Blue Daisy Blog

I took part in the Certificate in Water Conservation prototype e-learning course last night on behalf of the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA). The first module open and available to take part in was 'Planning the Site'. After completing the course we had to give feedback so they can fix any glitches and make improvements before they role it out to other Horticulturists.

It looked at elements that can have a bearing on the site for example, average rainfall for the area and how to conserve that or manage excess. It was a great memory jog and I learnt a few things too which I will certainly use in the planning stage of garden designs going forward.

I'm happy to say I passed the first module and I'm hoping that we'll have the opportunity to take the other three in the near future.

I've had a really interesting morning visiting Stonemarket this morning to see their new product range for 2014.

There are some beautiful pavers and I'm really liking the new range on display. The larger paving stone is becoming very popular lately and suits a contemporary setting.

They have 1m x 1m pavers which are huge, it'll take a few people to get them in situ and level but the effect is amazing!

We also looked at their grouting solution which while it seems expensive it will save the knees of landscapers, speed up the job and it isn't weather dependent - that has to be a winner

Quite often I am asked the question ‘how can I make my garden more interesting’ and movement is one element of good garden design that often gets overlooked.  It is just as important as all the other elements, not only does it create a feel, an ambience, but also added interest.   Movement doesn’t have to be dramatic or exciting it can be soft, understated and subtle and each person can have their own take on what movement in the garden means.

It can be incorporating moving water, for instance, which shimmers and sparkles in the light but also adding that refreshing trickling sound as it moves, creating a mood.  The sound of movement often adds that extra layer that works and plays on the senses too - not only trickling water but rustling leaves, swishing grasses and other 'movement sounds' all play their part.

Navigating around a garden can also be what some people define movement to be, how to create journeys so you interact and move through the garden.  Paths are great elements for this but care must be taken with the dimensions of them and their exact purpose, adding a path as an afterthought can often look out of place.  

Incorporating plants that move gently in the breeze and give that extra vertical lift can really make them stand out from their more static counterparts.  Ornamental grasses are great for adding movement as their habits are quite different and there are some that offer good all year round interest of both foliage and seed heads which last right into winter.

I was reading an article in ProLandscaper the other week about the new eco-friendly bus roof top garden that has been designed by Marc Granen.  Aiming to absorb harmful CO2 and O2 emissions in Spain’s choked cities I’m generally loving the idea for its quirky but practical solution. The system, dubbed PhytoKinetic, uses a lightweight hydroponic foam that retains humidity but not water which should reduce the weight of the gardens in rainy periods and for those long hot Spanish seasons the garden is watered via the condensation generated by the bus’s air con system.  The hotter the weather, the more the air con is used and the more water the garden will get which, of course, is also when it needs it most.

Spring bulb displays can be spectacular and there’s likely to be a new destination on the spring bulb display calendar next year and for the foreseeable future as Sidmouth in Devon embarks on a ‘Plant a Million Bulbs’ challenge in response to a £2.3 million legacy gift that was made by a Canadian banker, Keith Owen, who was originally born nearby, and whose mother had retired to Sidmouth.  

Mr Owen died of lung cancer but made arrangements to leave his retirement fund, his pension and some properties to Sid Vale Association with instructions that his gift should be spent locally keeping Sidmouth beautiful. One of his specific suggestions was to plant a million bulbs in verges, gardens, lawns and borders around the town.