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1. Prune bush and climbing roses
2. Plant onion sets and shallots 3. Plant summer-flowering bulbs 4. Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials 5. Plant early potatoes 6. Mow the lawn on dry days (if needed) 7. Cut back herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses that have been left standing over winter 8. Keep a few dandelions in your garden to support early bees, particularly pantaloon bees 9. Start off dahlia tubers in pots or trays of damp peat-free compost 10. Prune Buddleja to a low framework of stems to encourage new flowering growth For more information goto: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/march 1. Prepare vegetable seed beds, and sow some vegetables under cover
2. Chit potato tubers 3. Protect blossom on apricots, nectarines and peaches 4. Net fruit and vegetable crops to keep the birds off 5. Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering 6. Divide bulbs such as snowdrops, and plant those that need planting 'in the green' 7. Prune Wisteria 8. Renovate overgrown hedges with pruning 9. Prune conservatory climbers such as bougainvillea 10. At end of month, start cutting back deciduous ornamental grasses to allow new growth to come through For monre information goto: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/february Following the interest in and success of last year's free garden design clinics, I'm announcing another opportunity to come along on 1st or 8th March to chat with me about how to transform your garden. The venue is the Fox Inn, Chipping Norton between 9am and 12 noon. Book now to secure your slot: [email protected], 07796 930349  1. Prune apple and pear trees
2. Clean pots and greenhouses ready for spring 3. Keep an eye on watering houseplants 4. Plant now to boost the winter fragrance in your garden 5. Inspect stored tubers of dahlia, begonia and canna for rots or drying out 6. Keep an eye on figs and olives & guard against frost by covering with sacking or old fleece in frost 7. Start forcing rhubarb 8. Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming season 9. Keep putting out food and water for hungry birds 10. Cut off hellebore leaves at the base to discourage black spot disease and show off the flowers For more information go to: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/january Why change what I have ?Why change what is already there ? There can be numerous reasons but below are just a few that typically arise..... Sometimes the household has grown up, children have left home and consequently the use of the garden isn't as it was in earlier times. Or indeed, the reverse could happen: a space needs to become family friendly ! When people buy a property the main concern is to get everything right with the house first to make it a home. When that has happened thoughts can turn to what is outside and ideas to make the most of the garden or outside space come to mind. Sometimes people may just want a change ! Whatever the reason, deciding on the need for a change can be very exciting and very motivating. Why do I need a design ?When someone wants to build a house or add an extension to an existing property they generally go to an expert to help transform their ideas and needs into a workable design and plan for the right budget. Garden design is very similar. There are decisions to be made about a garden's form, the functional areas in it, its style, the materials to use, the plants to buy. A good and experienced garden designer helps to draw out these points, generating design ideas for the garden and transforms them into a landscape or garden design that can be built for the budget a client can afford. Also, an independent garden designer can serve the interests of the client as opposed to a design and build firm that may want to optimise the use of their materials and products first. Something worth noting is that a well designed garden that has good form and function, that is attractive and relaxing can add real value to a property and at the very least, if a property is being sold, can help its sale in a slower housing market. How much will a design cost ?An initial meeting with a client will normally draw out the cost of a design. There are a number of factors that can influence the cost for example the size of garden, the complexity of design and the budget. A garden designer should be able to break down the costs by stage if a garden is large and / or complex working agreeing with a client before moving on to the next stage. If the garden is small and the design likely to be simple, the designer should be able to give a proposal for the bulk of the design upfront. Sometimes a budget for a project needs to be developed - a garden designer should also be able to help with this. How do I get the garden landscaped ?Taking the analogy of house building again, a client may want the help of a skilled and professional person to coordinate the tenders of the building contractors and eventually, once a good, reliable builder is found, to coordinate the implementation between the client, the builder and any other trades and professions. A skilled and experienced garden designer can act in the same way but with landscape contractors. Independent garden designers have the benefit of being able to help clients find the contractor they want to build the garden for the budget they agree and to help coordinate with the landscaper, clients, plant suppliers, electricians, plumbers etc. In some cases, garden designers can also help by monitoring progress of work against the contract agreed between clients and landscapers. What happens after it's finished ?Apart from ensuring any snags or defects are overcome during a build project, a good designer will want to make sure that the garden develops as planned and will want to oversee it at least for the first few months. A maintenance schedule can be provided so that a client knows what needs doing when during a yearly cycle. If a client cannot look after the garden themselves, a designer will know of reputable and expert garden maintenance firms that can help.
For more information go to: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/december
Surely everybody would like to know what they are going to get before they invest a lot of money in a garden construction ? How are the spaces are going to feel when walking through them ? How does the overall design fit with the rest of the property ? What could the planting look like ? Do the proposed materials work well in the scheme ? Do the proportions of the design work ? Have any changes in levels been taken into account ? Do the focal points stand out as planned ? Knowing what these outcomes are likely to be is the essence of a concept.     In the examples above from a current project some of the previous questions have been answered: a client can see how the spaces in the proposed design work with each other, the textures in the concept give an indication of what real materials could look, proposed changes in levels are clearly defined, the perspectives give an indication of how it would feel to walk around the new garden and the planting examples illustrate how each border could look at maturity.
So, why wouldn't you want a concept as part of the design process ? Want to transform your garden ?
Fancy revamping your planting scheme ? Need advice on how to make your garden reach its full potential ? Come have a chat with Rob at: The Fox, Chipping Norton, OX75DD January: 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th 9am - 12 noon Feel free to walk in or to book a slot call: 07796930349 Creating a modern contemporary garden design requires knowing what features work well with that design style. To that end I've teamed up with Adezz and created an online shop to help garden designers, landscapers, landscape architects and developers source contemporary and modern style features such as watertables, ponds, pond walls and planters that will enhance a good design making it even better. Here's the link https://www.contemporarygardenfeatures.co.uk. Enjoy browsing !
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