This event is one of its kind in the UK and allows visitors to enrich the earth’s rocks under one roof. It is a very popular event that boasts a range of stone and materials such as granite, marble, limestone, sandstone, travertine, slate and engineered quartz. The exhibition consists of more than 200 visitors presenting more than 5,000 different materials that could be used to furnish many parts of your house such as kitchens, sculptures, wet rooms, bathrooms, fireplaces and much more.

This event is something to look at for an enjoyable day for the atmosphere or to apperciate and consume new ideas for landscaping your garden.

For any garden lover, the Natural Stone Show is definitely an event not to be missed. Visit www.stoneshow.co.uk to be taken to their website and register now so you can recieve a ticket pass for the event and even better, the event is free of charge.

The event opening dates are:

• Tuesday 30th April, 10am – 5pm,
• Wednesday 1st of May 10am – 5pm
• Thursday 2nd of May 10am – 5pm

Artscape are proud to announce an exhibition known as The Garden Gallery. It exhibits contemporary sculpture, ceramics, glass and furniture for gardens and interiors, and represents about 50 artists.  The invitation illustrates a small selection of pieces to be shown this year, by regular artists such as Charlotte Mayer FRBS, and others new to the gallery including Mark Beattie, Robyn Golden-Hann, Tim Harrisson ARBS, Alyosha Moeran, Peter Randall-Page FRBS, Colin Reid ARBS and Guy Stevens ARBS.

The Sculpted Stone will feature work in a variety of stones, offering the opportunity to study this ancient intriguing material and consider how it contributes to the identity of landscape.

The Garden Gallery is taking part in the Chelsea Fringe, “a festival of flowers, gardens and gardening” founded by Tim Richardson.  See www.chelseafringe.com.

The Chronicle reported that Artscape were winners at the APL Awards 2013 for our Seaside Garden which turned a steep garden in to a garden with a ‘wow’ factor.

The garden was really overgrown and climbs at an angle of 45 degrees but Ross Moyse, Director at Artscape Design and Build said “I could see the potential.”

Jusges commented, “the design and planting is brilliantly sympathetic to the setting and very photogenic”

View the article and see pictures of the garden.

Winner – Seaside Garden

Artscape Design & Build created a stunning seaside garden with fantastic views over the River Dart. As the garden of a holiday property the aim of the project was to deliver a ‘wow’ factor’ and maximise rental value. Key to this was making smart use of a steep bank that led to a view point at the top of the garden. Artscape introduced timber staircases and boardwalks with handrails that meandered through planting and up the slope to give access to an upper deck terrace providing a relaxation and dining area. The front garden and lower deck were harmonised using matching granite paving, across the front door, storage and seating areas, and finished with a modern trellis and bamboo planting to provide screening and privacy.  The judges commented that the design and planting is “brilliantly sympathetic to the setting and very photogenic. There can be no doubt that the client’s brief, which included adding a ‘wow factor’ to the property, will have been met.”

See pictures of the garden.

Commended – Contemporary Family Garden

Artscape Design & Build Ltd constructed a contemporary garden with a strong geometric design providing a terrace for dining and a comfortable seating area. There is a large lawn for play and an area with a trampoline and climbing frame semi screened in the garden with a bay hedge and vegetable garden. Judges commented that the garden was “A great family garden of good scale in which the proportions work well.”

Project Value under £20,000

See pictures of the garden.

Commended – Courtyard Garden, Cliveden

Artscape Design & Build brought this courtyard to life by transforming it from a simple open space into a traditional life filled garden incorporating a dining and storage area and complimenting its prestigious surroundings. The judges commented that: “They have made a really intimate yet usable space which really showcases the plant collocation. It is comfortable, simplistic and soft, giving a marvellous impression.”

See pictures of the garden.

Commended – Swimming Pool Landscaping and Vegetable Garden

Artscape Design and Build renovated a disused swimming pool in a large open garden to produce a natural looking focal point. A heated pool with intimate planting and a pond with a board walk bridge were integrated into the space, complemented by a gazebo that created a lounge area. Artscape also located a raised bed, vegetable garden and decorative green house. Judges commented that this project which has been allowed to mature “really brings the swimming pool into context with the garden in a sympathetic way.”

Project Value £100,000-£250,000

See pictures of the garden.

The event celebrating 40 years of teaching landscaping at the college attracted some of the leading figures in the industry, many of them former Merrist Wood lecturers or students whose work has won medals at the Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace Flowers Shows. Among them was David Dodd, who appeared on ITV’s recent series of Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh.

Keynote speaker David Winn, of Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for land-based and environmental industries, outlined plans to develop a professional skills framework and invited businesses and training organisations to contribute their views. He explained that Lantra has funding from the Employment and Innovation Fund to produce the framework for land-based industries and was working with BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries) and businesses to agree a minimum level of competence across the sector.

“During the forthcoming months we will be trying to contact as many businesses as possible for their contribution, as both qualifications and expertise must be part of the framework if it is to engage with all in the sector,” he said.

In his welcoming speech at the celebration, lecturer in landscape construction Tony Begg told guests that the event was also to honour the contribution of the late Brian Norcliffe, who introduced the first Ordinary National Diploma in landscape construction at Merrist Wood in the 1970s. The course had paved the way to new standards in landscape training, which had previously been confined largely to parks maintenance, he said. Mr Norcliffe was also instrumental in the founding of BALI, whose first Annual General Meeting was held at the college in 1972.

Guests at the event included two former national BALI chairmen Paul Cowell and Robert Gardiner and current vice-chairman Robert Field, who said he had enjoyed reminiscing about the old days and noted that landscape training at the college was “as strong as ever”. Robin Williams, founder member of the Society of Garden Designers, commented that he felt privileged to have been a lecturer at the college.

Merrist Wood director John Nutt said: “Forty years of teaching landscaping is a huge achievement and we are very proud of our former lecturers and students and the current strong teaching team. Many former students who are now very successful senior managers and business owners still visit the college to deliver guest lectures as well as providing work experience opportunities for our current students.”

To contribute to the development of the professional skills framework for land based industries, interested parties are asked to contact David Winn at david.winn@lantra.co.uk  

For more information on landscape training at Merrist Wood College, visit www.merristwood.ac.uk

Larson4Artsc

Autumn is the best time to buy garden maintenance care tools as a lot of deals are on offer with the exceptions of products such as chain saws, snow shovels and other bulky items.  Spend your time searching for new tools to replace old broken tools that have seen better days. After you have a new set of instruments, your first task is to clear up the beds, removing the dead leaves and foliage. Try and turn these into compost.

Secondly, tug out all of the weeds and then apply an organic weed killer to prevent any more weeds from growing, doing this now will save you from tackling this issue in the spring.
If you’re thinking about laying new plants and expanding your garden then this is the right time to do so. Laying new plants in now will mean they will be set for the winter months.
Another idea to expand is to take cuttings. Cuttings should be around 10cm tall and you should remove any lower leaves before planting them. To keep in vital ingredients in the soil, spread some wood chippings across the soil to keep it fertile throughout the year.Your garden is going into hibernation over the winter, so give your lawn one more feed before to ensure it has enough food to last throughout.

By following these tips – your garden should be free of weeds, and ready to tackle the winter successfully and easily.

I liked the way that the gardens combine classic style with contemporary touches recreating an English Country house garden. Some of the features of the property include a 200 year old olive tree in the courtyard which is situated behind the entrance of a grand oak doorway.  The manor’s gardens, manicured lawns, stone pathways lime trees and other features which have been incorporated have all worked together to give a very traditional English feeling and look to the whole of the manor. There is also a burst of wildlife as the Sherston Avon, a subsidiary of the River Avon runs alongside the boundary of the grounds and is home to kingfishers and swans.

I really enjoyed my visit to Whatley Manor – if anyone wants to get away from normality and spend a few days in luxury then this is a great place to go to. It defines how a traditional English hotel should be. The gardens really compliment the hotel with each garden being unique. The manor can look wonderful at any time of the year due to the care and attention to detail.

For example ,the grass can be used in shady areas where grass won’t grow, for hard wearing areas of lawn perhaps were children and dogs regularly go, and can even be used on driveways and additional parking where a hard visual appearance isn’t wanted.  It can also be used on banks to reduce maintenance.

Namgrass design and, manufacture market-leading artificial grass products.  With a reputation for quality Artscape have chosen to become a Namgrass installer because we want to offer high quality artificial grass as part of providing the best solution to our customers.

Artificial grass is becoming increasingly more common for home owners and businesses. Grass can be difficult to maintain if sunlight isn’t consistent or you don’t experience much rain (obviously not this year so far!). This can lead to rough patches of soil or yellow grass, which does not give an aesthetic look. Artificial grass can help solve this problem. It offers very realistic grass which does not need any maintenance.

Other uses for artificial grass is wide: car parks, sports areas, schools, nurseries, lawns and gardens, balconies and terraces.

Inholmes – located at Woodland St. Mary, is owned by Lady Williams, the wife of a F1 driver. The garden boasts in a spacious 10 acres, offering great views of parkland, rose beds, cutting and sunken garden. The gardens combine traditional and modern features with highly individual touches like the spooky wood, brightly painted gates and benches. There are opportunities to walk to the lake and through meadow. This is a very vibrant garden with lots of flowers blooming with colour in the summer.

Rooknest – situated at Ermine Street, Lambourn Woodlands – is a fine traditional English garden approximately 10 acres in size. Rooksnest has a newly re-designed and planted pond area, herb garden, organic vegetables, and glasshouses. A very neat and green garden accompanied with specimen trees and fine shrubs. Rooksnest was mostly designed by Arabella Lennox-Boyd.

The National Garden Scheme (NGS) is a registered charity and raises money for Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care and Cross Roads Care amongst others.

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