Good Bones - Structure in the Garden

If you’ve been looking out at a garden that gives you very little to hold your interest, it’s likely it could do with a serious injection of ‘structure’.

It’s probably fair to say that garden designers are a tad obsessed with structure in the garden because it is the key to a great garden; it is the framework upon which the fleeting or seasonal elements of a garden hang on, the skeleton or ‘bones’ of a garden, if you will; the thing that holds everything together, strongly and in place. As such, structure in a garden can be made up of many things, both hard and soft landscaping elements (including, confusingly, ‘garden structures’, like buildings and pergolas!). For the most part the defining quality of any structural element in a garden is one of permanence or persistence – they are the things that are there throughout the year; they might change through the year (like a deciduous tree) or not (like a patio or pathway) but they will be a constant, so regardless of season, they still bring something to the garden.

So, where do you start with structure in your own garden?

Well, if you’re designing a garden from scratch good bones or structure starts with the shapes you use for the different elements of your garden (patios, pathways, lawns, ponds, beds and borders, etc.) and how you lay them out in relation to each other and to your home. Regardless of the season this layout is the constant foundation of the garden, it underpins everything. And whilst you can make this layout interesting in and of itself with the application of different materials and textures, when you start to think in 3D the magic really begins to happen.

Elements such as trees, walls, pergolas, gazebos, arches, hedges, obelisks, sculpture, shrubs, etc., that operate on the vertical plane, offer up a gold mine of infinite structural possibilities, that when integrated effectively with the structural foundation of your garden layout can ensure that every season in a well structured garden is a season of interest. Take our main image as an example, this was taken in October at Scampston Hall in Yorkshire, and you can see that there's still plenty of interest going on to hold the eye even without any flowers to speak of, and you also know that even later in the year and well into winter the structural elements will still continue to work well.

Whether starting from scratch or adding extra layers of structure to an already existing garden when deciding which structural elements to include in your design simplicity is often the key. Consider the function, size and scale, materials, colour, style and positioning of each element; too many elements or materials, style and colour for instance, can result in visual overload whilst misjudging the size and scale of an element can lead to confusion and disproportion.

If you’re working with an existing garden most people tend to have a lawn, patio, pathway, borders and a shed or greenhouse. These are all structural elements – hopefully organised well already – so you wouldn’t want to overload it with too many more structural things but you might be amazed at the difference one or two small well placed specimen trees and some low level evergreen hedging could make!

Don’t forget the more seasonal elements of your garden in relation to the structure too. Your structure should support the whole, not take it over! It should offer a dependable backdrop to the high impact stars of the growing season. Those seasonal showstoppers will take centre stage when cued but when their star has faded it will be the good bones; the strong structural elements of a garden that will carry the mantle of interest through the whole year.

Why Healthy Soil Matters in your Garden

Healthy soil is precious

Soil – also known as topsoil, earth, muck, mud, dirt… Whatever you call the top layer of soil in your garden, did you know that it takes around 2000 years to form 100mm of it? Healthy soil is one of the most precious elements we have on earth; it is essential to our social, economic and environmental stability. Without healthy soil we wouldn’t be able grow crops and we just wouldn’t survive – so why do we humans not look after it? Could it be that we don’t understand it’s importance, or how to work with it/look after it or that we just don’t care? Whatever the reason, the fact is, our soil is degrading at an alarming rate, and we need to respect it and look after what we have whether we are working with it as a homeowner or as a professional, before it’s too late.

Soil can be so easily damaged by, for instance, natural erosion due to strong winds, rain washing nutrients away or flooding; also pollutants; lack of ground cover and installing too high a proportion of hard landscaping in a garden; having lots of paving with non-permeable jointing, and more. Using cement or artificial lawns and plants all have a devastating effect on the health of our soil (more on artificial lawns later).

In many cases, soil is stripped and sent away to a recycling centre and manufactured topsoil is then brought back in to create borders. Historically, the majority of manufactured topsoil has been, and still is, created to suit golf industry requirements. This topsoil includes high levels of sand, which does a great job on golf courses where it gets regular irrigation and fertilisers. However, studies have shown that these soils aren’t suitable for onward growth of trees, and in terms of the average garden will often mean that plants and crops are unlikely to thrive well either. Manufactured soils are just that: manufactured i.e. they aren’t naturally occurring and are likely to have little to no soil life in them; in short, they are not a good substitute for proper, healthy soil.

Help soil help itself

As garden designers it is our job to conserve as much top soil as we can in a garden. It’s not only better for the environment, but it is the most cost-effective solution too so it makes sense that healthy soil should never be sent away to a recycling facility. The condition of existing soil almost doesn’t matter either; if we can give nature the right type of help it is likely that it will begin to heal itself and improve its own health. For example, if soil is waterlogged that can mean both the topsoil and the subsoil underneath are compacted. Break up that compaction and studies have shown that the ensuing movement of water and nutrients aids soil recovery and promotes soil life.

Micro-organisms, earthworms and many insects naturally live in our soils and are essential for its cultivation and for keeping it a healthy medium for growing crops, trees and plants. We can, of course, help this along by mulching our soils once or twice a year with good organic material. The soil life will begin to process it and that will help improve the structure of the soil thereby allowing and maximising the uptake of nutrients by plants. In a nutshell then healthy soil equals healthy plants.

One final note about artificial lawns – this is a product that can have a devastating effect on the micro-organisms and insects in the soil beneath (e.g., earthworms can suffocate) and the birds and insects above – not to mention the plastic particulates that transfer into the ground. We have committed to never specifying or using any artificial lawns (or plants) in any of our designs and we hope that talking about the importance of soil health will help convince you to never use artificial grass in any situation. It might not look it but a real lawn has a huge ecosystem living under, on and above it. So, please, do what you can to respect and look after your own bit of topsoil; nurture it, don’t smother it or compact it and never let anyone take it away!

Cool Gardens - the pleasure of off-peak

Gardeners and garden designers often talk about extending the season of interest in the garden and for the most part we’re usually referring to plants – great plants for winter interest or autumn colour, for instance, but this time around I thought we’d look at ways of making the garden a lovely place to be beyond those balmy summer days. We’ve actually met people that don’t venture into their gardens at all from the point that the temperatures drop in the autumn until it rises again with those first sunny days of springtime, and for us, that’s way too long to be avoiding your garden! So, here are our top 4 things to think about, that if tackled, might just entice you back out into your autumn, winter and early spring garden again…

Comfort

We all love a bit of comfort but if we’re going to enjoy some throughout the cooler, wetter months then our comfort needs to be practical. Opt for furniture that can be left out in all weathers and/or design in some incidental, all weather sitting stops so that finding somewhere to sit doesn’t become a job in itself. For extra comfort choose cushions that are covered in weather proof fabrics and/or store them either in the seats that they belong to or in close proximity to them. The trick is to make the act of sitting comfortably as quick and easy as possible – if we have to work too hard at it we tend not to do it at all…

Shelter

If you have the room for one, a permanent structure will lend itself better for all year use; think gazebo type – with a roof and open sides – like in our image of Kew, here (although most domestic gardens opt for timber alternatives) - but shelter can be provided in many ways. The rain shadow of evergreen trees for instance may be all you need or the windbreak afforded by some dense border planting can make a cosy, inviting corner; even the meeting point of two fences with a bit of strategic planting can make an inviting sheltered spot. Suit the shelter to your style of garden and its environment and position it for optimal benefit and use. Anchor it by planting around it and leading pathways to it and if you’re designing your garden get that structure into your plan first so that it beds into your overall design.

Warmth

Of course for off-peak garden visitation we recommend wrapping up warm before you set foot outside of the house but to make a real event of it warmth is where it’s at! South facing walls will be naturally warmer than other aspects but for extra oomph you can’t beat a fire and for the real thing there’s a dizzying array of possibilities from corten steel fire pits to brick built outdoor fireplaces and clay or metal chimineas and log burners to suit any style. Fire pits look brilliant but if your site is even vaguely windy chimineas and fireplaces deal with smoke much more effectively. Check the eco-standards of wood burning options before buying though; the Government is cracking down on them! If you love flames but don’t want everything that goes with burning a real fire consider gel or bioethanol fires and if you just want heat without the flames gas and electric patio heaters come in many shapes and sizes including floor standing, ceiling rigged and table topping (electric heaters are generally more versatile and eco friendly than gas).

Ambience

Ambience is what will make your outdoor space one that you want to spend time in. Shelter, comfort, warmth all contribute to the character and atmosphere of a place but add lights, planting, views (whether near or far) and other decorative elements to your off-peak garden and it can be transformed into a truly magical place. Sipping a hot drink, wrapped up and warm in the quiet of a frosty winter morning is just lovely – we highly recommend it!

Butt, butt, butt...

We may be hurtling into winter and given the level of rainfall we've been experiencing the thought of manually watering your garden may be further from your mind than the furthest thing in your mind right now, but trust us, if you haven’t already got things covered, now is the perfect time to be thinking of those longer, drier summers that are coming our way; because simply speaking, longer, drier summers means less available water in our gardens, and less available water means that some of our precious garden plants may begin to suffer through those drier summer days.

Before we all start to panic though, for the most part right now, established trees and shrubs that have been in the ground for over 5 years, are likely to be able to cope without (or with very little) manual watering through the summer. In this case natural rainfall levels through the year combined with the ground’s natural ability to store water and the wide-ranging roots of these plants are usually enough to see them through drier spells.

However, that still potentially leaves a lot of plants in our gardens that will require manual watering through drier periods, for instance, those with shallow root systems like annuals and spring-planted vegetables; many other edibles; young trees and shrubs; newly planted areas in the garden; perennials; those planted in containers and hanging baskets; and those planted in rain shadows of other plants or next to walls or fence posts. (We’re deliberately avoiding the mention of ‘lawn’ in this list – usually the thirstiest part of your garden!)

It might be tempting to turn on the tap in the drier months but there are some compelling reasons not to, including: firstly, with utility-supplied water becoming ever more scarce, and more of the country falling into areas classified as ‘water stressed’, many of us are now living with water meters as a driver to using water more efficiently so it can be a costly exercise to try to keep a garden watered. We never advocate watering a lawn unless it’s newly laid but using a sprinkler for 1 hour uses as much water as a family of four uses in a whole day so you get the picture.

Secondly and more importantly, plants just love natural rainwater, which contains nitrates, an important supply of nitrogen for plants which gives them their lush, green, abundant leaves. It makes sense then, that in a country that generally doesn’t seem to have a shortage of free, nutrient-rich natural rainwater falling throughout its cooler months, that we should work out ways of storing rainfall for use in the garden in drier times. Enter the humble water butt.

It may not be the sexiest garden accessory going but water butts are high up the list of being among the most useful and we never design a garden without trying to incorporate at least one extra water butt in it! If you have a roof of any sort on your property – a house, a garage, a shed, a gazebo, and more – we’d recommend fitting at least one water butt (with diverter kit) to the down pipes from each and every one of them. Too much? Perhaps not enough when you consider that a single, medium-sized hanging basket will need hand watering with around 100 litres of water during warm, dry weather during its growing period. Extrapolate that out to the list of plants mentioned above and the required number of litres for hand watering during the summer could be significant.

When you consider a small water butt will hold around 100 litres of water and a ‘standard’ size holds around 170-250 litres, it seems that the more the merrier is the way to go when thinking about water butt numbers. There are higher capacity butts available but these come with significantly higher price tags so for most of us connecting a series of smaller butts in order to increase capacity is often the more cost-effective way to go but of course that can, in turn, create an aesthetic challenge if butts can’t be tucked out of sight behind buildings.

If screens and planting can’t be designed in to help hide butts there are a number of more decorative butts available but again these are usually much more costly than the standard recycled plastic varieties that are available.

Adaptive planting is the way to go for the future but for right now, for the plants you already have in your garden, with an estimated 60,000 litres of rainwater falling on the roof of an average semi in the UK every year it makes perfect sense to try to make the most of this free, valuable, resource.

So, no buts – get water butts!

The Slab Effect

The Slab Effect

Love them or loathe them, chances are you have some slabs – paviours to us garden designers – somewhere in your garden. Incredibly versatile and varied paving slabs offer all sorts of opportunities through colour, function and form for garden owners and designers, but not all paviours are created equally. So, how do you decide what’s the ‘best’ paviour for your garden project? Here are some performance related things to consider as a starting point….

Most people tend to go for the look of a paving effect first but it’s worth knowing what you’re going to do with your newly paved area before you invest, so that the paviours themselves are fit for the purpose you intend. So, for instance, are you going to walk over them, drive over them, sit on them, park on them, etc? Will the area be high or low ‘traffic’? What are the prevailing weather conditions that it will be in, will it be in sunshine or shade, hot or cold, etc?

All of these things require varying performance capabilities from a paviour. In our UK climate for instance we need paviours that won’t crack in repeated freezing temperatures or go green with algae and lichen growth when sited in a shady spot, so in this regard when considering a paviour look for water absorption figures/guarantees from suppliers. Reputable suppliers will provide them but unfortunately that’s not the case with many stones available. The lower the water absorption figure, the better the chance of an algae-free shady spot or a cracking paviour in freezing conditions. The suppliers we use typically offer paviours with water absorption level of 1.7%.

Driving over paviours demands strength and flexibility, something that is usually best accommodated with smaller, albeit thicker, paviours. That’s why so many driveways use block paving or setts, the smaller shapes allow for ‘flex’ as the car wheels drive over them, but larger paviours can be used with some careful thought and a suitable base. Never opt for anything less than a 32mm thickness for driveway paviours and preferably choose 40mm, 50mm or more. Flexural strength is sometimes mentioned by suppliers and this refers to the strength of a material in response to flexing stress and force applications – generally the stronger a stone is the less chance there is of it failing or being attacked by frost once it’s laid.

If you’re going to use paviours on pathways and patios choose slip resistant finishes; this used to mean that it’s usually best to avoid highly polished paviours and lean instead to a more textured or rivened finish but many stone suppliers today promise slip resistance on the vast majority of their paving if it is maintained properly, so it is possible to get that smooth, contemporary look with a functional slip free surface with a little more effort. Sandstone or Yorkstone are popular natural stone choices here but we’re seeing many clients opting for vitrified paving now.

Vitrified Paving

The word vitrified technically refers to a conversion/glazing process that turns things into a glass like substance – so ceramic and porcelain are words sometimes used to mean very similar, if not the same, thing – but vitrified paving can look far more natural than you’d usually associate with ceramic or porcelain paviours. The benefits of vitrified paving include exceptional strength, high anti-slip properties and little, to no, water absorption which in turn means high performance and less maintenance requirements.

Of course I’ve only managed to touch upon a few things about paviours within this article – it’s a massive area but other things like colour, shapes, ethical sourcing, bases and the main deal breaker for most of us, price, will have to wait for another day…

Up Front Garden Design

Up Front Garden Design

I thought I’d make a change from normal proceedings this time around, and rather than focus on a garden design principle or tip I thought I’d consider a specific area of our home: often overlooked, but always on view, our front gardens frequently get short shrift when it comes to imaginative home improvement.

Recent trends in front gardens have seen significant increases in full paving practices and substantial reductions in plants both of which have detrimental knock on effects to humans, wildlife and the planet as a whole. It may sound dramatic and it’s easy to think that ‘my little bit’ won’t make a difference but cumulatively lots of ‘little bits’ following these trends are increasing the possibilities of flooding, contributing to climbing urban temperatures and pollution levels, impacting negatively on wildlife and making our environment more fractious, depressing places to live.

It may sound trite to say that a little bit of garden design inspiration can help mitigate these very real threats to ours and our natural world’s existence but if we all start to really think about the space outside our homes as a ‘garden’ first and a car park or a bin store or a mere transition point from a pavement to our front door second, then we just might stand a chance of reversing these damaging trends. Don’t get me wrong, I still stand by the design mantra of ‘form ever follows function’ but there’s no ‘form’ in fully paving a front garden; it is functionality without form and it is that idea – that you have to sacrifice form entirely in order to get a car (as an example) onto your front garden – that I want us all to reconsider. With a little bit of imagination and an application of design principles there is no reason why we can’t have our cake and eat it too i.e. have a functional but still lovely front garden.

So, some top tips for achieving it? Read on…

Hopefully this will give you some ideas of where to start and we can all begin to make our neighbourhoods lovelier places to be! Check out the RHS website too for more ideas about how to green your little bit of grey Britain.

Planning your Patio – the 2 F’s to Success

The Problem with Patios

Patios are often the most expensive part of a garden and because of that are often the most long lived part too so it’s worth trying to get your patio ideas ‘right’ before any build commences. The majority of the times we’re called out to consider a patio redesign it’s because the existing patio isn’t, or is no longer, fit for purpose. But there’s an architectural design saying: ‘form ever follows function’; and if you can keep it in mind when you’re thinking about your new patio the odds are improved that your resulting patio will work for you.

So, what does the phrase mean? Today’s garden design interpretation and application is probably much more relaxed than its pure functionalist creator intended but it generally means thinking about what you want a space for (function) before you start thinking about what it will look like (form). Sounds pretty obvious right? You’d probably be surprised at how many patios we come across that didn’t apply the idea!

Take the ‘usual’ positioning of a patio as an example. 9.9 times out of 10 it’s right outside the back (aptly named!) patio doors. Accepting the fact that many people inherit a patio with the house they buy you’d still probably be surprised at how many people, when in control of one do just ‘put’ their patio outside the back doors of their house because that’s where they’ve traditionally been placed, rather than actively making the decision because it’s the best place to suit their own needs. But if, for example, my client is a sun lover who wants to sit in the sun as much as possible and the house casts the patio in shade all day her functional requirements aren’t being met by this particular space.

In this shady, back of house scenario; my sun loving client would be best served by positioning her patio in the place that gets the most sun in her garden with the space being big enough to allow plenty of sunbathing opportunities while offering enough privacy and seclusion from neighbours, for instance, so the planting and things adjacent to the patio may end up being just as important as the patio itself, in terms of meeting its functional goals. My large dinner party hosting clients on the other hand, living in the adjoining house, would appreciate a patio big enough to accommodate a large table and chairs, as near to their kitchen as can be. And for my sun loving clients who also love to throw al fresco dinner parties? For them it’s probably a two patio design because a single patio wouldn’t be able to quite accommodate their dual functional requirements adequately.

The ‘form’ of the patio areas would then begin to fall out of their proposed functions and in these very simplified examples their position has already fallen out of them so now it’s time to consider size, shape, materials, aesthetics, incorporation into the wider garden, lesser functional requirements, etc.

For the dinner party couple, for instance flat, slip free surfaces accommodate tables and chairs best so paviors are the obvious choice here. The size of the patio needs to accommodate their overly large dining table and chairs with enough space to get around them comfortably when they are in use. The position of their patio next to the house requires careful drainage solutions and a robust build. The transitions from the house to the patio, and then from the patio to beyond, need careful consideration both in terms of their look and their usability; the materials and use of them need to aesthetically tick the boxes from viewpoints both outside and inside the house, in all seasons and all of these things, and more, need to be considered with budget very firmly in mind.

It is all a tricky balancing act but if you can remember the phrase you’ll stand a better chance of success with your patio.

Now you see it – magical garden design

Garden Designer as Magician?

Before we start I do want to make clear that garden designers are not magicians! We can’t pull a rabbit out of a hat or find a fortune for you behind your ear but that said garden designers do have a few tricks up their sleeves that, like magicians, depend on the powers and skills of misdirection, and dare I say it, manipulation.

The garden designer’s motivation for using such skills is fairly benign: how can we hide this ugly corner, for instance, or make the garden feel bigger, smaller, longer, wider, shorter, more intimate or more expansive; I’m sure you get the picture! We often want things we haven’t got or struggle to deal effectively with things we have and gardens are no different – thank goodness then for some of the tried and tested illusionary tools in the arsenal of a garden designer…

I’ve barely scratched the surface of this subject, it’s as expansive as the results appear magical, but hopefully it will give you an insight into some of the ways garden designers achieve some of the effects they do.

Top Tips for Choosing Surfaces in your Garden Design

Surface, surface everywhere

In and of their own right, for many of us, surfaces don’t often take precedence when thinking about our gardens but they are a key element of any garden design.

It is the surfaces of the hard landscaping that usually dominate a garden through the winter and set off beautiful planting schemes in the growing and flowering seasons but surfaces are much more than that because the materials used to create that perfect patio or winding pathway carry with them not only functionality but scene-setting, mood enhancing, aesthetic impact that does much of the legwork in hanging a whole garden design together.

Surfaces help define the mood and look of a garden, for instance, if you want a contemporary feel to your garden then smooth, sleek surfaces with sharp edges add that touch of ‘precision’ that many contemporary spaces exhibit. Conversely if you’re longing for a more relaxed cottage garden style then reclaimed brick, cobbles or rivened finishes lend themselves well here.

It’s not just patios and pathway surfaces that we have to think about either; surfaces are everywhere in our garden whether it’s the finish on built in seating or the tops of raised beds, the materials we mulch our borders with or the fillers we use between elements of a garden design, they all add to the whole and thus need to work harmoniously in order to complement the finished product.

Key elements of surfaces to consider

As we've already seen the look and finish of surfaces play key roles in surface decisions but they also have to perform well too, so function is another important part of thinking about surfaces too – whatever we choose it has to be fit for purpose otherwise what’s the point?

Another major factor and key influencer in surface decisions is price so knowing your budget definitely helps here! As much as we sometimes wish it wasn’t so, we do generally get what we pay for and a quality surface often brings with it a substantial price tag. That’s not to say that less pricey substitutions can’t work in a garden design because they definitely can but being aware of the implications of choosing one product over another is something well worth giving careful consideration to before making that final decision.

Each surface material will bring its own characteristics to the garden so as garden designers we'll help our clients weigh them all up - taking the above things into consideration (amongst other things!) - before making recommendations about which surface products to include in our clients’ garden designs.

Key surface areas in a garden design:

Patios & seating areas

Often the most expensive material purchase in a domestic garden design, pavers are the overwhelming material of choice for patios for Blue Daisy clients because of their level laying capabilities and stability. They are durable and come in all materials, shapes, sizes and finishes. There will be a paver that will suit any style of garden, functional requirement and budget.

Paver laying patterns can also make a difference to the feel of your patio - stretcher bond laying patterns (like brickwork) often dominate but random patterns and stacked bond (grid style) can also look good as can angular laying styles. Mixing materials - pavers and bricks for instance can look great - and sometimes can also help reduce costs.

Alternative options might include, for example: bricks, setts, tiles, polished concrete or crushed granite which will also give a stable, level, durable surface suitable for a patio; and decking is also still popular for raised or floating seating areas.

Pathways & fillers

Pathways are less demanding than patios so loose aggregates are viable and popular surface materials here - they are usually cheaper than paving the whole pathway too.

Gravel, chippings and pebbles are popular choices and again they come in all sizes and colours so keeping the harmony of your garden design remains possible.

Bark chippings can also look great in woodland gardens and productive areas - they're cheap and sustainable although they'll also need topping up as they'll naturally decompose over time.

Loose aggregates require good edgings so they don't spill messily into other areas of your garden (see edging, below).

If we've used aggregates on pathways we'll tend to use the same surface materials for fillers too to keep the cohesion of the garden design - coverings for drainaway areas or sometimes utility areas, if they're visible, etc.

Alternative options for pathway surfaces might include bricks, sets, cobbles, tiles, concrete, crushed granite, hoggin, mixed materials, the list can go on….

Edges

Good edges can make a big difference to a garden design's finish. Not only do they look good, they serve a functional purpose too - they might be mowing edges for lawns or keeping loose chippings in pathways or mulches in borders - they can also help knit a design together.

We've used sett edging in the Coventry garden design shown in our main image. The setts add extra detail across a small impromptu seating area next to a children's play area. The edging works as a mowing strip for the lawn, it keeps the rubber play grade bark in check, edges the patio and looks good to boot!

Visible edging surfaces are often decorative and are frequently brick or sets, haunched in for stability. Timber edges are less obvious but can still look aesthetically pleasing and there are plenty of other edging materials out there to explore and experiment with too!

Structures & other vertical surfaces

Structures usually include vertical as well as horizontal surfaces, examples might include pergolas, screens, raised beds, retaining walls, fixed seating, arbours, arches and others.

Boundaries are vertical surfaces not to be ignored either since they provide, in most instances, a backdrop to the rest of the garden and as such become an integral part of the whole.

For things like seating the tactile qualities of a surface come to the fore too. Beautifully honed, silky-smooth wood feels warm and sleek to the touch, for instance, adding extra layers of textural qualities to the overall garden design.

Soft landscape surfaces

People rarely think about their lawns and borders as 'surfaces' but they can be just as important as any other surface in a garden design. Mirror smooth, striped lawns carry with them a certain style and statement that less manicured grass areas fail to and when it comes to functionality different grasses lend themselves to different requirements, for instance, hard wearing grass suits child and dog traffic more than others.

Border mulches can also add aesthetic qualities to a garden design as well as soil improving and weed-surpressing functionality.

Just like every other surface decision the soft landscape surfaces also need to be in keeping with the overall garden design.

We've tried to give you a flavour of some of the key surface elements of a garden design here - we've barely managed to scratch the surface (see what we did there??) of this subject - but we hope that we've sparked your enthusiasm to learn more!

Panic for Fence Panels? Think Again!

Lots of us have been affected by continuous storms and constant battering by the rain causing damage not only to plants in our gardens but fencing too. This has led to a national shortage of fence panels to the extent that according to the BBC, prices have risen by up to 30%. Newspapers have also reported that a black market has opened up with 'normal' - usually budget - fences being offered at £80 a panel!

That's extortionate but it's also an extremely good reason to consider creating a green boundary in your garden instead of fence paneling. It's no secret that we love plants here at Blue Daisy and we love living boundaries, here are some of the reasons why…

So what are you waiting for? Contact us to organise your new living boundary today!