Worried how green your lawn is? The simple garden lawn was once the preserve of the super-rich. If you think about it, when grass had to be cut with hand scythes even a modestly sized lawn required a permanent gardening staff.
See 'Lawns will flourish with Thyme' in todays Saturday Times for an introduction to alternatives to turf lawns for some ideas to try in your garden...
Saturday 14 February 2009
Tuesday 16 September 2008
Beat the credit crunch by investing in your garden
Yorkshire Bank has produced new research which reveals that UK homeowners believe their gardens are worth more than £9,000.
More than 41 per cent say they make the most of their gardens by using them every day.
Gary Lumby, Yorkshire Bank's head of retail, said: "Our research shows that Brits value their outdoor space - and are willing to pay for the satisfaction they get from having their very own green and pleasant land."
According to Yorkshire Bank, the value placed on a garden appears to mature over time, thus adding value to properties overall price-tag.
Even if your garden is small, it is easy to make it a welcoming and relaxing place by planting up pots and windowboxes.
Investing in your garden looks like a sure fire way to beat the slump in the housing market by adding value to your property...
RECYCLED CUPS MAKE GORGEOUS GARDEN GIFTS
It's amazing what you can make from rubbish - this elegant sundial is made from vending machine coffee cups...
This innovative new material has a lovely solid, heavy, earthy feel - very much like slate actually - and is a perfect choice for the garden
Produced as a direct result of the UK Save-A-Cup scheme
This lovely clock is also available. A great garden gift idea!
Tuesday 26 February 2008
Wednesday 20 February 2008
Health Protection Agency warns of heat wave risk
An official warning just published by the Health Protection Agency report says that there is a one-in-40 chance that the south-east of England will suffer a serious heat wave by 2012.
This is not good news for the many gardeners already struggling to keep their favourite plants irrigated. Fitting a water butt can help in this situation by catching rainwater -but on a large scale this can look unsightly. A better, but more expensive solution, is the storage of grey water and rainwater in an underground tank.
Mulching of plants can also help to prevent water being lost by evaporation - but a far better plan is to adapt your planting to include plant tolerant of drought.
Many of you will have noticed the unseasonally warm temperatures this Spring - and the daffodils already out! In fact, Trawscoed in North Wales recorded the temperature as hitting 64F (18C) on 12th Feb - twice the norm for the time of year.
Act now to replant your garden with more drought tolerant plants
Monday 4 February 2008
Another great source of reclaimed garden gems
If you find yourself down near Exminster in Devon, don't forget to check out
Friday 1 February 2008
Artfully planned decay
'the real test of a well-composed garden is not how nicely it blooms but how beautifully it decomposes' Piet Oudolf
The man has a good point...
I admit I have long been a disciple of Piet's approach to planting design. When composing a new scheme, I start with a backbone of plants that will give structure to scheme throughout the year, even in the dead of winter - such as hedges, grasses and evergreens
I then begin to add in smaller shrubs and decidous plants, before finally adding the wow plants, the ephermeral layers of flowering perennials - the icing on the cake.
Read the full article in the New York Times
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