A well-maintained and feature-filled garden can add more than just a splash of nature to a home, it has been suggested. Joe Swift, a gardening expert and presenter of BBC programme Gardener’s World, pointed out that by installing features such as decking and paving consumers can help to increase the value of their home. He stated that plants, containers and summer houses are among the popular items which homeowners are currently purchasing for their green spaces. However, [...]

Planning The first task you should do is carefully plan how and where you are going to install your garden fountains.  The first part of the planning phase is to consider the area/dimension of your garden, patio or decking area and the maximum size fountain which the space could comfortably hold without it looking out of place or obtrusive.  If you buy your garden fountain too large then it will dominate the space and look unsightly, [...]

Where to start At a basic level, garden areas should be clean and clear of clutter, so prepare for a cleansing Spring clean-out and trip to your recycling centre. Beyond this, a range of annual remedial works might be required, for example a check whether the fencing and paved areas are in good condition? Are trees and shrubs neat and tidy? Are lawn areas green, groomed and refreshing or simply jaded weeded patches? Apart [...]

There are still leaves to be swept, borders to clear and trees to prune. Laying the ground work for this year’s planting such as digging new beds and borders, re-laying turf, spreading and digging in manure and laying paving are all good jobs for this time of year. Most of these tasks will make you break into a sweat and at this time of the year when we’re trying to catch up with our resolutions to [...]

By December, most gardeners have raked all their leaves, finished planting their spring bulbs and are preparing to patiently wait until spring to visit the garden again. If, however, you don’t mind the snow or freezing temperatures you don’t need to put all those tools away just yet. Winter can be a busy time for gardeners. Planning, of course, is important but there are a few other things which can be done as well which [...]