Dreaming of warm summer days in your garden
With snow on the ground, and freezing temperatures, we are dreaming of warm summer days and relaxing in the garden (although it seems ages away!) We have quite a few members of the Move Revolution team with ‘green fingers’ – who love gardens – not just our own, but the opportunity to see so many wonderful gardens as part of our job. Whether you have a small courtyard or a larger garden… taking a little time, to make it a place to relax, is definitely worth all the effort! As many of you know Renée Canter; AKA The Girl who Gardens is our resident ‘Move Revolution Garden Blogger’… we asked her for her hints and top tips
Hints and tips from Garden and Planting Designer Renée Canter; AKA The Girl who Gardens:
- Look at your garden from an upstairs window NOW! In Winter you’ll be able to see the structure of your garden; the lawn, the beds and the paths. Using simple shapes and lines for all these elements makes for an unfussy structure that will be easy on the eye.
- Using the same materials for landscaping lets the eye run smoothly round the garden, so if you are thinking about making any changes don’t use too many different materials. Treating or painting fences so they are all 1 shade of a colour will also help.
- Hiding the boundaries makes it harder to gauge the size and shape of the garden – so you don’t see a square box! Use climbers to disguise the fences or paint fences a dark brown, grey or black to help the plants in front of them stand out more than the fence!
- Focal points give interest for the eye and create paths in the garden – these can be specimen plants, sculpture or other points of interest. They draw you into the garden to explore.
- Spring and Autumn are the best times for planting and if possible borders should be generously sized. A 1 –1.5m deep border will give you the depth to layer the planting from back to front.
- Less is more. Using less variety of different plants but more of individual plants will give a bigger impact and make the borders look less ‘busy’. Repetition of plants also brings harmony and allows the eye to travel over the borders. Planting in odd numbers also brings a more natural look and enables you to get more impact.
- Organic matter! Put as much manure or compost on your garden as you can – it will really help to condition your soil and your plants will love you! You want well-rotted manure or compost (it shouldn’t smell!) and the best time to put it down is November – December. At this time you can literally spread it out on the top of your beds and leave it – the winter weather will break it down!
- If you think there is something missing from your planting but can’t put a finger on it, try taking photos every month. It may be that you then find out that there’s no colour in July – September for example and this can focus your next plant shopping trip!
Renée works throughout Surrey helping families create the gardens they want to enjoy. If you need more help in getting yours ready for the Summer get in touch with her at www.thgirlwhogardens.co.uk
If you are thinking of moving our expert team would love to chat, just give them a call on 0330 223 1000 book a valuation our team would love to hear from you – our expert team are looking forward to chatting with you 0330 223 1000
Louise Simpson – Area Sales Manager, Nutfield Office – Reigate / Redhill / Oxted / Caterham Area
Paul Brice – Director, Crawley Office – Crawley, East Grinstead, Lingfield, Horsham
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Zac Ship – Area Sales Manager, Royal Tunbridge Wells Office – Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks
Paul Mulligan – Area Sales Manager, Croydon Office – Croydon, Purley, Kenley, West Wickham, Sanderstead, Bromley
