Blog Archives

Low Maintenance Gardening Tips

23/5/2019

Gardening can become a chore for those who are time poor, but there are ways to reduce the time and effort it takes to keep the garden looking good all year round. When i visit new clients to discuss their needs for their gardens and look at how i can design or enhance their spaces to fulfil their requirements, one of the first questions i ask is how much time they can devote to looking after the plants, lawns and hedges and so on so that i can tailor the design to suit.
From my experience it is often the lawn which requires most care during the spring and summer as it grows abundantly and needs a trim every week or two. Some planting demands deadheading and regular trimming to keep it in shape and then hedges need a haircut once or twice during the year to keep them looking at their best. For some it is weeding which takes up so much of their time and it is difficult to keep on top of the weeds if they are allowed to run riot early in the season.......

Front Garden Design Ideas - Planting options

21/5/2019

We often neglect our front gardens as we spend so little time in them, choosing to relax and entertain in the privacy of our back gardens. However as we use them numerous times a day when we leave and return to our home, with a little effort a neat, tidy and uncluttered front garden can be a very welcome site at the end on a hard day at work. The way we present our front garden also sets the tone for our home so considering the garden design and planting design options is worthwhile. Unlike our secluded rear gardens the space at the front of our property is on show to all of those who pass by, our visitors, our neighbours and even the postie! Whether you have a small postage stamp size space or a grand sweeping driveway, sprucing up the front garden is a benefit not only to ourselves but to our community too.

Front Garden Ideas - Paving and Parking Options

19/5/2019

Over the last decade or so, the UK has been suffering from great deluges of rain, flooding huge areas of countryside, villages and towns and major flooding events are hit the news headlines frequently. Increasingly front gardens are being turned into parking areas for vehicles meaning that water which would once have percolated into the ground slowly, simply runs off and directly into gutters and drains causing issues further downstream. With the house building booming once again, it's becoming increasingly important that we consider how surface water is dealt with to avoid flooding events. So if you are in need of more parking space and your'e considering paving over your front garden, see my ideas and advice below before you commit to the project....

Image - Marshalls Drivesett Tegula permeable paving blocks

Tips for Tending the Garden in the Summer months

18/5/2019

Time is precious and we all seem to be short of it these days. As the summer approaches we turn our thoughts towards relaxing and enjoying warm summer evenings in the garden with friends, for a BBQ or a glass of wine. But with our hectic lives it can be easy to forget about the garden and leave it to it's own devises. However if we can spare a little time it is possible to create a green and verdant space which we and our friends can enjoy.

Watering and feeding the garden during the warmer months not only helps to establish new planting but it also makes the most of established plants - encouraging new growth the flowers to brighten up the garden. Here are my tips for watering and feeding your garden to make the most of it during the summer months.....

Planting up Pots for Summer Colour - Shrubs

16/5/2019

Erysimum Bowles Mauve

The perennial Wallflower – Erysimum is a fab plant for colour and it flowers for such a long time with no need for tricky deadheading. E. ‘Bowles Mauve’ is rightly a firm favourite amongst gardeners with its bright mauve flower spikes and glaucous evergreen foliage. One trim after it has finished flowering and that’s it. Erysimum come in lots of colours so there’s yellow, orange, deep red and pinky-apricot versions to try too.
Lavender is a must for any garden and it survives very well in pots. Many gardeners struggle to grow it in our region due to our heavy soil, but in a pot with free-draining compost it will thrive (use John Innes no.2 available from garden centres/nurseries). Good varieties for pots include ‘Munstead’ and ‘Hidcote’ which are both traditional English varieties, or you could try French lavender varieties with their flirtatious butterfly tops.
Phormiums are back in fashion and rightly so with their striking foliage and grand stature. Used on their own in a pot or surrounded by smaller grasses they will provide colour all year round. Or combine them with bold annuals like begonias for a tropical look.

If your planting needs a splash of colour or you’re looking for garden design ideas I offer a tailor made service from consultations to full garden rejuvenation projects. Give me a call to discuss your requirements or check out my website for more details. Tel. 07506 750250 or get more info about Garden Design Services or Planting Design.

Bel Grierson

Expert Plantswoman and garden designer, Bel has 20 years experience in Horticulture and loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with those with gardens large and small

Planting up Pots for Summer Colour - Perennials

16/5/2019

Scabious 'Ritz Blue'

Continuing on from my previous post about selecting annual plants for pots to give summer colour in the garden, i often use perennials plant too. These will happily survive in pots for several years if given the right care. I'm planning a future post about making the post of your garden plants so check back soon....

Perennials & Grasses for Summer pots
Perennials offer a more long-term solution, often looking good for several years before they need revamping or moving on into the garden. I have several pots which contain a mixture of perennials to give colour on and off all through the year. My favourites are the Hardy Gerberas and Hardy Osteospermum like O. ‘Tresco Purple’which will reliably flower from June onwards, rest during the winter and then start again the following spring. For small post in a sunny position, Scabiosa shown in the picture are perfect as they flower for months on end with little care.
Along with the perennials I plant grasses like Carex ‘Evergold’, Ophiopogon nigrescens (the black grass) and Festuca ‘Elijah Blue’. These all give evergreen colour and texture. For the trailers I use Thyme or Ajuga (Bugle) for evergreen foliage and colourful flowers – usually available in the alpine section at the garden centre/nursery.

Shrubs can also be planted in pots for summer interest. In my next post i'll be suggesting a few to give summer colour to the garden.

How to achieve a Tropical Style Garden in the UK

16/5/2019

Hemerocallis

Phormium

Bamboo

Soon summer will be here and we can wave good bye to the cold mornings we have suffered in the spring and say hello to long sunny days.
As I spend more time out basking in the rays my mind turns to holidays in warmer more exotic climes. It can be so tempting to return to our cooler gardens and long for the plants and colours we have seen abroad. Despite our less clement weather it is possible to create a tropical look using hardy and half hardy plants with the odd flamboyant annual thrown in too.
Select from a range of lush foliage plants and tropical looking flowers and you can transform a space into a bright, fresh & invigorating space. So which plants to choose.....

Encouraging Birds into the Garden

16/5/2019

Eryngium 'Silver Ghost'

My garden has has been inundated with Robins and Blackbirds this spring and i've just heard the first squeals from the Swifts which each year set up home in a neighbours loft! I love the sound they make, it takes me back to my childhood and family holidays in France. Birds are not only wonderful to watch, they are also free pest controllers. I often see Blue Tits picking Aphids from the Roses early in the summer and my friendly robin follows me around picking up caterpillars as i dig & weed. So it’s really worth encouraging bird life to help out in the garden.
At this time of year providing food for them in the way of berries, seeds and fruit will encourage a constant stream of feathered friends who will be looking to stock up ahead of the cold winter months.
So which plants can we add to the garden to help our feather friends? .....

Planting up pots for Summer Colour - Annuals

16/5/2019

Spring has well and truly sprung and summer is fast approaching. I’m busy helping clients with planting schemes, gardening advice and border rejuvenation all helped by the warm sunny weather we’ve been having. The nurseries and garden centres are brimming with lots of fresh plants to tempt us, but which ones are best for brightening up the patio in summer?

Nemesia

Trailing Geranium

Verbena

There are several ways to bring colour to areas around the house or patio and it doesn’t have to be all about deadheading high maintenance annuals! I love a pelargonium or too and i’m rather partial to trailing plants like Verbena so I create a few pots which are purely about the fresh vibrancy these bring and then the rest of my pots have a more long lasting planting to give colour all year...

We are absolutely delighted with our beautiful new garden designed and installed by Bel! We had an unusually shaped garden which we didn't have the knowledge to handle, but at the same time had quite specific ideas of what we liked and disliked. Bel listened to our ideas and the challenge didn't phase her at all! The preparation of the the soil by her team, and the planting of the garden by Bel herself over three days couldn't have gone smoother. We would highly recommend Bel in terms of her expertise, conscientiousness and friendly, easy going personality and we can't stop looking at our amazing new garden!

Mrs Prist, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

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"Bel is brilliant. Easy to work with. Lots of ideas and plans but great at listening and quickly tapping into what you like, want and need. She has bags of style with a healthy dose of practicality and is 100% reliable. Totally recommend."

Mrs Munden - Thrussington, Leicestershire

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"Bel delivered professional advice in a friendly way after she had established what her clients wished to achieve. All in all - it has been a pleasure to work with her"

Mrs Harrison - Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire

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"If you are looking for advice on your garden or a new designs then look no further than Bel Grierson. We have used her on several aspects of our garden to lower the maintenance and update the planting with spectacular results. Bel is easy to work with and is totally in tune with all our requirements."

Mr Stapleton - Rothley, Leicestershire

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"Bel has delivered a delightful garden with a design that has transformed a shallow plot surrounded by fences, into a garden full of interest. Bel listened carefully to our concerns and gave her total attention to each step of the way."

Mr & Mrs Bayley - Loughborough, Leicestershire

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"Our 20 year old garden was looking tired and boring. No colour and a mishmash of plants that were past their sell-by date. We had no idea what to do to rescue the situation as we knew very little about what plants would do well. Then we found Bel. Our garden is transformed; beautiful colour that just keeps coming all through the year, easy maintenance and a joy to sit and look at with an appropriate glass in one hand. Bel interpreted our thoughts perfectly and has produced an extraordinary result. She is patient with non-gardeners, knowledgeable and highly professional. Not afraid to get her hands dirty and endlessly helpful. I simply cannot recommend her too highly."

Mr & Mrs Benussi - Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire

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"Bel redesigned and planted our garden this summer. It has transformed it from dark and dingy to a fresh open space. Bel is a pleasure to work with, friendly and helpful, full of ideas and always ready to listen to what you want and find the best way of delivering it. Recommended!"

Mr Goodman - Loughborough, Leicestershire

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"Bel provided good advice and warm, friendly and professional support at all stages of our garden transformation. Her knowledge about plants and her design ideas gave us confidence from the outset. We are delighted with the result, and now look forward to enjoying our new garden in the months and years to come."

Mr Corner - Rearsby, Leicestershire

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"Bel has recently redesigned a large area in my garden which was previously a 'wilderness'. I was very pleased with the design that she came up with - it was clear that she had paid attention to what I had said I wanted and understood my style. Great communication throughout the process and now that the planting is finished I am looking forward to next spring and watching it develop."

Mrs Phillips - Ratby, Leicestershire

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Thank you very much Bel for your design to renovate our back garden. It’s been great to work with you, we really appreciated spending time with you to hear your ideas and develop those with you for a new vision for our garden. We love the pond and wild at the back of the garden and the new plants you’ve sourced have all settled in very well and we are excited to see how they will grow!

Mr & Mrs Adshead, Loughborough

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Mrs Prist, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

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Mrs Munden - Thrussington, Leicestershire

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Mrs Harrison - Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire

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Mr Stapleton - Rothley, Leicestershire

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Mr & Mrs Bayley - Loughborough, Leicestershire

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Mr & Mrs Benussi - Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire

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Mr Goodman - Loughborough, Leicestershire

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Mr Corner - Rearsby, Leicestershire

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Mrs Phillips - Ratby, Leicestershire

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Mr & Mrs Adshead, Loughborough

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