A well kept hedge not only looks good, but is one of the most positive things you can plant to help out wildlife. A hedge provides a home for a diverse array of small mammals, birds, insects, plants, and fungi. Maintaining a hedge is relatively easy compared with tending a large lawn, or a mixed herbaceous border.
But what plants make the best hedges? This depends largely on where the hedge is and its purpose. If you’re trying to create a smart front boundary a more formal, clipped hedge works best. If you have a formal garden which you’re trying to screen or compartmentalize then, once again, blocks of clipped hedging usually work best. If you have a less formal garden or want to create a boundary adjoining open countryside a wildlife hedge is perfect and a wonderful habitat for all kinds of wild critters.
You can make a hedge out of almost any shrub. A hedge of Lavender looks and smells wonderful and is brilliant for attracting insects to the garden. I also like to see shrub roses like Rosa ‘Hansa’ planted in blocks to make a fragrant, informal hedge. You can use evergreens like Choisya, Aucuba, and Ilex (Holly) to make a looser, shrub hedge. If you are using shrubs to create a hedge you will need to prune them with secateurs. Don’t let shrub hedges get overgrown, you’ll eventually have to cut them hard back and they’ll look sad and bald.
I’m not a big fan of Laurel. I know it makes a robust, fast-growing evergreen hedge and is cheap to buy, but if it’s not cut back ruthlessly it looks ugly. Laurel also doesn’t respond well to being cut with a hedge trimmer because its large leaves get sliced in half and go all crispy at the edges. Not a good look. Instead, I often use Bay. It is a type laurel (Laurus nobilis), but makes a much better hedge than ordinary Laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus). Bay has smallish, matt, dark green leaves which not only look gorgeous, but smell lovely and can be used in cooking. Bay grows rapidly without becoming as woody as bog standard Laurel and its smaller thinner leaves lend themselves much better to a haircut.
Yew makes the most stunning hedge and wins on so many levels. It has very small, evergreen leaves, which allows it to be cut into crisp shapes. You get a great architectural effect from blocks of Yew hedging in a garden. Yew makes fantastic walls for a garden room, you can easily cut doorways and arches through it, and it makes a dense habitat for animals, birds and insects. Yew is relatively slow growing and this puts people off using it for hedges, but you will get around 30cm growth in a year.
I also love Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) and Beech (Fagus) which are very similar looking plants. Hornbeam is more drought tolerant than Beech so may be a better bet in these uncertain climatic times. Copper Beech makes a very interesting alternative to the straight green Beech or Hornbeam and gives a striking backdrop to shrubs and herbaceous plants. Although Hornbeam and Beech are deciduous they retain their dead leaves throughout the winter, so they are not totally bald and make an evocative rustling sound on windy days. Beech and Hornbeam make great nesting places for birds and hedgehogs are often to be found snuffling about in the dead leaves at their base.
A true wildlife hedge contains a mixture of native hedging species that provide a habitat designed to be aesthetically pleasing and also good for all different kinds of wildlife. It is a mixture of native species traditionally found in country hedges. Common plants in a native hedge include Hawthorne, Field Maple, Dog Roses, Blackthorn, Quickthorn, Spindle, Hazel and Dogwood. These plants often have wonderful blossom in spring, then fruits in the autumn. Others, like the Field Maple (Acer Campestre) have fantastic autumn foliage colour.
Buckingham Nurseries supplies individual hedging plants and also native hedging mixes. If you want to create a wildlife hedge, just visit their site, input the length of hedge and choose your plants. They’ve got loads of information on hedges and how to plant them. They supply many different types of hedging plants at really good prices. If you want to plant a ready made hedge there are several companies out there that will do this for you, but it will not be cheap.
If you need help planning a hedge, or sourcing the plants at reasonable prices, why not get in touch and let me help? Email me Linsey@linseysgardens.com, or visit my Web site for other contact details.
Monday, 15 March 2010
Monday, 8 March 2010
Big Thanks to Thames Valley Animal Welfare
This is an unapologetic plug for the Thames Valley Animal Welfare(TVAW) – it’s my blog and I reserve the right to write occasionally about things that affect my life other than garden design.
I’m a cat person – I think you either are or aren’t, you either get cats or you don’t. My mother is also a cat person. When my Dad died four years ago Mum had her gorgeous cat Sammy to keep her company and help her through her loss.
Sammy
Sadly, at the relatively young age of 11 Sammy succumbed to renal failure and had to be put to sleep. My Mum was heartbroken and feeling a bit lonely in the house on her own for the first time. There was nothing else for it but to find her another cat to fill the large Sammy-shaped shoes.
Sammy
So, I’m writing this blog to say thanks so much to everyone at the TVAW for introducing us to the fantastic Fred. I phoned them to ask about another cat that I’d seen in their column in my local newspaper. When I described our requirements for a large, animated teddy bear of a cat, Anne immediately suggested Fred. She told me he was a great big, soppy, cuddly cat and she wasn’t lying.
Fred
I also want to thank Catherine who’d been looking after Fred for making the introduction of cat and parent so easy. She brought Fred over to Buckinghamshire, removing the need for my Mum to drive round the dreaded Bracknell ring road, which she absolutely hates. As soon as we saw him we were smitten. Within a few minutes he was in the car and is now firmly ensconsed in my Mum’s Naphill home, being spoiled rotten and making the place his own.
Fred
Thanks again to everyone at the Thames Valley Animal Welfare for letting us have Fred. If you’ve got a space in your house for a cat please get in touch with the TVAW (01494 484527/01189 721871) as they’ve got loads of lovely cats looking for good homes. I also want to mention the Cat's Protection League who gave us our cat the esteemed Carmen-Electra (Ellie to her friends).
Ellie
Welcome to our family Fred, you’ve really landed on your feet.
Fred
I’m a cat person – I think you either are or aren’t, you either get cats or you don’t. My mother is also a cat person. When my Dad died four years ago Mum had her gorgeous cat Sammy to keep her company and help her through her loss.
Sammy
Sadly, at the relatively young age of 11 Sammy succumbed to renal failure and had to be put to sleep. My Mum was heartbroken and feeling a bit lonely in the house on her own for the first time. There was nothing else for it but to find her another cat to fill the large Sammy-shaped shoes.
Sammy
So, I’m writing this blog to say thanks so much to everyone at the TVAW for introducing us to the fantastic Fred. I phoned them to ask about another cat that I’d seen in their column in my local newspaper. When I described our requirements for a large, animated teddy bear of a cat, Anne immediately suggested Fred. She told me he was a great big, soppy, cuddly cat and she wasn’t lying.
Fred
I also want to thank Catherine who’d been looking after Fred for making the introduction of cat and parent so easy. She brought Fred over to Buckinghamshire, removing the need for my Mum to drive round the dreaded Bracknell ring road, which she absolutely hates. As soon as we saw him we were smitten. Within a few minutes he was in the car and is now firmly ensconsed in my Mum’s Naphill home, being spoiled rotten and making the place his own.
Fred
Thanks again to everyone at the Thames Valley Animal Welfare for letting us have Fred. If you’ve got a space in your house for a cat please get in touch with the TVAW (01494 484527/01189 721871) as they’ve got loads of lovely cats looking for good homes. I also want to mention the Cat's Protection League who gave us our cat the esteemed Carmen-Electra (Ellie to her friends).
Ellie
Welcome to our family Fred, you’ve really landed on your feet.
Fred
Saturday, 6 March 2010
7 Tips to Revive Your Garden
Our gardens can soon start to look tired and neglected, especially when you've got children or dogs running around outside. Here are some tips for how to quickly and cheaply revive your garden.
1. Sort out the lawn: nothing looks more depressing than a neglected lawn. As soon as the lawn’s dry enough mow it, rake out all the dead matter and aerate it with a fork or hollow tine aerator. Apply some weed and feed, tidy up the edges, and sprinkle on some grass seed if you’ve got bare patches. Your garden will look better and if your lawn is small it’ll only take you an afternoon.
2. Paint the fences: a fresh coat of paint will immediately cheer up your garden. I always paint fences black. Don’t be afraid of dark colours they don’t work the same in the garden as they do inside the house and plants look great against black.
3. Put in some edgings: I like to have a hard edge around borders and lawns, it helps maintains their intended shape and gives you something to mow up to. If you’ve got dogs or kids running around it stops the lines of the garden becoming blurred and untidy. Mortar in some brick on edge or granite setts to keep the outline of the garden sharp. Use plants to soften the hard edges.
4. Prune overgrown shrubs: most people are afraid to hard prune shrubs, which then get very leggy, outgrow their allotted spaces and generally make the garden look unkempt. With only a few exceptions you can cut back shrubs hard, they might look a bit sad for a few weeks, but they will regenerate quickly and look much better.
5. Cut hedges: boundary hedges should frame the garden and look much better when they’re kept neat and tidy. As with shrubs, if you don’t cut your hedge back at least once a year it will get very untidy. Keeping a hedge trimmed is a simple way of making the garden look cared for. If you haven’t got time, or don’t want to risk getting up a ladder, there are plenty of people in the phone book who will come round and do it for you.
6. Hide compost bins, storage areas and oil tanks: a simple piece of trellis with some evergreen climbers will give you a storage space for anything that has to be in the garden, but you don’t want to look at. Even better, invest in a new shed, paint it black, hang some baskets on it and store clutter out of sight. A new shed also gives you an opportunity to install an extra water butt.
7. Re-lay pathways: if your gravel pathways are full of garden detritus and looking tired give them a facelift. Just removing the old gravel and investing in a few bags of new gravel will make a difference. However, a small investment in some new paving will transform the garden. You can do a half way solution by putting in a brick edge and using some paving slabs with gravel margins. If you’ve got a resident handy-person you can do this yourself - Paving Expert is an excellent source of information for all paving tasks. If not, call in a local landscaper and get them to do it for you.
If you need help cheering up your garden for the summer visit my Web site for telephone contact details or email me linsey@linseysgardens.com.
1. Sort out the lawn: nothing looks more depressing than a neglected lawn. As soon as the lawn’s dry enough mow it, rake out all the dead matter and aerate it with a fork or hollow tine aerator. Apply some weed and feed, tidy up the edges, and sprinkle on some grass seed if you’ve got bare patches. Your garden will look better and if your lawn is small it’ll only take you an afternoon.
2. Paint the fences: a fresh coat of paint will immediately cheer up your garden. I always paint fences black. Don’t be afraid of dark colours they don’t work the same in the garden as they do inside the house and plants look great against black.
3. Put in some edgings: I like to have a hard edge around borders and lawns, it helps maintains their intended shape and gives you something to mow up to. If you’ve got dogs or kids running around it stops the lines of the garden becoming blurred and untidy. Mortar in some brick on edge or granite setts to keep the outline of the garden sharp. Use plants to soften the hard edges.
4. Prune overgrown shrubs: most people are afraid to hard prune shrubs, which then get very leggy, outgrow their allotted spaces and generally make the garden look unkempt. With only a few exceptions you can cut back shrubs hard, they might look a bit sad for a few weeks, but they will regenerate quickly and look much better.
5. Cut hedges: boundary hedges should frame the garden and look much better when they’re kept neat and tidy. As with shrubs, if you don’t cut your hedge back at least once a year it will get very untidy. Keeping a hedge trimmed is a simple way of making the garden look cared for. If you haven’t got time, or don’t want to risk getting up a ladder, there are plenty of people in the phone book who will come round and do it for you.
6. Hide compost bins, storage areas and oil tanks: a simple piece of trellis with some evergreen climbers will give you a storage space for anything that has to be in the garden, but you don’t want to look at. Even better, invest in a new shed, paint it black, hang some baskets on it and store clutter out of sight. A new shed also gives you an opportunity to install an extra water butt.
7. Re-lay pathways: if your gravel pathways are full of garden detritus and looking tired give them a facelift. Just removing the old gravel and investing in a few bags of new gravel will make a difference. However, a small investment in some new paving will transform the garden. You can do a half way solution by putting in a brick edge and using some paving slabs with gravel margins. If you’ve got a resident handy-person you can do this yourself - Paving Expert is an excellent source of information for all paving tasks. If not, call in a local landscaper and get them to do it for you.
If you need help cheering up your garden for the summer visit my Web site for telephone contact details or email me linsey@linseysgardens.com.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Changing the Color of Hydrangeas
The long-lasting blooms of hydrangeas look fabulous in a mixed border. Even when the heads have faded they still look good and are great for flower arranging. Hydrangeas make an excellent flowering hedge. I admit they are a bit uninspiring in winter, but I’m prepared to put up with that because their flamboyant flowers look so gorgeous. I especially love Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ with its huge creamy white heads. I’m a big fan of Hydrangea paniculata – some of the newer forms like ‘Pinky Winky’ and ‘Limelight’ are very interesting.
I’m not keen on pink flowered hydrangeas, if they must be a colour other than white or white with a hint of something else, I prefer them to be blue. How many times have you planted a supposedly blue hydrangea only to have it come out pink? Exactly how annoying is this? The good news is that you can do something about it because the colour of hydrangea flowers is dictated by the type of soil you plant them in. If you have acid soil you will get blue blooms, if your soil is alkaline your hydrangeas will be pink.
Not all hydrangea varieties can change color, those that are naturally white will remain white no matter what type of soil they’re grown in. Only those that are naturally blue or pink can be made to change colour. So, if you want your pink hydrangea to have blue blooms you must increase the acidity of the soil and vice versa.
It is the aluminium in acid soils that makes the hydrangeas blue. Garden centres supply several different products that make hydrangea blooms blue and they all contain aluminium sulphate. Water the plant well, dilute the product as per packet instructions, and then apply the product around the plant. You’ll need to do this regularly throughout the growing season. Mulching the plants with grass clippings or used coffee grounds will also help to reduce the pH level. Don’t use fertilizers containing bonemeal or phosphates. Also be aware that concrete leaches out lime into the soil which raises the pH level, so don’t plant your hydrangeas near concrete paths or foundations.
Lime in the soil stops the plants from absorbing the aluminium. So, adding powdered limestone and wood ash will help make the soil more alkaline and you’ll get pink blooms. Ask at your local garden centre for a fertilizer high in phosphorus as this will also prevent the plant from taking up aluminum.
Having said all this, changing the pH of the soil is not easy and you must continue applying the product around the plants. If you don’t keep on treating the soil the plants will revert to their chosen colour.
I’m not keen on pink flowered hydrangeas, if they must be a colour other than white or white with a hint of something else, I prefer them to be blue. How many times have you planted a supposedly blue hydrangea only to have it come out pink? Exactly how annoying is this? The good news is that you can do something about it because the colour of hydrangea flowers is dictated by the type of soil you plant them in. If you have acid soil you will get blue blooms, if your soil is alkaline your hydrangeas will be pink.
Not all hydrangea varieties can change color, those that are naturally white will remain white no matter what type of soil they’re grown in. Only those that are naturally blue or pink can be made to change colour. So, if you want your pink hydrangea to have blue blooms you must increase the acidity of the soil and vice versa.
It is the aluminium in acid soils that makes the hydrangeas blue. Garden centres supply several different products that make hydrangea blooms blue and they all contain aluminium sulphate. Water the plant well, dilute the product as per packet instructions, and then apply the product around the plant. You’ll need to do this regularly throughout the growing season. Mulching the plants with grass clippings or used coffee grounds will also help to reduce the pH level. Don’t use fertilizers containing bonemeal or phosphates. Also be aware that concrete leaches out lime into the soil which raises the pH level, so don’t plant your hydrangeas near concrete paths or foundations.
Lime in the soil stops the plants from absorbing the aluminium. So, adding powdered limestone and wood ash will help make the soil more alkaline and you’ll get pink blooms. Ask at your local garden centre for a fertilizer high in phosphorus as this will also prevent the plant from taking up aluminum.
Having said all this, changing the pH of the soil is not easy and you must continue applying the product around the plants. If you don’t keep on treating the soil the plants will revert to their chosen colour.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
First UK Garden Design Expert on The Mulch
Check out my profile and plant suggestions on US gardening site The Mulch
Thursday, 18 February 2010
My journey from IT to garden design
Check out my profile on The Life Uncommon. It's a Web site for people who have escaped the rat race and are doing something they love.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Front Garden Design
A front garden is the public face of a house; it creates the first impression of you and your property to visitors or passers by. Here are some tips on how to design a front garden and give your property that all important kerb appeal.
The main purpose of the front garden is to provide easy access to the house without getting drenched or scratched by prickly plants. However, these days the front garden is often needed for other more practical purposes as well such as wheely bin storage, bike access, car parking, and wheelchair access. To accommodate all these often conflicting requirements and create a great looking garden the key is to keep the design simple. A simple layout with robust planting will look great and not need constant maintenance. Keep the layout simple, avoid using too many different hard landscaping materials – you can create interest with the planting.
Use a straight, wide path that get’s you to the front door without having to navigate shaggy, overgrown plants. The entrance to the house should be obvious, and welcoming. Frame the doorway with some elegant Box topiary – it always looks smart and is easy to keep looking tidy. If you’re going to have a climber over the front door keep it tied back and well pruned to stop it becoming a damp, smelly, prickly obstruction. Don’t include a lawn in a North facing front garden it will not thrive, and if you have a lawn keep it mown – a scruffy lawn ruins an otherwise good garden.
When designing the layout use simple geometric shapes and avoid fussy details – freehand curves work well in large, country garden schemes, but do not translate well into a much smaller front garden. A formal scheme with strong, crisp lines always looks good and is easy to keep tidy. If the scheme looks a bit bland and flat, create interest by including some raised borders. You can also use the planting to create interest, texture, colour and soften the hard edges.
If the front garden is your only outside space and you want to use it for sitting in, consider creating a sunken area which will give you some privacy. A water feature can also add interest in a front garden, but you need to make sure it is in scale and in keeping with the style of the garden. I don’t like the kind of pre-fabricated water features you find in garden centres, and feel that a simple drilled sandstone sphere or a raised brick pool with a steel spout works in most situations.
Having provided a straight path from the gateway to the front door, you may still have a problem with if there is another shorter route into the garden, for example, over a low front wall. Human nature dictates that we will always try and take the shortest route and regular callers like postmen and delivery drivers will soon create an ugly, informal route through your lovely new scheme. Some strategically placed spiky plants, like some ornamental Hollies will help stop this.
Avoid making would-be burglars’ lives easier. High hedges offer ideal cover for anyone wanting to break into your house unobserved. Use movement sensors for lights so that they are activated when someone approaches the house. Secure pots or sculptures by either cementing them in place, attaching them to the house or a ground spike with chains.
When designing front garden lighting, don’t get too carried away and be tempted to over illuminate. Wall-washers either side of the front door create a nice warm welcome, and are much better than security lighting which is unnecessarily bright, can shine directly into people’s eyes and is rather harsh. Add some pathway lighting to for safe nocturnal navigation. You can include some decorative spotlights, but be careful, there’s a fine line between highlighting the garden and creating that airport landing strip effect!
The main purpose of the front garden is to provide easy access to the house without getting drenched or scratched by prickly plants. However, these days the front garden is often needed for other more practical purposes as well such as wheely bin storage, bike access, car parking, and wheelchair access. To accommodate all these often conflicting requirements and create a great looking garden the key is to keep the design simple. A simple layout with robust planting will look great and not need constant maintenance. Keep the layout simple, avoid using too many different hard landscaping materials – you can create interest with the planting.
Use a straight, wide path that get’s you to the front door without having to navigate shaggy, overgrown plants. The entrance to the house should be obvious, and welcoming. Frame the doorway with some elegant Box topiary – it always looks smart and is easy to keep looking tidy. If you’re going to have a climber over the front door keep it tied back and well pruned to stop it becoming a damp, smelly, prickly obstruction. Don’t include a lawn in a North facing front garden it will not thrive, and if you have a lawn keep it mown – a scruffy lawn ruins an otherwise good garden.
When designing the layout use simple geometric shapes and avoid fussy details – freehand curves work well in large, country garden schemes, but do not translate well into a much smaller front garden. A formal scheme with strong, crisp lines always looks good and is easy to keep tidy. If the scheme looks a bit bland and flat, create interest by including some raised borders. You can also use the planting to create interest, texture, colour and soften the hard edges.
If the front garden is your only outside space and you want to use it for sitting in, consider creating a sunken area which will give you some privacy. A water feature can also add interest in a front garden, but you need to make sure it is in scale and in keeping with the style of the garden. I don’t like the kind of pre-fabricated water features you find in garden centres, and feel that a simple drilled sandstone sphere or a raised brick pool with a steel spout works in most situations.
Having provided a straight path from the gateway to the front door, you may still have a problem with if there is another shorter route into the garden, for example, over a low front wall. Human nature dictates that we will always try and take the shortest route and regular callers like postmen and delivery drivers will soon create an ugly, informal route through your lovely new scheme. Some strategically placed spiky plants, like some ornamental Hollies will help stop this.
Avoid making would-be burglars’ lives easier. High hedges offer ideal cover for anyone wanting to break into your house unobserved. Use movement sensors for lights so that they are activated when someone approaches the house. Secure pots or sculptures by either cementing them in place, attaching them to the house or a ground spike with chains.
When designing front garden lighting, don’t get too carried away and be tempted to over illuminate. Wall-washers either side of the front door create a nice warm welcome, and are much better than security lighting which is unnecessarily bright, can shine directly into people’s eyes and is rather harsh. Add some pathway lighting to for safe nocturnal navigation. You can include some decorative spotlights, but be careful, there’s a fine line between highlighting the garden and creating that airport landing strip effect!
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