Current Design Projects

August onwards is always a busy time of year with people deciding that their current garden will not do and a new garden design is needed for Spring 2011. Currently I have the following projects on the drawing board which I am very excited about.

1.) Large family garden design in Barnes

One of my largest projects to date. An extremely large garden by London standards. The brief is for a traditional garden feel, nothing too contemporary, large dining space, generous lawn, new wave perennial planting, a separate childrens play area and "snug". This garden has been designed and is awaiting landscaping.

2.)  Terraced garden design in Wandsworth

An exciting garden design. Currently split on 3 levels this offers both challenges and many opportunities for a great town garden. The brief for this garden design is to make the most of the space available, create individual areas for differing uses, again nothing too contemporary but modern and sympathetic to the surroundings.

3.) Large family garden design in St Margarets - Twickenham

Again a large garden that will focus on entertaining, childrens play area and an area for relaxation.

Check back from time to time to see how these are progressing. 

Flowering bamboo - dead or alive?

If your bamboo has flowered and looks dead then welcome to this mystical world, the curse of the flowering bamboo. 

This mainly affects the Phyllostachys species, when one flowers, they all flower. Next door, up the road, the next town, across London. Mass hysteria normally follows as to what on earth has happened to all this bamboo, a disease, an visit from outer space, a bamboo hating gorilla team! 

And the reasons why? even when studying for one of my horticulture courses years ago our lecturer insisted, in the style of QI "nobody knows" why it happens. Well as a level headed person it can only be down to the weather that year or the previous year. There is'nt some sort of genetic code imprinted in the living tissue of a bamboo or some scent carried by the wind to tell all bamboos to die in the same season, it stands to reason it has to do with the weather pattern. 

When you look at bamboo you think tough plant, loves the sun, drought tolerant, plant it anywhere. I can't blame people for thinking that either, bamboo just has that look of being a tough plant! Quite the opposite really especially with Phyllostachys, they need the right soil, just the right amount of light each day, some sun, preferably not mid-day, and plenty of water, not a weekly soak but in the heat of summer, everyday. 

So what of my flowering bamboo, is it dead?

No, I do not beleive it is. Sometime ago I cut a  Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) back to the ground and never got round to digging up the root ball, a year later it had fully recovered and was sending up plenty of new canes. I have one in a pot now in my own back garden that flowered last year and with the mild spell in November it started to showsome promising interesting leaf growth, small leaves, not many but it's not dead!

My advice is if it is a small garden and the bamboo serves as a focal point plant then of course dig it up and replace it but in a larger garden give it a chance and some tlc, after all Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) is the most expensive of bamboos. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kebony - there's a new wood in town

Whilst at the timber merchants yesterday I was introduced to a new type timber, or rather an old type of timber but a new way of treating it, Kebony decking....

In a nutshell Kebony decking it is a softwood treated with liquid from bio-waste which makes it stronger and a very stable timber comparable to hardwood. It contains no chemicals and requires no further treatment. Usual deck maintenance is all thats required. Kebony decking starts of a golden brown colour which will grey as with hardwoods in our climate unless treated. 

The sting in the tail is Kebony is slightly more expensive than hardwood decking (already high and rising), this we hope to drop in price as it becomes more popular as we think it is very good alternative to hardwood decking and much more enviromentally friendly as it is european softwood  and not tropical hardwoods (balau, ipe, massaranduba etc) 

As well as decking Kebony is also available in slats for bespoke trellis work and cladding. 

for more information on Kebony and its products click here

nb: if your intention is to let your deck timber grey naturally then look carefully at the grain of the wood, Kebony or hardwood, as this is what will shine through. For me the more interesting the grain the more attractive the deck will look when it silvers.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incorrect hedge planting

About 2 years ago this Beech hedge was planted (not by us), at the time of planting these  bare-root hedging plants should of had approx 12" taken off the height of the plant to encourage sideways branching. As you can see 2 years later they  not met with their adjacent hedging plant and probably never will if these are not reduced in height. Most if not all hedging plants are trees in their own right and want to grow as such, it is only by our manipulation they become a hedge. 

 

Bulb planting depths and distances

It's bulb planting time again so here are few of the popular bulbs you may be planting and the suggested planting densities.

Alliums ( large bulb) (depth) 20cm (apart) 20cm

Alliums (small bulb) (d) 10cm (a) 10cm

Crocus (d) 8cm (a) 8cm

Hyancinths (d) 20cm (a)15cm

Daffodils (small flower) (d) 15cm (a) 10cm

Daffodils (large flower) (d) 20cm (a) 13cm

Tulips (short) (d) 12cm (a) 12cm

Tulips (tall) (d) 12cm (a) 13cm

It's better to put a bulb in too shallow than too deep, a bulb will pull itself down with its roots to a correct depth all on its own but a bulb that is planted too deep can not pull itself up. 

 

 

 

Think big - think Allium giganteum

If it's a statement you want to add in your garden, place a focal point or just want to add something fun the Allium giganteum  bulb is a must. This bulbs grows into a monster, up to 1.5 metre in height and a perfect purple rounded flower head. As with most Alliums the foliage starts dying just as soon as the plant is ready to flower so plant in the middle of a border to hide the foliage at the base, you might also want to plant this bulb in a  sheltered position (because of its height) and although these bulbs are expensive as far as bulbs go plant in small groups of 5 or more for maximum impact.

Allium giganteums are not fussy about soil type, chalk, clay, loam or sand but plenty of sun is a must. If you are planting in a clay soil dig in some grit, this will improve drainage and stop any winter bulb rot from excessive winter wet. These really are the giant allium bulbs, don't be confused, many suppliers are offering other allium bulbs confusing the matter by saying "giant flower". 

Sit and watch chicks hatching from your living room (or anywhere in the world)

Springwatch gained a huge audience this year with their 24/7 coverage of different breeds of  chicks hatching in different nest box boxes , it was pretty amazing to see . You can easily have this too, watch your own nest boxes whenever and wherever you want with a bird box camera, you can even watch streaming on the internet from wherever you are.  Handykam stock lots of different kits and their site is full of useful information helping you to choose the right system. 

I will be putting a system into a garden design I am building and will update with you how this goes in the Spring. 

A Splash of Autumn Colour

With most flowering plants now done and dusted for the year (or on their last legs) this plant is a must for late season colour. Helianthus "Lemon Queen" is a real beast and needs to go at the back of a border, reaching up to 2m in height .It does need full (ish) sun but does not seem to mind soil type, I have them growing in two different planting designs, one in clay soil the other in a dry, poor soil and they are both doing as well as each other.

 Being a late flowering plant consider planting Helianthus "Lemon Queen" with  tall Miscanthus which is also flowering at the moment. I took this picture  at the weekend so you can see it's at its best at the moment and also providing much needed nectar to bees late in the year. 

Helianthus "Lemon Queen" is available from Crocus 

Landscape Gardeners

A full list of  landscape gardening services we offer in SW London. When you do not need a garden design and a landscape gardener is all that's needed   we are happy to help with your requirements.

Patio install

We can plan and install your patio with minimum fuss and disruption. Samples are available of all the different types of stone we install, sandstone, limestone, slate, travertine and granite. If you prefer to supply your own patio stones we are happy to work with your choice. All patio installation is carried out to the highest standard and follows all recognised standards, no short cuts are taken, ensuring your patio with last for years to come

Pergolas

Supply your own or we can supply a tailor made one for you in a choice of soft or hardwood. 

Raised borders

We can build these for you using brick, rendered block work or soft or hardwood timber sleepers.

Fencing

Overlap or close board style, all fencing work is built to last.

Water features

If you have purchased a water and need it installed or need some creative ideas then we are pleased to help.

Garden Paths

These can be formal in style ie paver's or patio slabs or more informal using bark or gravel

Ponds

We can work with you to landscape a natural wildlife pond or a pond for fish (the two do not normally go together)

Border Work

Creating new borders? With our design experience we can help you plan, create  and plant these. 

The list of landscape gardening services is exhaustive, our thinking is "if it's in the garden we do it".

Our landscape gardener services cover the following areas:

Barnes , Putney, Richmond, Twickenham, Mortlake, Sheen, Clapham, Battersea, Wandsworth, Kingston, Raynes Park, Wimbledon, Isleworth, Hammersmith, Balham, Earlsfield, Fulham, Roehampton. Chelsea

Rains chains - do away with the ugly drain pipe

Install a rain chain instead of a drainpipe.

What I love about garden design is there is always an attractive  solution to almost everything you come up against. Rain hits the roof of your house or garden building , gets channelled into a gutter and then down an ugly black down pipe to be whisked away. There is an alternative to this ugly pipe, enter the "rain chain"

There are 2 styles of rain chain available. One is a simple arrangement of interlocking chains which the water runs down and a cup style. The chain style is more suited to garden buildings as they tend to splash more where as the cup style acts just like a normal down pipe would without much splash or spill. 

Rain Chain Styles  

Simple chain style in copper

  

Rain chain cup style 

 

Rain chains are simple to install and should come with all the necessary fixtures and fittings. 

Green roofs - how much do they weigh?

If you are embarking on a "green roof project" then these are the guide lines on the typical weight once installed. 

There are two types of green roof which allow for the growing of different types of plants. The most popular is a green roof system called "extensive". This is the lightest of the both with a load of 70 - 170 kg per square meter once planted. The big variation in load is due to substrate depth ( substrate is the growing medium, what the plant roots will grow in) An extensive green roof is also suitable for projects around the garden such as planting your shed / garage roof and storage units. 

An intensive green roof has a deeper substrate, allowing for a greater range of plants to grow and the load per square meter is between 290 and kg on the existing roof structure.

If you are embarking on an extension or new garden design then give a green roof some consideration, what is better to look at, a grey asphalt roof or an attractive planted Sedum green roof?