Refresh your garden with our Autumn Offers

Looking for inspirational ideas to transform your garden? Then Lime Orchard - an exciting local garden design and build service - is on hand to help you achieve your dream outdoor living zone. We specialise in the creation of refreshingly stylish, beautifully crafted garden spaces! As well as high quality Landscape Construction our services include:

Consultation Service - £150.00

Meet with an experienced designer in your home to formulate a brief and identify the specific needs in relation to your garden. We’ll discuss ideas and advise on how to deal with some of the issues that can impact on realising a plan. For some simple projects, this consultation may be enough for you to get started on building a garden yourself.

Full Design Service – from £395.00

The next step is to create a fully detailed, scaled, coloured master plan. Our designers work with you to ensure every detail is considered and included.  Every garden is different, so, we provide you with a bespoke proposal and costing specific to your project. Our starting price is indicative of a garden (or part of garden) that is up to 200m² and free from significant complications.

Planting Plans – from £150.00

You may already have a hard landscaping scheme or could be looking to liven up a small corner. If so we can provide prices to develop a professional planting plan for an existing garden

 

AUTUMN OFFERS
FREE  GARDEN DESIGN CONSULTATION

Book a free, no obligation visit from a Lime Orchard Professional to discuss your garden project and provide a detailed, competitive cost proposal – normal price £150.00

WIN 10 FREE SHRUBS

Simply arrange a consultation visit from Lime Orchard before the Closing Date and you will be entered in to a prize draw* to win 10 high quality shrubs to plant out this Autumn. Our experts will select the shrubs appropriate for the winner’s garden conditions.

*No Purchase Necessary. Terms & Conditions Apply, available on request

Offer ends 31 OCTOBER 2012

Call us quoting offer FREE VISIT today

www.limeorchard.co.uk

0845 539 1467 

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Many families still choose to celebrate Bonfire Night at home in the privacy of their own garden.  However, according to Environmental Protection UK , lighting up a bonfire should not be something that is done without careful thought and consideration for the environment.  Burning garden waste produces smoke – especially if the waste is green or damp. 

This will emit harmful pollutants including particles and dioxins causing air pollution.  Burning plastic, rubber or painted materials is even worse, since noxious fumes are created which can give off a range of poisonous compounds.  Air pollution can have damaging health effects, and people with existing health problems are especially vulnerable, e.g. asthmatics, bronchitis sufferers, people with heart conditions, children and the elderly.  In addition smoke, smuts and smell from bonfires have long been a source of a significant number of complaints to local authorities every year. Smoke prevents neighbours from enjoying their gardens, opening windows or hanging washing out, and reduces visibility in the neighbourhood and on roads. 

Allotments near homes can cause problems if plot holders persistently burn green waste, and leave fires smouldering. And of course there are important safety issues to consider, fire can spread to fences or buildings and scorch trees and plants. Exploding bottles and cans are a hazard when rubbish is burned. Finally piles of garden waste are often used as a refuge by animals, so look out for hibernating wildlife and sleeping pets before any matches are struck. 

 That said, and contrary to popular belief there are no specific byelaws prohibiting garden bonfires or specifying times they can be lit.  However, this is not a license for indiscriminate burning!  Here are some tips on how to enjoy a safe bonfire this Guy Fawkes!

 -         Warn your neighbours – they are much less likely to complain if you tell them in advance that you are planning a bonfire-

-         Only burn dry material

-         Never burn household rubbish, rubber tyres or anything containing plastic, foam or paint

-         Avoid lighting a fire in unsuitable weather conditions – smoke hangs in the air on damp, still days. If it is too windy, smoke blows into neighbours' gardens and windows and across roads

-         Avoid burning when air pollution levels in your area are high or very high. You can check air quality on 0800 556677 or at www.airquality.co.uk

-         Keep your fire away from trees, fences and buildings

-         Never use oil, petrol or methylated spirits to light a fire – you could damage yourself as well as the environment

Plan Now for Next Year's Dream Garden

Thinking about spending time in the garden may be the furthest thing from your mind as the winter weather sets in and the usual scramble of Christmas chaos starts to gather pace.  But if you are hoping to make some improvements to your outdoor space you really need to start planning this side of Christmas if you want the project completed in time for Spring 2011.

Before you meet with a designer to discuss your dream garden aspirations, you need to review the existing space and identify what you’d like to achieve from your outside living accommodation.  Here are some useful pointers to get yourthinking on track:

-    Ahead of any plotting out of what goes where, make a note of where the sun falls when, so you can plan a dining area in dappled shade; a sun-bathing area in full sun and a children's play area somewhere cool and sheltered

-    Think about privacy. Do you need to work in some tall planting or trellis somewhere so that neighbours can't see into your garden?

-    Will you need to put in an outside tap for a hosepipe? Or, perhaps, if you have kids, a hot tap will be handy, too, for the (few) times it's warm enough to fill up the paddling pool in the summer

-    Be realistic about what you can achieve in your garden if you have children and / or pets. There's little point in creating a splendid display of delicate flowers if you live in constant fear of it being destroyed by boisterous kids or a playful pet!

-    Ponds are probably a no no if you have young children due to the obvious safety hazard they represent - with an average of five children under the age of six drowning in garden ponds in the UK each year, according to RoSPA.  If you want water, you could instead consider a pebble pond or a water feature that has no water basin, thereby eliminating any risk to children

-    What storage will you need now and in the future? You should allow space for not just garden tools, but probably DIY tools, too. Plus, garden furniture, children's toys and bikes

-    Do you plan to do much entertaining in the garden?  Think about easy access to the kitchen and a dedicated ‘eating’ zone These are just a sample of some of the questions you need to ask yourself, for more ideas, advice and inspiration visit www.limeorchard.co.uk    

Alfresco Play

With talk of Britain raising a generation of ‘cotton wool kids’ denied the pleasures of traditional outdoor play as a result of over anxious parents too scared to let their children out alone, the pressure is on to allow kids the opportunity to indulge in some traditional free play in the safety of the home garden.

The risk of a potential knock or fall in the garden pales into insignificance compared with the dangers or raising a child whose experiences are defined by websites and computer games. That said, there are definite guidelines to follow to limit the risk of an accident in the outdoor play room :

• Play surfaces for gardens need to comply with safety standard EN1177, and basically this means that it should be self draining and non slip in order to do things like safely stop muddy patches under swings
• Play equipment must satisfy the British Toy and Hobby Association to standard no EN71-8, which covers swings, slides, and similar activity toys for indoor and outdoor family use. If it does it will display the CE and Lion mark on it as an indication that it has passed the relevant stringent tests and is fit for purpose
• It makes sense to create a dedicated children’s play zone rather than have activities taking place in the middle of your outside entertainment zone! Be sensitive to the need to provide shelter from the sun and also avoid placing any equipment close to walls or a concrete surface
• As well as specific outdoor play equipment consider investing in some specially adapted outdoor games. Giant Pick Up Sticks, Giant Dominoes or the classic kids favourite board game Snakes and Ladders can all provide endless hours of fun