Plan Now For Your 2025 Garden

Winter border including bright dogwood stems against tree bark.

Get ahead for 2025

The end of one year and start of another often sparks thoughts of both reflection and of possibilities to come. Gardeners, of course, are masters of thinking ahead but typically, we’ve found that that many of our garden design clients are slightly less so! Often those interested in having their garden professionally designed don’t start thinking about it until the weather starts picking up in the spring - at exactly the point that they want to start enjoying their garden in full; little realising that the process from planning through to build and then to planting can actually take months.

Even if you’re not planning on working with a professional garden designer winter is the perfect time to make the most of that ‘end of one year, start of another’ mindset that is ingrained in us all. But by applying it to your garden, which often doesn’t get a look in at this time of year, it allows you to get ahead - hopefully to the point where your garden will be ready for when you want to enjoy it in 2025.

Review your existing garden

So, thinking back, consider what has worked well for you in the garden this year, what were your highlights and, more importantly, what didn’t work so well for you. Try to think about all the different elements that make up your garden - the planting, the hard landscaping and all of the people, pets and wildlife that interact with it and how, then add into the mix the weather and how that affected the use of your garden. Try to think about function and form, for example: did your garden accommodate everything you wanted from it; when you wanted it; does it look how you’d like it to look, when you wanted it to look it.

It can be a good idea to break down your review by months. So, for instance let’s start with January. You might not engage with your garden in January but that may purely be down to the weather so would a garden shelter for instance make your garden more usable in those inclement weather months? Would all weather furniture make a difference along with an outdoor form of heating? Would slip-free surfaces make your January garden life better? If you’re really not interested in being outdoors in January does your garden still give you something beautiful to look out on at that time? More structural elements in your garden perhaps, and probably way more evergreens than you currently have!

Identify improvement areas

Do this for every single month and chances are you’ll end up with a long list of potential improvement areas, and while these ideas aren’t exhaustive, if you can become aware of the gaps or shortcomings of your garden - or in some cases potential dangers that arose during the previous year (for example surfaces may have become slippery in damp weather) - you can then start planning ways to address them for the coming one. And once you know what you need you’ll then be able to consider the methods required to achieving them.

Professional garden designers

Some of those solutions may well be achievable on your own and sometimes some professional help might just be the ticket. For the most part our clients choose to work with a professional garden designer because they know what’s not working for them in terms of their garden but they can’t quite see the wood for the trees in finding the best way forward for them and their budget. They also find comfort in the idea that we can recommend landscapers because we’ve worked with them on previous builds. But either way, when a professional is involved - whether that’s a garden designer, a landscaper, or both, then for most of us that will mean finding someone reliable and that can take time. Then they have to be available, because, let’s face it, the good ones are often booked up for some time but you can begin to see why now might just be the perfect time to be thinking about your 2025 garden.

December Gardens

With Christmas fast approaching us the general pace of work in the garden is much more relaxed as there is a lot less urgency for jobs to be completed now. Many people think that there is nothing to do in December but you’d be surprised! It’s a great time for pruning woody ornamental plants, fruit trees and bushes because they are in their dormant period. Now that the leaves have almost finished dropping you can really see what you’re doing and can check to see if there is any dead or diseased wood to prune out. Don’t prune your Cornus (Dogwoods) though because their stem colour gives us some striking winter interest for our gardens.

Keep clearing any fallen leaves and save for leaf mould. Even though there are fewer garden pests and diseases around at this time of year keeping one step ahead of your garden hygiene – even in December – will reduce pest and disease problems in the spring and summer. If you find anything diseased you should really burn it rather than putting it in the compost heap. Remember too to leave a few areas undisturbed for overwintering beneficial insects like ladybirds.

Greenhouse and cold frame hygiene is also high on the list this month as the moist atmosphere is a perfect breeding ground for moulds and other diseases. Insulating your greenhouse or cold frame with bubble wrap will conserve heat for those overwintering plants you’ve brought in or if you’re getting ahead with any newly sewn seeds for next year.

You’ll find that whenever you’re out and about in the garden this month you’re likely to be followed around by a Robin looking for worms or insects that you may have disturbed. Winter is a difficult time for birds, so don’t forget to feed them regularly and give them clean water to bathe as they do become quite dependent on you to survive especially in the deep cold of winter (if it happens this year!  It's been super mild again so far.)

For those of you that don’t want to go out into the garden you could start to think about what you want to do with the garden next year. Make a list of any plants you want to move or divide, any new plants you want to buy or seeds you want to order. Consider the different parts of your garden – are there any parts you would like to change? Would you like to add something to it, take something away, change the shape of it, incorporate vegetable beds, perhaps?

Whatever you have in mind, don’t forget that Blue Daisy can help you shape your garden with and for you, whether it is designing all or part of it and if you're not sure what you could do don't forget we also do advice sessions.  These involve an hour of Nicki's time talking about your garden with you, it's amazing the amount of information you can get in an hour...

December Garden Jobs

November Gardens

November gardens can be a chilly place!

In early November you’ll still find some autumn coloured leaves on trees waiting to be blown off in a gust of wind. Late flowers like Chrysanthemums and Nerines and the odd Rose or Hesperantha still provide us with a little colour, and winter berries are hanging on until the birds eat them all! Later on the onset of winter will become more apparent in your November garden with low clouds bringing rain and fog and all round dampness. It may not be that cold but winds can make it feel colder and, of course, we’ll start to see more frequent evening frosts.

Tidying up is still high on the agenda in your November garden. With leaves still falling you can gather them up to make leaf mould for next year. Your lawn and most plants will suffer if leaves are not collected as they need all the sunlight they can get to stay healthy – if they’re not moved lying leaves can block out the light and in some cases covered plants will suffer from dieback. Also, clear away old stems and dead foliage to make everywhere look tidier; this also prevents slugs and snails settling it to a new home.

You’ll need to bring your non-frost-proof pots and tender plants inside if you don’t have a greenhouse or cold frame to insulate them. If they are too heavy to move wrap pots with hessian or bubble wrap and any plant pots you can move do so – huddle them all together near a house wall preferably south facing which will retain the sun’s warmth. Don’t forget to remove any saucers if you’ve not already done so and lift any pots off the ground by using decorative feet or similar; this provides better drainage and stops the plants getting waterlogged.

November is a great month to plant new trees, shrubs and roses and if you’ve been thinking about wanting to move any around your garden – now is the time. Remember any you do move will need to have as much soil kept on the roots as is possible and make sure they have a really good watering in and lots of organic mulch on the top. If they are large plants make sure you stake them and keep them well watered.

For something different consider converting part of your flower or pleasure garden into a productive area – if care is taken with the design and choice of vegetables they can look really lovely. It might seem like quite a big project but by doing it this month you will be ready for spring. Make sure you can get around all sides of your vegetable beds and that they’re no wider than 1.2m so you can reach everywhere without treading on the soil!

November Garden Jobs

In terms of houseplants:

The Bare Root to Border Planting Success

Acer in autumn

Evaluate your border planting

It’s a perfect time of year to evaluate your borders, and especially some of the more structural garden planting in your gardens because with bare root plant season upon us it’s a great opportunity to add some specimen plants to your borders for a much more affordable price.

Bare root plants are typically grown in a field (i.e. open ground) and are then dug up when they’re dormant, the soil removed from them, and then sold as bare root plants.  So, bare root plant season in the UK, generally runs from November through to March, making your winter garden the perfect time and place to change, create or add to your garden planting plans.    

Bare root plants offer savings

Because bare root plants aren’t containerised, they are often a lot more affordable than their potted peers which means that you can generally buy bigger, or more, plants; essentially making your budget work harder for you.  So, this is a great way to buy plants generally, but trees and hedging plants especially.

With no (usually) plastic pots to dispose of, bare root plants are also considered to be a much more sustainable and environmentally friendly choice for purchasing plants.  And as long as they are planted correctly, bare root plants are thought to establish much faster than planted container plants too and are arguably less likely to fail because they’re being planted when dormant; which also means, that less water is required than for plants that are planted in full bloom during the summer months! 

As garden designers bare root plants are a no brainer for us but for many of our clients as the weather changes, their minds turn away from their gardens in autumn and winter, often not returning to them until the weather picks up again in the spring.  Unfortunately, at this time, bare root season has ended, and with it the opportunity to avail our clients of some serious savings on plants, since most of our clients don’t want to wait until the following winter for their planting.  If this is you, it might be worth evaluating your borders now in order to make some savings on plant costs before bare root season ends.

Review and plan

We can help, of course, and our plant prices are extremely competitive, but to do it yourself look at the plants you already have and consider whether they are working together or against each other; is the border missing anything like colour or height or seasonal interest; is there enough variety of forms and textures of plants; is there a good mix of shrubs, perennials, trees, groundcover, etc; is there enough foliage, or too much foliage, too many flowers or not enough; are there any gaps that need filling, or is everything congested and could do with cutting back or dividing or thinning; does the border look and feel how you would like it to, does it fit with the rest of your garden?

Make a note of everything you’ve observed along with the aspect, size and shape of the border and then try to create a plan of it as you would like it to be. If you can draw your border and the general sizes of your existing plants to scale it will help you visualise the sizes and positions of any additional plants you may need. If you’re creating a new border the same principle applies, although obviously a lot more plants will be included on your list.

When choosing plants make sure they will work with the existing plants you have as well as the sunlight levels, space, soil type and pH that will be available to them in your border.  If you can start thinking about it now, you might well be able to make the most of bare root season too so not only could you make some savings on plant costs, but your newly spruced up border will be ready and waiting for those first rays of spring sunshine!  Win-win all round!

Don't forget where we are if you need help with your garden border planting, bare root season or otherwise! Contact us to find out more.

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!

February Gardens

February is usually a cold month and can often be colder than January, but it looks to be another year of changeable weather for us - very wet and unseasonably mild.

This month we really start to notice the days getting that little bit longer and there are often a few sunny days to look forward to too! The warmer days can tempt us outside but don’t be fooled there's still a likelihood of cold winds, heavy frosts and maybe even a sprinkling of snow so remember, early sowing of seeds and planting out may lead to disappointment!

On those days warm enough to get outside and enjoy you’ll be able to see signs of life beginning to stir in and around your garden! Snowdrops and crocuses are already up and flowering in many areas and even the daffodils have made an appearance making everywhere look so much brighter and cheerier! We're already seeing them peeping through in many of our client's gardens here in Kenilworth and Warwickshire.

This month is a really great time to prune trees, roses, shrubs and climbers that are due to be cut back in late winter. Buds are already appearing on many plants and it’s best to finish the winter pruning just before the spring time growth spurt really begins so sooner rather than later is the mantra for this year so far!

Take a walk around the garden on a warmer day and check that your recently planted trees and shrubs haven’t been lifted by the frost or strong winds (known as wind rock). If they have, gently firm them in – those that have been planted the previous year should have had plenty of time to grow out from their root balls.

Last month we mentioned planning what you wanted to do in your garden this year, whether it was making a new veggie bed, to moving or dividing plants through to re-designing part or the entire garden. So, if you are considering having a new veggie bed now is the time to plan for it and a few questions to ask yourself are:

Once you’ve answered those questions it’s time to get started. If there is turf in the area you want to use simply skim it off the surface and then fork over the soil and let the remaining frosts break it down and it will also give it time to settle! Have a look through the seed catalogues or go and visit a local garden centre for inspiration!

February Garden Jobs

There’s still lots to do in the winter garden!

January Gardens

Whoever said January was a boring month for gardening? Just take a look out of your windows at all the colour, ok it’s not from flowers blooming but look at the evergreens, the bare branches and the different colour barks often covered in frost.

If you’re very lucky (or unlucky depending on your view!) snow will add more interest and if you don’t have a snowfall this month you should still be guaranteed a frost or two! We've had a very mild winter again so far so chances are you will catch sight of a few Spring bulbs popping up to take advantage of the days getting a fraction lighter.

This is a great time of year to begin planning ahead in the comfort of indoors, deciding how you want your private space to look. So get out those seed catalogues or gardening magazines/books and write a list of which seeds (or if seeds feel risky, plants) to buy for the year ahead. You may even decide to buy a greenhouse and erect it ready for sowing your seeds or buy a compost bin and water butt – you can’t start preparing too early!

There are still lots of jobs to be done even on those cold and wintery days - an ideal way to burn off the mince pies and Christmas pud!

January Garden Jobs

This year has (so far) begun unseasonably mild again which means we have the opportunity to get out into our gardens early paving the way for spring. It also means that some plants will be flowering a bit too early so keep your eyes on those tender plants especially as the chances of a cold snap will still exist for the next few months.
See below for a list of jobs that can be done this month.

Winter, you’ve never smelled so good

Winter, you’ve never smelled so good

According to a recent garden trends survey 49% of us use our gardens to feed/watch or to encourage wildlife.  We spend around £250 million a year on feeding birds alone but whilst many of us step up our bird feeding habits through the winter it can be a tough time of year for our beleaguered winter-active pollinators, with natural food sources being generally, and literally, very thin on the ground.  But that doesn’t have to be the case in our gardens.  There are some fantastic winter flowering plants that can not only be a life saving food source for our pollinators, but can also add beauty, interest and often masses of scent to our winter gardens too.  

In no particular order here are some of our scented winter favourites that are perfect for pollinators too:

Winter flowers tend to be less showy than their other-season counterparts but they do often pack a punch scent-wise since that is one of their main communication tools for attracting pollinators.  So, including as many plants like these in your winter garden will pretty much guarantee a busy, pollinator-viewing winter experience.  Though in terms of designing with scent try to choose plants whose scents complement each other rather than compete.  Too many different scents can be overpowering but if all you’re likely to do is look at your winter garden through the windows of your home then competing scents aren’t going to be problematic. If you’re likely to be immersed in your winter garden then choosing plants whose scents complement each other or placing plants carefully when scents are likely to compete with each other, then becomes key.

Generally speaking, placing scented plants under windows, or next to doorways and gates and along pathways or the edges of patios, works wonderfully well for us because they allow us to engage more easily with their scent.  But wherever they are placed, scented, winter-flowering plants can be life-savers for our winter-active pollinators.

Don’t be fooled by gardens in winter

Winter isn’t ‘dead’

It may be the ‘dead’ of winter, but don’t be fooled… contrary to popular belief winter gardens have an awful lot going for them. Not only can a well designed garden look gorgeous in winter, in terms of both gardening and design there is also lots to do in, and about, the garden at this time of year.

...winter can be one of our busiest seasons because for those clients who want to enjoy their garden in the spring and early summertime, it is in winter where all the work is required

As garden designers we’re often asked if we get the winter ‘off’ but honestly, winter can be one of our busiest seasons because for those clients who want to enjoy their garden in the spring and early summertime, it is in winter where all the work is required. The garden design, build and planting process can take anything from 5 to 24 weeks from date of sign up, and even longer in some circumstances – the weather, resource availability and other factors can often get in the way – so counting backwards, if you want to be enjoying those early rays of April sunshine in your newly designed garden you need to be confirmed in our work schedule in December, January or mid-February at the very latest.

But even if a professional garden designer and landscaper isn’t for you; it is in winter that the best laid plans for your garden need to be hatched. It is winter time that allows you to see the underlying structure of your garden and judge whether or not it’s working; it is winter time that is best for physically addressing those structural problems while plants are dormant and space is clear for movement; it is winter time that is the best time for moving plants that you want to keep because of that dormancy and it is the wintertime that precedes the time you most want to enjoy your garden, enabling you to be ready and prepared for the spring ‘rush’ to be outdoors.

If you’re not redesigning but looking after your garden the winter offers the best opportunity to prune trees and shrubs such as wisteria, fruit trees (though not stone fruit trees like plum or cherry), climbing roses, acers and vines. It is a great time for propagating many perennials from root cuttings and shrubs and trees from hard wood cuttings. It is also the best time for the maintenance of structures and tools and there are still many garden maintenance tasks that, if done regularly, will benefit your garden greatly when it does begin to come out of hibernation.

In terms of designing for a beautiful winter garden for next year, structure is the key here.

In terms of designing for a beautiful winter garden for next year, structure is the key here. Structure can be provided by a number of means: well placed evergreen plants, for instance, with different forms, texture and heights really come into their own in a winter garden. Hedge lines and simple topiary shapes like balls and pyramids can look fantastic as do ‘gone over’ seed heads and the stark imposing shapes of deciduous trees. Sheds, obelisks, pergolas, art, water features and trellis all offer structural opportunities for the winter garden along with hard landscaping features like pathways, steps and walls. And don’t forget colour too, just because it’s winter your garden doesn’t have to be dull – think of the neon winter bark of cornus and willow, the bright red berries of holly and the acid yellow/orange flowers of hamamelis, to name a few; not to mention the extensive array of paint hues and shades available to us for a man-made intervention.

Tempted to get out of your cosy armchair yet?? Go on! You know you want to and spring will be here before you know it!

Top 5 Shrubs for Late Winter, Early Spring

There are so many amazing shrubs out there and I don’t think they get the recognition they deserve. I could wax lyrical about why everyone should have them in their gardens, what qualities they add to the garden and how hard some of them really do work for us. I thought I'd share with you my top 5 late winter/early spring flowering shrubs I often use when I’m designing gardens that will add visual interest and some are also scented! 

For adding that bit of drama and excitement that spring is surely here you can’t beat a Forsythia, the yellow flowers that arrive around March can’t help but make you feel cheery. It makes a great centre-piece and is as equally at home as part of a mixed border. It can also make a pretty good hedge too. Try Forsythia x intermedia ‘Lynwood Variety’ as it is tolerant of most soils and aspects - it prefers full sun or part shade.

Sarcococca confusa also known as Christmas box, its flowers are white, sweetly scented and are in their full glory from December through to March. It likes full or partial shade and is a slow growing evergreen shrub. This looks great as a specimen plant as well as planted in a mixed border or even a container. Plant it by a pathway or a door you’ll get the full benefit of that vanilla scent which really brightens up a wintery day!

Chaenomeles x superba ‘Crimson and Gold' the ornamental quince, it bears bright crimson-red flowers with gold anthers on bare stems from March until May and is a welcome injection of colour at this time of year. It is a compact shrub that grows to about 1m in height and 2m in width making it great for a small garden where space is limited, it can be trained espaliered against a wall, it prefers full sun or part shade and is happy on a north facing wall.

Hamamelis, the Witch Hazel family are incredible at this time of year and we particularly like Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ because it is a little different to the usual yellow witch hazels. It flowers well before the Camellias and Rhododendrons welcoming the start of the gardening year and the deep dusty orange petals can be seen unfurling in January giving an injection of colour but also of scent too! Its leaves turn yellows and reds in the autumn. It prefers full sun and part shade, well drained soils and will cope with minimal pruning but without can grow quite large so is ideal for the back of borders.

Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn' flowers for a long time especially in milder winters, it can start in late autumn with the last of the flowers being seen late March. Flowers are scented and pink, the dense clusters can be seen on bare branches making them really stand out on a winter's day but they will look even better with a darker background such as a hedge to show them off. If it gets hit by frost it will produce more flowers within a few days or so, it prefers full sun but will grow in dappled shade and likes well drained soil. Plant at the back of borders as it can get quite tall and beware of the berries which can cause a mild stomach upset if eaten. This shrub will really work hard for you!