Category: Gardening Tips

Growing Delicious Herbs in Your Garden

25/9/2020

Chives

As we’ve all been forced to spend more time at home and less time socialising this year, many of us are reconnecting with our gardens and creating tasty food to feed our loved ones. One way of combining the too is to grow your own produce. Herbs must be the best crop if you’re looking for a low maintenance option, where by you have little input but can regularly harvest fresh and delicious leaves as and when you need them.
I love to cook & popping out and pick something to flavour a casserole, curry or sauce is a real treat. I tend to use the hardy evergreen herbs like Rosemary & Sage in the winter months & the softer perennial & tender herbs like Basil, Mint and Coriander in the spring & summer.

Shady Gardens - Making the most of Shady Places

28/8/2020

If there’s one thing that every garden has it’s a shady places! Whether your patch is overcast by mature trees, screened by a building or simply shaded by taller planting in a few places, coping with shade can seem tricky, but with a bit of know how and some handy tips, you can tackle your shady places and transform them from dull spots in to a green and verdant garden.
Shady areas are typically defined by the lack of direct sunlight to the ground. With less light, sun loving plants struggle to establish and become thin and weedy. The ground can be dry too which can cause problems for any new plants in the area as they try to compete for moisture. Despite these less than ideal conditions, there are plants that will happily thrive given the right initial care and attention.
If you have a shady area to tackle it’s worth considering just how shady it is and what the soil is like before visiting a garden centre or nursery for plants, that way you’ll be able to choose the right plant for the right place...

Creating a Wildlife Friendly Garden

29/7/2020

Over the last few months of lock down we’ve all been spending more time in our gardens, even those who profess to be non-gardens! Whether your hard at work digging and planting or just sitting back with a coffee, it’s impossible to ignore the chirping of birds and buzzing of bees in the warmer spring and summer months. Wildlife is hugely important not only to us gardeners but to the environment as a whole. We rely on them for pollination, pest control, providing a food source for other creatures and as a bonus they add colour, movement and sound to our outdoor spaces too.
With the loss of natural habitats, we gardeners can do some simple things to encourage more wildlife and make up for the losses elsewhere. Incorporating wildlife friendly features and plants into our gardens we will all benefit them and us hugely...

Keep Calm and Carry on Gardening - Free Advice & Inspiration

4/4/2020

What very strange times we are living through at the moment! Whilst vast teams of carers, food distribution works, politicians, amongst others, fight the war on Covid 19 so many of use are heeding the advice to stay at home.
Stuck within the confines of our homes and gardens it's easy to get restless and we all need something to keep us busy. So i urge you to get out into your garden (following the social distancing guidelines obviously!).
The sun is shining and spring has arrived so with more time on our hands now is a perfect opportunity to take a look at what we have and make the most of it.
FREE GARDENING ADVICE >>> There are lots of articles on the ADVICE HUB which i have written to inspire your next project, be it ideas for screening, paving, planting borders and pots, encouraging wildlife, transforming small gardens and so much more.
And what's more it's all free advice and at your disposal!...
If you'd like more detailed advice about your garden project, i am taking bookings for remote consultations. Get in touch to find out more

Bel Grierson

Expert Plantswoman and Garden Designer with 20 years experience in horticulture. Bel loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with those with gardens large and small.

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How To Plant Bare-root Hedging and Trees

6/3/2020

Bare-root plants are pretty easy to plant. Choose a day which is frost free and when the soil is not waterlogged. Keep the roots of the new plants cool &moist (not wet) until you are ready to plant.
How to plant a bare-root tree:

Turn the ground adding plenty of compost & fertiliser
Dig a whole large enough to accommodate the spread of the roots
Place the tree in the whole ensuring the roots will be covered and the base of the tree is at the right level. Fan out the roots.
Place a tree stake alongside the stem & between the roots. Tap in to give the tree support & add a tree tie.
Back fill the hole, firming the soil and water the area thoroughly...

Bare-root Tree and Hedging Season is Here!

20/12/2019

When the trees start to lose thier leaves at this time of year it's a sure sign that the dormant season is upon us. It’s the perfect time to transplant bare-root plants – those which have been raised in a field and then lifted & the soil removed. The added bonus of bare-root plants is that they are much cheaper than container grown plants.
Autumn is a good time to plant them as there’s time for them to settle and establish before the warmth of the spring comes. Trees & shrubs are available bare-root and from November onwards they’ll be offered in garden centres, nurseries and online. As the plants are dormant there’s not much to look at but when selecting plants look for undamaged branches & bark to ensure the plants are fit and healthy...

Garden Bulbs To Plant For Spring Colour

1/11/2019

It's that time of year again when gardeners can be found busy planting bulbs. Whether it be for a clients garden or my own i use a selection of traditional favourites like Daffodils, Tulips and Alliums chosen for their hardiness, suitability for our local clay soils, height and most importantly their colour. I like to create colour combinations which suit the planting designs i’m creating for each client. Tulips are particularly useful for creating waves of colour in that first year whilst the other plants establish. Below are some of my favourites which can be picked up from garden centres now.
Tulips –They are available in every colour under the sun and look stunning through the months of March, April & May. They can be planted directly in the ground or in plastic plots to be plunged into gaps in the border whilst they flower and then lifted out to make space for something else later on. Tulips can look fantastic when planted in blocks for a contemporary look or in waves amongst other perennials...

Climbing Plants for Colour, Scent and Screening

5/7/2019

On a warm summers evening what’s better relaxing beneath a climber clad pergola or against a warm wall smothered in fragrant blooms? There are all sorts of climbers available in our local garden centres and nurseries. Which to choose to cover a pergola, fence, arch or an obelisk can be a tricky when you’re faced with so many.
Colourful Climbers
Clematis are rightly popular, they come in such a huge range of colours and there’s one for every site and every season. The brightest and most bold are the summer flowering hybrids like ‘The President’ & ‘Hagley Hybrid’. They flower prolifically on long shoots from May to September depending on the variety. These love sunny spots but the alpine and macropetala types will cope with shady spots too. Clematis climb by wrapping their leaf stems around supports, so wires stretched over a surface will give them the means to spread......

Tackling Garden Weeds

21/6/2019

I often meet clients who have just taken on a new garden only to find it plagued with weeds which can be so discouraging. A bit of know how can make all the difference so detailed here are a few common garden weeds found in our area and the best way i've found to tackle them. I’ll be looking at traditional weeds as opposed to out of control cultivated plants.

There are two main types of garden weed; the annual and the perennial.
Annual weeds
Annual weeds are those which have a one year life-cycle i.e. Germinate, grow, flower and set seed all within one year. They can over-winter as small immature plants and are often ephemeral – they will have several generations in one year. A couple of the worst offenders in gardens in our area are:
Groundsel - Produces seeds all year round. It is characterised by small clusters of yellow blooms on short plants which produce fluffy seeds, easily spread in the wind or my animals. Although hoeing and hand picking seedlings is effective, be sure to pick up all material from the surface of the ground as Groundsel will very easily re-root. Mulching the surface can help reduce weed germination.
Hairy bittercress –becoming more prevalent in gardens, Bittercress germinates, flowers and sets seed very rapidly – in a matter of weeks! Short flower stems flick seed around the surrounding soil. Hoe or hand weeding at first sight before flowering will help to avoid colonisation of the ground. Bittercress is also a problem in containers where it can go un-noticed and fill the compost surface with seeds...

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.......

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Author: Bel Grierson

Expert Plantswoman and Garden Designer with 20 years experience in horticulture. Bel loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with those with gardens large and small.

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