Garden design, garden planning, garden layout, planting plants and planting schemes

A new family garden with design, interest and uses

Posted on December 24th, 2009

Once the site had been cleared, worked commenced on grading the site and to create a series of terraces with the highest at the back (upper lawn) and grading downwards towards front (a planted buffer zone separating lawn area from football area) which was also separate from the enclosed vegetable garden which was next up from the entrance level and garden shed.

Some other works completed included the construction of an enclosure for the puppy as well as some wall cladding/trellissing to conceal some unappealling unrendered blockwork wall finishes etc.

Entrance to Dog Enclosure

Planting at Dog enclosure featured Hardenbegia and Libertia.

View of entrance (southern) to enclosed Vegetable garden area

Enclosed Vegetable garden Entrance/exit (northern)

Stepping stone pathway linking Vegetable garden to Garden Shed

View towards Boundary of prepared ground of Vegetable garden

View towards House of well prepared ground of Vegetable garden

A rendered and secure garden shed

View of football play area

View of upper lawn area

Sandstone setts were used to delineate lawn profile

View of Ornamental Grasses/Herbaceous planting area

Feature planting included Tree Ferns and slow but low growing Bamboos

Old granite wall provides an excellent backdrop to planting scheme

The gentle sweep of lawn edge/planted areas provides added interesting

Sweeping lawn edges create variable planted space possibilities

The original Post & Panel fencing was painted green to make it less conspicuous

Practical and robust planting (Pittosporum Tom Thumb and Libertia) at rear of football area

Roll turf provides an ideal and instant finish look to a new lawn

Timber cladding with trellissing provides a coherent but attractive finish

Grow it, kill it and enjoy it!

Posted on December 24th, 2009

The time has come for me to do the nasty deed!  After several months of careful nurturing with plenty of fresh and healthy feeding, the turkey which surprisingly provided many enjoyable moments has gained considerable weight.

After much searching, it was decided that the preferred method of killing would be to simply to behead the bird. After binding the feet, a black sock was placed over the head, which seemed to pacify the bird. The bird was placed on the ground and holding the wings firmly, it’s neck resting on a wide block of wood, and with a short swing of a hand axe, it was all over in seconds. Advised to pluck whilst the body was still warm, it was not too difficult to complete but there was a surprising amount of feathers.

Soon we will enjoy the better tasting qualities of a home grown free range Turkey.

Christmas Turkey.. two tempting grow your own

Posted on October 22nd, 2009

They say free range Turkey tastes fantastic, well if that’s true and I’ve no reason to doubt it, what could be a better start to enjoying free range turkey for christmas than to grow your own? Recently I collected two 13 week old Bronze Turkeys from Stephen in Co Louth which will be cared for and fattened in time for the Christmas table.

Initial impressions I would say they are not a particularly attractive looking creature, for me they bear a close resemblance to Vultures, the back feathers are however very striking with a distinctive irridescent sheen ie part black part metallic but a very deep dark bronze. I selected two males (cocks) on the advice that they make for bigger birds, so more food. Males can be easily identified by the bright red below the beak. Already I have noticed that they do not appear to be as inquisitive as hens, are fussy eaters preferring meal only, will not eat any fruit/vegetable or even bread scraps, so a little disappointed on the recycling of food waste.  Also unlike hens they do not appear to forage and but do seem to much quieter.

Although early days, I wonder if people might become attached to the creatures so much so that there may be a reluctance to kill the creatures? Reasonable to expect that whereas some may not wish to kill but would be happy to enjoy the bounty? Perhaps if owners perceive creatures like turkeys as pets then of course it might be very difficult? Will it be a case of  family pets do not deserve to die or the  family pets may sit at the table and but not on the table? 

All jokes aside I doubt it if either bird will survive beyond Christmas, and at least by that stage, they will have have hopefully enjoyed a pleasant and albeit brief time (20 weeks) on earth in a cared for environment.

Grow It Yourself – where to start?

Posted on November 3rd, 2008

It does seem amazing how quickly DIY gardening appears to have been overtaken by GIY (grow it yourself) gardening! Not so long ago, growing your own vegetables, was seen by many to be a popular past time for a few old gardeners who were lucky to own/have a large site or allotment. These days with large sites hard to come by and allotments much in demand, old gardeners or gardening junkies are no longer the sole exponents of GIY. No, many new entrants are young professionals, nature enthusiasts, people who are genuinely interested in getting closer to nature or reducing their dependency on mass market produce. Whilst others are experimenting by growing their own vegetables, almost like self sufficent micro farmers or even environmentalists, taking positive steps to reduce carbon footprint or better still growing for their own organic consumption and self satisfaction. Not surprising therefore to read in Press reports that the sale of vegetable seed has overtaken the sale of flower seed. So if you are a potential GIYer and do intend starting a programme or project of growing your own vegetables, you might be interested in the following advice . So whether your motivation is to reduce air miles or taste organic food, there are some important points to consider when planning to start a vegetable garden.

Does size matter? No – not really, whether you have a pot, an old kitchen sink, a window sill or a sprawling site, growing your own vegetables is not only easy and exciting, it is also very rewarding.

Location – unless of course you enjoy longer walks through your garden, for practical reasons, the vegetable plot or kitchen garden should ideally be positioned nearer the house.
More importantly best to choose a position which permits the vegetable plot to enjoy a sunny aspect for much of the day. Although some vegetable produce will tolerate some shade (for example lettuce, runner beans etc), most won’t, so pick the site very carefully, pick a sunny and a sheltered position, avoid exposed windy sites. Other site aspects worth considering include picking a site where the prevailing ground conditions are level and free draining. Finally do bear in mind that good soil conditions will also be required, whether you prepare the ground by digging or mix in new soil or soil conditioners, most vegetables will require a growing depth of at least 300mm.

What to grow? Some might have favourites, some might stick with old reliable:
• Potatoes are good, and probably one of the easiest to grow, they are also great at breaking down heavy soils. But do remember to give them plenty of water.
• Leeks – easy to grow from seed and young leek tastes wonderful
• Broad beans – very tasty when young but are very easy to grow
• Sweetcorn – harvest when tassels are brown and boil in salted water
• Radishes – many different varieties to choose from, but an ideal and fast growing crop from which to teach the children GIY
• Runner Beans – quick growing, plentiful and pick and with lots of pick’n’grow fun

Deciding on the Layout – is important especially where space might be limited. For example you can grow some varieties at ground level whilst others such as French and Runner Beans can be trained to grow very effectively up trellising or bamboo canes. In larger sites, plan a series of long narrow beds which are easily accessible from both sides, but do remember to leave plenty of space between the growing beds, for example you should be able to move along pathways between beds with a wheelbarrow or more importantly if you like to get down on your hand and knees and get dirty, you’ll need at least 900mm – 1200mm spacing between the beds. Growing beds can be ground level on larger sites or raised on smaller sites or where soil conditions are poor. Raised beds can be developed using soil from other sites and mixing with compost, manures, soil conditioners etc. Also because they are raised you can ensure that drainage is good. As stated earlier, most vegetables prefer to grow in sunny areas, therefore it make sense to orientate beds on a north south axis, this ensures that all vegetable get sun each day. Be generous on spacing between beds, and consider a surface material so that all weather access is possible.

Ground Preparation – the better the soil, the better the performance, it is not impossible to provide good growing conditions. Vegetables require nutrients, water and oxygen. Soil plays a vital role in providing nutrients to plants. So it is important to prepare ground by digging to improve plants take up of nutrients. Alternatively if ground conditions are poor, you can use raised beds to provide better growing conditions for plants. In contrast to the ‘dig system’ the concept of using Raised Beds is sometimes referred to as the ‘No dig system’. Raised beds can be constructed from a variety of boards/timbers, recycled pallet boards, railway sleepers, pressure treated new sleepers, builder’s scaffolding boards all being popular choices.

Using crop rotation wisely – rotating the planting and growing of vegetables yields many benefits in terms of efficiency, bounty and disease/pest control. For example, Broccoli grows well in soils containing good levels of nitrogen, on the other hand, beans put nitrogen into the soil. Potatoes with the large canopy of foliage are very effective at suppressing weeds, whereas onions grow particularly very well in weed free soils. So from a crop rotational perspective, one would plant beans before of broccoli and potatoes before of onions.

Starting a rotation cycle – you should plan for at least three years, meaning the same vegetable will grow in the same spot every third year. However if you wish to also grow potatoes, better to use a four year rotation. The RHS has a very simple way to remember where each vegetable comes within the cycle: British Rail Late, where:

B = brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, turnips etc) was
R = roots (beetroot, parsnips, carrots)
L = legumes (peas, Broad bean, French bean, Runner bean, onions, garlic, chives)

How it works in practice is in area 1, you plant brassicas first year, roots in second year and legumes in third year. In area 2, you plant roots first year, legumes second year and brassicas third year. In area 3, you plant legumes first followed by brassicas and roots.

Maintenance – providing you have done good ground preparation, maintenance of the area shouldn’t be much more than adding a good fertiliser (Fish Bone & Blood) before planting or manure in Autumn. Watering is important especially during the early vulnerable stage, again bets done early in morning or late in evening and always check to make sure water is getting down to plant roots. Weed regularly to avoid unwanted competition for nutrients and water.

If at first you don’t succeed – try again. Sometimes it is only as a result of trial and error that you will discover what grows best for you in your area and conditions. Don’t be afraid to ask other local gardeners for tips or advice with particular problems, most of all, have fun in growing your own vegetables and join the burgeoning legion of GIY enthusiasts..

Creating a strong first impression

Posted on July 13th, 2008

Recent research in which over 500 UK Estate Agents were interviewed revealed that having an attractive Front Garden will not only help sell your Property but will also significantly increase the value of the property. Some other key findings included:

• • 97% agreed that a well presented front garden can make a property more appealing
• • Over 30% believed the Front garden was key to clinching an offer
• • 47% believe that most people do not make the most of their front gardens
• • Over half (58%) agree ‘quick fix solutions’ such as a tidy up of the front garden with new flowers and shrubs will increase perceived value
• • Nearly half (42%) agree that hedging and trees (privacy and security) can boost a property’s selling power

In the current competitively challenging Property market, it would seem very important that prospective Sellers create a strong first impression and spending some time, money and effort on the Front garden could make all the difference when it comes to converting a viewing into an offer.

Sustaining a working Garden

Posted on January 9th, 2008

Garden Advice and tips on starting an eco-friendly garden and more. Also growing your own fruit and vegetables not only helps the environment, your pocket and it tastes a lot better too.

DNG: City & Town, Issue 47 Autumn 2007 (pdf).