RHS Chelsea: Champion of the Show Circuit

Marshalls Living Street, designed by Lime Orchard's  Ian Dexter
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2009

With ticket selling out eleven days before the first open day for RHS members, this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show looks set to be a major success – and even the weather forecast looks positive!
Opposite ends of the same spectrum are being pushed to extremes at the 2010 event; bringing the great outdoors and plants galore inside whilst taking the indoors and all its home comforts outside into the garden.

Wet bars, showers and fire places in gardens as well as kitchens taken over by orchids, walls papered with artificial grass and a living office which boasts a computer fan powered propagator, these are among the ‘firsts’ to be celebrated at Chelsea this year, with designers really pushing the boundaries to integrate the indoors with the outdoors.

For those of you who didn’t manage to secure a ticket, beat the crowds and catch coverage of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on BBC One and Two from Sunday 23rd May through to Sunday 30th May.

Lime Orchard - Your Dream Garden Designed, Built, Planted
 

Solar Decathlon - The Heat is on...

Lime Orchard is delighted to be associated with Nottingham University’s entry in the Solar Decathlon 2010, which will be held in Madrid, in June. The 40 strong team of students from the University are representing Britain in the first ever Solar Decathlon Europe and are hoping their Nottingham H.O.U.S.E (a family home optimizing the use of solar energy) entry will beat off stiff competition from 19 other universities from across the globe.

Our very own Design Director, Ian Dexter has been working closely with Michelin-starred chef Sat Bains. Ian’s brief is to design a garden capable of delivering ecologically sourced food which will be used to create a memorable dining experience in the house, during the competition. Click Here for a video of the team's tasting at Restaurant Sat Bains.

Ian’s garden sets out to provide a mix of fruit and vegetables planted amongst soft grasses and flowering herbaceous plants. The long term aim of the resulting succesion of food crops is to help sustain the family who might live in the house designed by the students. Fragrances and textures also characterise the planting choice thus heightening the sensory interaction of the family to their living environment.

Visit http://www.nottinghamhouse.co.uk/ to follow the team's progress

Lime Orchard - Your Dream Garden Designed, Built, Planted

Summer = Al Fresco Entertainment

We’re about to enter the season where your garden really comes into its own as a natural alfresco entertainment zone.  Whether it’s a formal outdoor dinner party or simply an impromptu barbecue, a dedicated patio area is a must if you want to make the most of the warmer weather. With more and more of us looking to extend our living space, the garden has become a natural gathering place for friends and family, providing a spacious area for us to mingle and eat – without the hindrance of indoor walls!

 Gone are the days when patios were simply a concreted block outside your kitchen, today’s stylish and ultra convenient outside eating spaces now go as far as boasting their own outdoor kitchens! Whereas once the outdoor entertainment zone might simply feature a barbecue,  today’s more sophisticated alfresco kitchens might incorporate separate cooking and grilling areas, a wine cooler, specialist pizza oven and of course, a suite of outdoor furniture.  Combine this with the latest garden lighting and heating innovations and a super cool sound system and you are likely to find yourself spending far more time outside than in (weather permitting of course) this summer.  Why not speak to one of our Garden Designers to see how your garden can be transformed to enhance its outdoor entertainment credentials? Subscribe to Garden Living by Email

Lime Orchard - Your Dream Garden Designed, Built, Planted
 

Ditch the Daily Commute

Whereas working from home used to be reserved for ‘mumpreneurs’ or retirees looking to make some extra money, this trend has been sharply reversed as more and more employers recognise the benefits of flexible working arrangements.  If you are looking to reduce the commute to your office and have the opportunity to work full or part-time from home, or, if you are looking to launch your own business and don’t want to incur pricey office rental costs - or maybe you simply want to create  a dedicated home office / craft project area distinct from your day to day living accommodation, then your outdoor space could provide the perfect solution. 

With websites such as www.shedworking.co.uk delivering ‘a lifestyle guide for shed workers’ it is clear that the home working revolution has gathered momentum but today’s home offices are a million miles away from the poorly converted garden sheds of yesteryear. Although the garden office has been around for quite some time now, its basic designs have evolved considerably over recent years. Indeed, modern garden offices, offer attractive, fully functional and potentially lucrative additions to the home,  equipped with solid walls, floors, cladding, electrics and even plumbing to provide a peaceful and pleasant environment for home workers.  And don’t forget, it’s not just money that is saved by avoiding rising petrol / travel costs -  you’ll also be doing your bit to save the planet by reducing your carbon footprint … 
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Lime Orchard - Your Dream Garden Designed, Built, Planted