Do you have an outdoor building in your garden? I would guess that most of us have a shed of some sort, but increasingly we are looking to our outdoor areas to provide additional living space too. Rising house prices, the growing popularity of home working, and the trend towards slower living and re-connecting with nature are just a few factors contributing to the growing range of garden buildings on the market. If you’re looking to ...
5 must-have tips for creating the perfect garden room
The arrival of a new year often gets us thinking about new home and garden projects; what's on your to-do list? I'm planning a new kitchen with views onto the garden, which will really increase the use of our patio and work wonders for outdoor entertaining. I'm also dreaming about a lovely garden room; if you're looking to maximise your living space without major building work, they're a really great option. If you're thinking about adding a ...
Zoflora’s ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’ Show Garden at Hampton Court Flower Show
Yesterday I visited Hampton Court Flower Show press day as the guest of Zoflora. I was given exclusive access to the show before it opens to the public today, and treated to a hands-on experience of the Zoflora ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’ Show garden, and a preview of their new fragrance, ‘Green Valley’. What a great start to the week! Zoflora are sponsoring a show garden at Hampton Court for the first time this year. Zoflora are very ...
Ideas for creating privacy in a family garden
Do you think of your garden as an outdoor room? At this time of year in particular, our gardens work hard to give us extra space for outdoor dining, family garden games, entertaining, and simply relaxing in the sunshine. Using our gardens more can make us feel the need to create some privacy. Unless your house is situated in a large, detached plot, your garden is likely to be overlooked in some way. Even if you get on well with your ...
Garden design: the best decking for a family garden
Do you have a decked area in your garden? It’s a really popular choice for creating a patio area, and can really enhance the overall impact of your outdoor space. In a family garden decking is a great multi-tasker, providing an area for supervised play, dining, entertaining or simply relaxing in the sunshine. Traditional wooden decking is a popular choice, but when it comes to using it in a family garden, it has it’s drawbacks. In wet or ...
Hard landscaping: getting it right in your garden design
When it comes to designing your garden, the main element that often springs to mind is the plants themselves. It’s very tempting when planning a new garden layout to get carried away designing borders, choosing plants, shrubs and trees, and looking ahead to when everything is blooming nicely. This is all time well spent, but if you’re going to create a successful garden it’s crucial to also give careful thought to the hard landscaping. Hard ...
An English coastal country garden
This week's slice of garden loveliness comes from my mum-in-law's garden in Devon. We visited at the start of the school holidays and while the sun shone I spent a happy hour amongst the flowers with my camera. When Penny and Mike moved to Devon 16 years ago their house had a large patch of land at the back but no garden to speak of - so they just created one from scratch. Among the countless hours of work this involved was the scarily huge ...
Potting heaven: my dream secret shed
I am a gardener. I love my garden and I garden most days, certainly every week. So if I asked you to guess what is in my garden shed you would logically assume it was pretty much dedicated to gardening equipment, right ? Wrong. Here's what's inside our garden shed: Bike x 6 (but only 4 people in our family) Kids' bike seats, spare bike wheels, bike rack for car (can you see a pattern emerging here?) Huge shelving unit full of paint pots, ...
Statement sheds: the latest garden trend
Today’s guest post introduces a whole new side to the humble garden shed. Enjoy! Sheds: a British passion and tradition we already know, but a fashion trend and the latest must have accessory - are you serious? Just a few years ago, you would never have believed that the next big, must-have fashion trend was the humble garden shed, and a television programme dedicated to them would draw in millions of viewers every week. If you had been ...
Using a water pump to enhance your garden
I spend a lot of time daydreaming about my perfect garden. As I learn more and find more inspiration the design changes in my mind, but one thing always remains constant: it has to have a water feature. All that wonderful sensory enjoyment that a water feature brings to a garden is a must-have for my dream outdoor space. Back in the real world, I’d love to see a little bit of my dream made reality by installing a water feature in our ...