Planting Perfection

The aesthetic beauty of any garden,  will always largely be determined by the final choice of plants that have been selected to adorn the outdoor space – and the manner in which the plants are displayed. If you like, so many of our customers, aspire to own a stylish outside room – but have zero time or interest in ‘gardening’ per se, the likelihood is that you won’t necessarily have a clear understanding of which plants you should consider to inject a dash of designer flair into the garden.

However, don’t despair if your fingers lack the ‘green’ midas touch, Lime Orchard is offering a brand new planting plan service to customers.  Not only can we deliver a cracking proposed planting plan for the garden (or even just for a new border) - which includes details of the variety, position and suggested size of each plant – we can also draw upon our extensive contacts to supply and plant everything you need for your new look garden. Because we buy through trade nurseries we can offer you the best prices on the supply of plants which will typically save you a whopping 20% less than what you would expect to pay in a garden centre!

And even if you enjoy the hard graft of planting up, we can help make the job a little less stressful by bringing in a team to help clear existing areas, dig over and improve the soil so you can get going as soon as the plants are delivered.

To find out more about Lime Orchard's Planting Services click here >

Nottinghamshire Schools Garden Design Competition

SEARCH FOR BUDDING JUNIOR GARDEN DESIGNERS
Nottinghamshire children invited to design the ultimate alfresco classroom …

 A countywide schools competition has been launched to seek out the region’s budding junior garden designers – with the winning school receiving a professional garden design consultation from award winning local company, Lime Orchard (worth £2,000).
Nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools in the area have been tasked with the challenge, which invites students (with a little help from the teaching staff!) to design an inspirational outdoor learning space.
The project, which requires entries to be submitted s via a sketch and short written description - is designed to help local learning establishments appreciate the proven benefits of the alfresco classroom. A survey of 700 schools and early learning settings, commissioned by Learning through Landscapes (the national school grounds charity) proved that schools which have invested in and improved their outdoor facilities for pupils, experience significant tangible benefits such as

• enhanced pupil behaviour (73% of respondents)
• a reduction in bullying (64% of respondents)
• improved attitudes towards learning (65% of respondents)
• better social interaction (84% of respondents)
• increased community / parental involvement (66% of respondents)

And in June of this year, the Royal Horticultural Society released findings from a study of 1,300 teachers and 10 schools which confirmed that taking part in gardening can make a child feel happy and boost their development’. It found children in schools that encouraged gardening became more resilient, confident and lived healthier lives, resulting in the RHS saying ‘school gardening should be used as a key teaching tool, rather than as an extra-curricular activity’.
Judy Behl, managing director of Lime Orchard comments:

"There is a vast body of evidence to prove that children really thrive in schools with a good outdoor learning facility. Having been involved in a national RHS Chelsea Flower Show project to design the garden that ‘children really really want’, we are very much aware of how much enthusiasm children have for the alfresco classroom. Following on from our RHS Chelsea experience, it made total sense to capture some of that inspiration and passion amongst local children here in the county of Nottingham”.

The competition, will run from October 2010 to February 2011, with judging taking place during March 2011.

Click here to contact us for further information

Visit our Schools Garden Design Page for more inspiration!

Wildlife Wonderland

Regardless of whether or not you are a wildlife enthusiast, you can’t escape the fact that your outdoor space is always going to be a living zone shared with various species of wildlife. These could be a family of hedgehogs or bumblebees, frogs, earwigs, birds, badgers – the list is endless. But as you go about your garden tidying tasks this autumn, it is important to remember that the fallen leaves, dead stems and log piles which we refer to as  ‘mess’ and feel duty bound to clear up represents ‘home’ for many wildlife visitors.

A recent Facebook poll on Gardenersworld.com suggests many of us are willing to compromise our gardening practices for wildlife. It is possible to be tidy AND care for wildlife at the same time, it just takes a little forethought.  So rather than throwing any garden debris onto a compost heap or bonfire, just move it  to a corner of the garden out of sight, but where it can still benefit insects and mammals. Think about creating hibernaculums (a winter home for hibernating animals) out of natural materials, for example you can bundle tree branches behind pots for insects, gather bags of leaves which can be crammed into corners to provide shelter for frogs, slugs, and snails or leave a stack of logs in a damp, shady corner to attract hedgehogs, beetles and amphibians.  And don’t forget you can invite a variety of  birds into the garden if you regularly provide them with food during the winter,  see below for a list of preferred menu options for specific species of bird!

House sparrows, dunnocks, finches, reed buntings and collared doves: small seeds, such as millet

Blackbirds: flaked, maize , dog and cat food

Tits and greenfinches: peanuts and sunflower seeds

Goldfinches and siskins: Nyjer seeds

Greenfinches, house sparrows, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and siskins: peanuts

Robins, dunnocks and wrens: crushed or grated nuts, mild grated cheese

It Pays to Improve - Not Move

House prices are said to be sliding again and some are saying Chancellor George Osborne’s  spending review will accelerate the market’s decline.

Even before the Chancellor announced his £81 billion cuts, property prices were coming under severe pressure. The prospect of nearly 500,000 public sector job losses will make things worse by increasing the number of distressed sales.

Last month mortgage lending hit its lowest level for a decade at just £12 billion, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. This followed shock figures from Halifax showing a record 3.6 per cent drop in house prices in September, the biggest fall in 27 years.  So if ever there was a time to sit tight and ensure you exploit the full potential of the property you already own it’s now. 

"Improve, Don’t Move" has become a tired phrase but it still rings true for many home owners, who may be forced to opt out of the buying / selling chain but nonetheless need to ensure their current home really does tick all the boxes.  And it goes without saying, why move when you can gain extra living accommodation from your outdoor space!   Garden studios and outside offices continue to grow in popularity while decking and patio installations can provide a year round entertainment and / or safe play area.  Speak to us for details of how to design these new features into your existing garden landscape.