Blue is the Colour

Well a turquoise shade of blue to be precise! If you want your garden to be bang on trend this year colour experts and trend houses are predicting turquoise as the key colour for 2010.  Voted the official ‘colour of the year’ by Pantone – the world-renowned authority on colour -  apparently turquoise will ‘transport us to an exciting tropical paradise while offering a sense of protection and healing in stressful times’. So even if your bank balance won’t allow for visiting tropical sunnier climes this year, all  you need to do is introduce some splashes of turquoise into your outdoor room, sit back and prepare to feel the force of the tropics!

Lime Orchard - Garden Design. Planting Plans. Garden Build 

GYO or GIY?

You may be experiencing snow where you are but believe us, Spring is well and truly on its way and with it comes the anticipation of getting to spend more time in the outdoor room. And if findings from a recent survey by the Horticultural Trades Association are anything to go by, as a nation Brits are now spending more time in their gardens than they have over the past four years. The surge of interest in the ‘Grow your Own’ movement has undoubtedly played a role in increasing the overall appeal of the garden but there is also a general belief that younger people are ‘connecting’ more with the environment and reconsidering the value of gardening.

But it is not just the ‘grow your own’ revolution that is continuing to gather momentum.  As a nation we are showing an increasing concern for waste or excess of any kind.  This is probably due to the need for many of us to cut costs during the recession but the trend looks set to stay with us having become conditioned to thinking more carefully about our use of time, money and resources.   With this in mind, the need to reduce carbon emissions, pollution and waste, alongside the growing call to action in relation to adopting recycling and reuse in the home has become the accepted norm. This trend translates into more consumers taking a wider interest in recycling and recycling products, the care of wildlife, biodiversity and a renewed interest in garden design and garden projects, arising in the birth of a whole new generation of ‘Green it Yourself’ consumers (GIY).

Lime Orchard - Garden Design. Planting Plans. Garden Build

Diary Dates 2010

RHS Show Cardiff – 16-18 April 2010
Malvern Spring Gardening Show – 6-9 May 2010
RHS Chelsea Flower Show – 25-29 May 2010
BBC Gardeners’ World Live – 16-20 June 2010
Solar Decathlon - 18-27 June 2010
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show – 6-11 July 2010
RHS Show Tatton Park – 21-25 July 2010
Malvern Autumn Show – 25-26 September 2010

Beware Rogue Traders

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has received a record 4,000 complaints about rogue traders – that’s 18% up on 2008 - representing a massive £8m cost to householders!  The most common complaints related to dodgy driveways, rip off roofs and imperfect cavity wall insulation.  The OFT is now launching a Your Doorstep, Your Decision campaign to help the general public steer clear of unscrupulous landscapers. The campaign advises householders that if they pay £35 or more for a service and sign a contract on the doorstep, traders legally must say they have seven days in which to cancel. Other advice includes not handing over a cash deposit, shopping around and getting a second opinion before letting work begin.

Get High from Green Living

Why not transform that dull roof into something spectacular with a low maintenance living green roof that offers some really worthwhile environmental benefits? Now you can use your flat roof – or a roof with a slope of up to 45 degrees - to grow a fabulous range of sedum products or eco friendly wildflowers to create a dramatic roof top sensation.

With the increasing concern about the impact our development of the planet is having on the worldwide environment and the UK government calling for sustainable development, green roofs offer a number of benefits over more traditional forms of roofing, helping to meet sustainable development objectives:

Flooding floored
Following a heavy rainfall a green roof will initially retain more rain than a conventional roof. This minimises the initial heavy run-off, which can cause localised flooding and put pressure on the sewage system. The remaining water then drains off more slowly, allowing more rain to remain in the natural water cycle and less in the sewage system.

Ssh …
The soft layer of sedum blanket growing on a green will absorb sound, as opposed to hard conventional roofs which can reflect noise. The same layer improves the buildings sound insulation properties, reducing sound pollution within the building.

Thermal Insulation
The addition of a green roof layer to a property increases its thermal insulation properties, making it warmer in winter, cooler in summer and reducing those all important (and rising!) energy costs.

Home sweet  home
Green roofs can help compensate for the loss of green surfaces, sacrificed to building developments. This helps to provide an environment for the development of wildlife, especially bird, plant and insect life, increasing the biodiversity in our towns and cities.

Canine Design!

Julia Everett, the winner of our recent ‘win a £1000 garden design’ prize draw  had an unusual motivation for wanting a garden transformation.  One of the main issues associated with the current layout of her outdoor space related to Molly, Julia’s beloved rescue dog.  Molly, a foxhound cross had been terribly abused by her previous owners and as a result, when she first came to Julia she was extremely timid and nervous.  Three years on and after lavishing much TLC,  Molly is now a boisterous, mischievous pooch, prone to leaping over the fence and any gaps in the hedge to pursue adventures beyond the safety of the garden!  Julia’s main priority is for a design that is not only aesthetically pleasing but which also removes any opportunity for Molly to make a quick getaway!  Watch this space!

Lime Orchard - Garden Design. Planting Plans. Garden Build 
 

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