essential to use equipment specially designed for this operation. Diamond disc cutters with water suppression are ideal. They are readily available at your local equipment hire store.
Check you are wearing good personal protective equipment for this activity.
Mark the paving flag surface with the intended cutting line for guidance. Place the paving flag on a platform and carefully saw using a diamond disc cutter.
When using cutting equipment please follow all manufacturer’s guidelines including acceptable levels of exposure and in particular use eye protection.

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STEP 5: Pointing
You can either buy ready mix compound or, using the shovel and trowel, prepare a jointing mix of 5 parts building sand, 1 part cement and water to a damp, semi-dry consistency.
Firm it into the joints using the trowel and finish with the pointing iron, compacting the mix into the gaps and producing neat grooves.
Carefully remove any excess pointing material using the trowel and yard broom, ensuring no residue is left on the slab surface.

Looking after your lawn

So according to our new weather app on our facebook page today is going to be an absolute scorcher and according to the Beeb, the hotest day at Wimbledon ever! With that in mind and the amount of turf we have been selling recently, I figure it's appropriate to write a blog on taking care of your lawn in the summer heat. (Also perhaps my father will take a look and not destroy his lawn again this year!)

Decide beforehand about watering your lawn

Decide at the beginning of the season to either water lawns consistently as needed throughout the season, or let lawns go dormant as conditions turn hot and dry. Do not rotate back and forth. In other words, don’t let the grass turn totally brown, then apply enough water to green it up, then let the grass go dormant again. Breaking the lawns dormancy actually drains large amounts of food reserves from the plant.

When is it time to water?

The first few warm days of summer does not automatically mean it's time to water lawns. In fact, allowing lawns to start to go under mild drought stress actually increases rooting. Watch for foot printing, or footprints remaining on the lawn after walking across it (instead of leaf blades bouncing back up). Grasses also tend to turn darker in colour as they go under drought stress.

Water conservation

If you decide to water your lawn, it only needs about 2.5 cm (1 inch) per week. Use a sprinkler that shoots low to the ground and avoid allowing water to hit the driveway or into the street. Set out a rain gauge or a tuna can then turn on your sprinkler to see how long it takes to get 2.5 cm of water. Then you will know the next time how long to leave the sprinkler on for. Water not being absorbed quickly could mean a compaction or thatch problem and your lawn could need aerating. Remember the 2.5 cm (1 inch) once a week rule applies to lawns that are already well established. New grass seed and sod will require 2.5 cm of water two to three times per week for the first three weeks after which time you can water for established lawns.

Mow high

Mow your lawn at a higher than normal height. This will help shade the soil, help to stop weeds from getting started and encourage roots to be stronger.

Hold off watering after fertilisation

To reduce the possibility of having fertiliser wash into our water system, don’t water heavily soon after fertilising. Use light watering to give the fertiliser the opportunity to be absorbed by the soil. Also, if heavy rains are in the forecast, hold off fertilising until the heavy rains have passed. Avoid applying an excess of nitrogen as warm weather approaches.

Water problem areas by hand

Many lawns have one or two spots that require more water than the rest of the lawn. A south-facing or sunny area in an otherwise shady lawn is an example of a “problem area.” If you water your entire lawn every time you need to water these hot spots, you’ll likely overwater everyplace but these spots.

Minimize walking on your lawn

Dormant grass is already stressed, and foot traffic or landscape equipment will crush the dry, delicate crowns of the grass. This will kill the grass and cause bare spots in the lawn – where weeds will invade. Do not mow your grass when it is dormant.