Category Archives: gardens

Garden tips for small spaces

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I have recently developed a love for gardening, and consider myself very lucky to have a large garden space, big enough for a double patio, and a large lawn area for Joe. My garden is now turning into a lovely riot of colour, as the plants I bedded in spring have now sprouted and grown.

But you don’t need the space of Kew Gardens to be able to have a lovely garden area, or to get a thrill from growing your own fruit or flowers. A small backyard, or even a balcony if you live in a flat or apartment, can give you a space to make beautiful. Gardening is a hobby that has therapeutic and relaxing qualities so it is well worth setting some time aside to create your ideal space, whether it be through large pruned bushes or small potted plants.

Grasslands, the garden hedging specialists,  have created an eBook titled “How to make the most out of a small family garden” , which is full of useful hints and tips that could be helpful if you don’t have the biggest of garden spaces. The e book focuses on design tips for your garden such as which garden pots and plants are easy to maintain, but also looking at the scarier aspects of gardening,  looking specifically at which plants are to be avoided as they can be poisonous or cause irritation.
 A small garden can also need some clever design in order to make the most of the space that you have. The design of your garden,  can, for example, be helped by the garden furniture that you choose, and how you place it around your garden to maximise space. For instance, if you position your furniture in a corner facing onto all your space, your area will feel much larger and will give the impression of lots of space, even if the reality is much different.
Lots of pots can also be used,maybe to develop a small vegetable patch or a herb garden, and it is also great to get your children out into the garden, maybe giving them their own pots in which to grow their very own plants. A fairy garden or a bug box can also be a lovely idea to help your children fall in love with the garden, and see it as somewhere other than a place to throw or kick a ball.

With gardening said to help relieve stress and lower instances of depression, it seems sad to not get involved due to a lack of space, or a proper garden area. You literally just need to make the most out of what you’ve got.

 

 

 

 

 

Creating A Garden Space For Your Children

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With the coming of Spring with the promise of warmer weather and lighter nights, my thoughts always turn to my garden. A lovely garden is a haven, a place to relax and unwind, a place to enjoy being outside with a book or a glass of wine, to let the cares of the day disappear. But if you have a young family, then the garden is not just your preserve, you need to make sure it is a place that you can all enjoy.

So how can you do that?

Create a play area for your children

A garden is a fun place, and if you add the right elements it can also be a godsend come school holidays and the weekends. If you have children, have some lawn space where they can play safely, whether it be kicking a football around or playing with outdoor toys. A lawn area gives you a base for a paddling pool, or a set of goalposts and only requires the maintenance of mowing.

It is also worth investing in some sort of large play apparatus. A climbing frame is great, a climbing frame with slide is even better as it avoids the need to have to buy both a climbing frame and a slide. Wickey has some really fun and sturdy examples that will help your garden compete with the best of adventure playgrounds and will ensure hours of imaginative play for your little ones.

Wickey’s frames include versions that incorporate climbing walls, or have the appearance of pirate ships. You can also have a netball/basketball net for another element of fun. They also help to keep your child fit and active, and can be used by more than one child at a time, which stops those playtime arguments.

Wickey climbing frames are made from pressure treated solid wood which makes them hard wearing and durable. They also come with a 10 year guarantee on all the wooden components, and have been extensively tested for quality and safety. They are literally toys that your children will be able to enjoy for years and years, especially as they can be adjusted to your own choice and you can add extra features if you wish, to keep changing the playing experience.

With your lawn, and your play apparatus in place, it is also worth investing in some toy storage for smaller items like bats and balls and cones. This could be in the form of a shed, but some feel that sheds just get filled with rubbish, so a smaller, heavy duty plastic chest may be a better alternative and will help keep your garden tidy so that you can enjoy it when the kids have gone to bed.

How do you keep your garden child friendly?

 

 

Creating The Most Stylish Garden Possible

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Your garden is probably the last thing on your mind right now. After all, it is November and the days are becoming cold and dark, so would you even care? It’s a good point, but as gardening enthusiasts will tell you, looking after your garden is an all year round job. Regardless of the weather the urge to have a stylish garden, a beautiful outdoor space is always there, it is an extension of your home and can be enjoyed whatever the season.

It doesn’t matter what time of year it is as your garden needs to look its best three-hundred and sixty-five days of the year. To make that happen, take a look at the tips below.

Seek Professional Help

If you love your garden, but don’t actually enjoy gardening, or find the job too big, you can find a professional gardener to help with the job. You can find a whole range of gardening professionals that offer a wide type of garden service, from landscaping on a grand scale, to simply coming and cutting the lawn and weeding every few weeks. This is great if you work during the day and feel that your garden is neglected during the Winter months.

Add Colour

A garden without colour is a garden that is missing a spark. The colour is essential because it brings everything to life and makes it look as vivid and as rich as possible. When it comes to style, you want people to look at your garden and think ‘wow.’ Well, with the right colour scheme, they will do exactly that as the shades will blow them away. Concentrate on the plants to begin with as they are the supplementary colours, and make sure they mix with the lawn. The green of the lawn should dominate, so everything needs to play second fiddle and merge seamlessly.

Love this Birmingham Garden for the Chelsea Flower Show

Love this Birmingham Garden for the Chelsea Flower Show

But Don’t Go Overboard

Although the colour is essential, you need to rein it in as much as possible. When you start getting too complicated with the colour scheme, you can undo all of your hard work. Too many colours in one small area will look gaudy and as if you are trying too hard. Stick to the simple yet bold reds, blues, and purples that most plants show off when they bloom. Plus, these colours look amazing with the natural greens of the surrounding area.

Buy Garden Furniture

Again, garden furniture is practical, but it also takes up a lot of space. It is important to note that filling space is hard as you need to get the right balance. Fill too little and there is something missing, yet fill too much and it looks untidy and messy. The key is to buy a small amount of large furniture. That way, you don’t look as if you are using too much, but you are also filling the space. There are plenty of options, but rattan garden furniture is among the best.

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Invest In Lighting

Gardens are not just for the daytime – they are also for the night-time. To enjoy your garden when the sun goes down, you need to be able to see what you are doing! Obviously, you need light for a practical purpose, but it also has another purpose. Garden lights are brilliant at creating atmosphere, and atmosphere goes a long way to setting the perfect style and tone. The key is not to put them down anywhere on a whim. You should think about it strategically and place them where the dark is most prominent, and where the most colour is in the garden. That way, you can illuminate the best areas of the garden and create contrast.

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Follow these four tips and you will have the most stylish garden in the neighborhood.