According to various reports the colour purple is bang on trend this year and fashionistas everywhere will be purpling themselves up!  So, what does this mean for gardens and garden designs then?  Basically incorporating the colour purple into your plant schemes will bring your gardens right up to date. 

Check out one of our previous articles from last year  where we have recommended using purple and orange plants together creating an energised and vibrant mood. If you're after a more calming, romantic and peaceful mood try soft pinks and purples.   Not only do we love orange and purple together but this year it is reported that RHS Chelsea have a garden or two that are using these colours!  

Having a productive garden – it’s all the rage, bang on trend and everyone seems to want one.  The only thing is no-one seems to have the time to tend one and as much as they’re popular now, they can be time consuming and, for beginners, confusing. 

You could start small, think about what you like to eat, (take a look at what is in your fridge right now if you’re short on ideas) and rather than having to think about things like crop rotation if you’re growing vegetables you can grow some in containers instead - but if that’s not for you (and it’s not for everyone) – my advice is to think about fruit.  It is generally easier to grow, not as time consuming to look after and the rewards are truly wonderful (as our picture shows!).

Well it has been a very exiting day today I have been to see one of my garden designs being brought to life.  When I arrived at my customers house the builders were there working away and have so far laid the patio, built a wall and given it a first render, built the pond (see below), installed the water chute and the electrician was there too! 

If we just take a look at two main themes namely attitude and consumer trends we can look at how they could influence garden design for next year.

We all know that there are noticeable differences in attitudes through the generations and this does definitely seep into the garden too.  Typically the younger house owner will see their gardens as an extra room, somewhere to entertain, as a workspace, or even somewhere to play the Wii!

Often the younger house owner will opt for a garden with less plants, more functional space and typically with a more contemporary feel.  The older generation generally see their garden as a place to actually garden, to tend their plants and as a place to relax.

Design Competition - Update

Last week I attended a full day workshop with the other semi-finalists.  It was a long day that started with the challenge of getting to the Malvern Show Ground in freezing fog and -7 degrees but I made it by 9.30am with a little time to spare for a mingle and a quick cup of tea!  Including myself there were 17 semi-finalists and 9 members of the sponsorship teams representing Chris Beardshaw, The Three Counties Show Ground and Bradstone.