In the January edition of the Garden Design Journal Magazine, Artscape Design & Build worked closely together with fellow garden designer Tresa Pulford of Bluesteam Designs. Together, they created spectacular designs which included a log wall and a contemporary sandstone pond which was surrounded by textual planting with jewel flowers. Click the link below to view the full article.
Gardening Tips for MayMay 3rd, 2012It is going to be that time of the year when the temperatures increase and our gardens will soon blossom.
There are several new issues to look out for when maintaining your garden:
Garden Designers Prepare for ChelseaMarch 18th, 2012No doubt with Chelsea Flower Show approaching a few Berkshire Garden Designers will be preparing to exhibit. As with all major flower shows garden designers spend months, sometimes years getting ready for the show. They will now be in the final stages, sourcing materials and plants, which need to be in perfect condition on the few days of the show. At Artscape, Berkshire’s leading Garden Designers we know the amount of effort involved having twice won ‘Best Garden’ at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Efforts are concentrated on getting the timing right and inevitably that means a considerable amount of work well before the garden building commences a couple of weeks before the show itself. Garden features add that special somethingMarch 8th, 2012The selection of the right garden features can really enhance a garden. Artscape, prestige garden designers based in Berkshire, help their clients choose the perfect features from a range of suppliers, many supplying products that you won’t find anywhere else. These unique products include unusual water features, scupltures, and pots. Of course we have considerable knowledge of planting – over 25 years in fact – so we help our clients create gardens that are very special. Producing a design that matches the client’s needs and then choosing every element from the plants to the features is something that requires considerable experience. Not only, being able to design but knowledge of plants, materials and suppliers to be able to produce truly special gardens. See a small selection of the gardens that Artscape have designed and built. Gardening Tips for MarchFebruary 28th, 2012Despite the current increase in temperature frosts are still a hazard, so keep your plants protected. Cold winds can be a problem so ensure that exposed plants are properly supported. Now is a time for a bit of a ’spring clean’:
Growing vegetablesHardy vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, radishes and beets, can be planted from seed as soon as the soil begins to warm up. Vegetable seeds can be started indoors for earlier flowers and produce. Plant seeds three to six weeks before they are to be planted outside. FlowersGladiolus and begonia bulbs can be planted now. For a continuous bloom of gladiolus, plant some every two weeks until mid July. Spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia and lilacs, could be pruned now, but flowers will be cut off if they are pruned before they bloom. Wait until summer to prune plants that are too big. Roses should be pruned in late February or early March to remove old, unproductive and thin, weak canes. Bush types are cut to 12 to 18″ tall. Shrub roses should be left about three feet tall. Climbers should be thinned if tangled. Gardening Tips for AutumnOctober 31st, 2011Berkshire garden designers, Artscape can manage your garden for you – from design, through to build and then, if required maintenance. However if you want to look after the garden yourself, or want to do extra gardening here are a few ideas of things you should be doing this autumn. September and October are the perfect months for you to get outside while the weather is still mild and prepare your garden for the harsh winter months. The first step is to clear up the beds, removing the dead leaves and foliage (turning these into compost if you can) and making way for the groundwork which will keep your plants happy even when the weather is miserable. Weed and cleanThe next job is to weed and clean the paths before spraying them with an organic weed killer which will keep the nasties at bay but which won’t do any damage to the environment. Cleaning your paths now will save you a big job in the spring when you finally brave the gardening which you’ve put off for the cold winter months. Expand your gardenIf you are looking to expand your garden or have a complete overhaul, autumn is actually the best time of year to do this as new plants can make a strong start and ‘bed in’ before the cold weather takes hold and starts to make life difficult for them. The same is true if you wish to relay a lawn, the seed should be given a chance to take root and become strong before the cold weather takes over. Give it a last feedThink of your garden as going into hibernation over the winter, just as animals store food during the summer and autumn in order to survive the winter, so too should your garden with your help. Clear the moss or weeds from any areas of grass and give the grass one last feed before winter sets in, this will help it to stay alive. Tips courtesy of Co-op Magazine Winter Garden DesignOctober 11th, 2011Autumn is upon us and the temptation is to move inside and forget about the garden over winter. However now is the perfect time to be thinking about garden design. If you are considering redesigning your garden, then starting now will ensure that you get the most possible use out of your garden next spring. By working on the garden design now – it will take a few weeks – and then a planting plan, work can start on construction and, where appropriate, planting during the winter. So when spring arrives your new garden will be ready for use and coming to life to give you pleasure for the whole year. If you leave it then you may find that just when you are hoping to sit out in the sun – you may remember that we had a hot spell in April in 2011 – the construction and planting may not be finished. If you would like to speak to someone about garden design give Artscape a call on 01628 629238. We provide garden design and build for clients in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire and London. Getting ready for AutumnSeptember 15th, 20111. Dig out the debris 2. Start composting 3. Embrace autumn colour 4. Love your lawn 5. Cover up the furniture Growing GarlicAugust 29th, 2011The Garlic Farm Cookbook is an informative new collection of recipes which also contains a lot of useful cultural information. There are two different kinds of garlic. Hard necks: these varieties are hardier than soft necks. They produce a flower stalk which should be chopped off so that the plant’s energy goes into making a larger bulb. Soft necks: These keep less well than hard necks and are sometimes eaten ‘green’. They have many culinary uses but are particularly good raw in salad dressings. The cookbook has a very useful guide to the garlic year. Here is an abbreviation, covering autumn and early winter: September: Plant elephant garlic, early varieties: ‘Early Purple Wight’, ‘Early Wight’. Apply general purpose fertilizer to the soil, or some well-rotted manure, well worked in. October: Plant autumn soft necks: ‘Iberian’, ‘Albigensian‘, ‘Mediterranean’, ‘Provence’. Plant in November too. November: Plant autumn hard necks: ‘Purple Moldovan’, ‘Chesnok’. December: ‘Lautrec’ can be planted now. Lawn CareAugust 15th, 2011Lawns are fairly drought resistant compared with other plants, but they can become yellowy-brown, limp and eventually bald if the following precautions are not taken:
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Remove plant debris and diseased leaves from flowers and vegetable patches. Dig up the plants that only last a season and put them on the compost heap. Flowering perennials – plants that spring up year after year from their roots – should be cut back. Remove yellowing or dead leaves or flowers before rot develops and remove any weeds hidden under the plants.